Whiteville Wolfpack wins 10th state championship, first since 2018

HOLLY SPRINGS, NC (WWAY) — Whiteville captured its 11th state championship Thursday night, defeating the East Rutherford Cavaliers 3-2 in the decisive third game of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A State Championship Series. The title is the program’s first since 2018.

The Wolfpack opened the series Wednesday with a 4-1 victory behind a dominant performance from freshman pitcher Luke McLean.

McLean tossed a complete game, striking out nine batters while allowing just four hits and one earned run.

At the plate, UNC Pembroke commit Jake Odham contributed a hit and an RBI.

Whiteville dropped Game two 5-4 after 10 innings.

East Rutherford starting pitcher Caleb Bennett struck out 11 batters, but the Wolfpack mounted a late rally in the seventh inning. After recording two outs and facing their final strike, center fielder Collin Hooks kept the game alive with a single. Jake Odham and Wyatt Torelli followed by reaching base, and Whiteville capitalized with aggressive baserunning to score two runs.

With the game on the line, cleanup hitter Layton McLean hit a hard ground ball to shortstop that resulted in an error, allowing the Wolfpack to extend the inning and tie the game.

The Cavaliers regained the lead in the top of the 10th inning when first baseman Malachi Dato delivered the go-ahead RBI. Whiteville was unable to answer in the bottom half of the frame, forcing a winner-take-all Game 3.

In Thursday’s championship game, Layton McLean started on the mound and pitched into the seventh inning. After running into trouble late, Whiteville turned to his younger brother, Luke McLean, who recorded the final two outs to secure the victory.

With the 3-2 win, the Wolfpack claimed their 11th state championship and their first state title in seven years.