JACKSONVILLE | Jacksonville’s home opener ended early, which was not a good thing for American Legion Post 265.

Or maybe it was.

In a baseball game that saw Kinston Post 43 score 12 runs with two outs in the sixth inning, Jacksonville fell, 21-2, on Tuesday night at White Oak High School. The game, which was delayed 24 minutes because of rain that never returned once play began, was called after seven innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.

“Obviously hat’s off to Kinston,” Post 265 coach Ben Stewart said. “They came in here and put the bat on the ball. That’s all you can ask of the guys when they go up to the plate. ... That’s what Kinston did tonight..., and they took advantage of every error and opportunity we gave them.”

Five players had at least two hits for Kinston, led by left fielder Jacob Baird, who was 4-for-6 with five RBIs. In all, Post 43 (3-2) banged out 17 hits — each one a single.

“I didn’t expect it to be this way,” Kinston coach Ronnie Battle said. “I really didn’t, especially after we got out here with the weather the way it was and nobody was able to really loosen up and get themselves ready for the ballgame in the traditional way.

“But I’m happy.”

In a weird way, however, much like Post 265 has to “flush” the loss – using the vernacular coaches like – so, too, does Kinston.

“We have to forget this in a way,” Battle said. “We have to kind of tone ourselves back down so we don’t get to thinking with the big head I guess you could say that we can do everbody like this.”

While Kinston outhit Jacksonville 17 to 7, Post 265 (1-3) had the only extra base hit of the night – an RBI double by Ethan Horne in the fourth inning. But Post 265 struggled in the field, committing 10 errors that allowed Post 43 to score 11 unearned runs. Post 43 had one error – by a reserve in the seventh inning.

The highlight – or lowlight – of the night came in the sixth when Post 43 scored 12 runs after the first two batters flew out to left and grounded out to second. In the inning, Jacksonville used three pitchers and committed five errors while walking three. Kinston also banged out five hits in an inning like none Stewart had ever seen.

“That’s got to be a first for me as a coach on any level,” Stewart said. “You hate it for them. You know they didn’t mean for that to happen, but baseball is a funny game. That can happen at any point in time. It’s happened in the major leagues before. It’s happened obviously now at Post 265. Hopefully, it never happens again. But it’s just tough.”

Battle, however, had been on the other end of such a nightmare inning – just not in American Legion or high school baseball.

“I was coaching a middle school team a few years ago and I was leading the ballgame 2-1 in the top of the second inning. Bottom of the second we give up 19 runs,” he said. “And I told the umpire, ‘Ballgame.’”

No one could have seen this kind of performance coming given Post 265 was coming off a 3-1 loss at perennial power Wilmington Post 10.

“I think part of that (is) we kind of relaxed a little bit,” Stewart said. “I’m not saying Kinston is a lighter team because they always either beat us or we split with them every year. I just think we didn’t come prepared for this game.”

Afterwards, Stewart talked to his team for 30 minutes deep in center field instead of their usual spot about halfway between the dugout and the left field fence.

“When you have a conversation with your guys as a coach you take responsibility because you feel like did I not get these guys mentally prepared to play this game? Are we doing the wrong things at practice? Or are the things we’re not doing sinking in?” Stewart said. “That’s just the kind of conversation we were having with them out in center field, what do we have to do to get this thing (back on track?)

“Obviously, we have a long season ahead of us, but when you show up and another team puts (21) runs on you, it’s just tough. ... We’ve got to get past it. We can’t get it back. But hopefully this is a blessing in disguise and we can come out the next game and be focused for nine innings and get it done.”

Kinston 010 04(12) 4 – 21 17 1

Jacksonville 000 100 1 – 2 7 10

WP–Mooring (1-1) 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. LP–Richards (0-1) 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. LEADING HITTERS–K: Baird 4-6, 5 RBI, 2 runs, SB; Davis 3-4, RBI, 3 runs, sac bunt; Tyndall 3-5, RBI, 3 runs. J: Horne 2-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBI; Norris 2-3; Shepard 2-4, run. RECORDS–K: 3-2, hosts Duplin/Wallace Post 127 on Thursday. J: 1-3, hosts Wilmington Post 10 on Wednesday.

It was just another spring evening covering North Lenoir baseball: keeping my book, whipping out my phone to record any potential game changers and even trying to spot trends that could foreshadow how far the Hawks would go in the playoffs this year.

Besides, they were in the second cycle of the season at the time.

With all of the press box regulars in already place, the scrape of an opening door disrupted one of my tweets.

Who was going to be joining us now?

It was a kid whose voice I recognized almost instantly.

Alex Stephens asked the North Lenoir announcer if he could call out the next batter.

When Alex did so, it made me proud.

You see, I’d grown familiar with his distinctly deep voice over months of Kinston basketball, where it could be heard filling up Viking Gymnasium. He even wore a customized sweatshirt with the “Official Announcer” spray painted on the back of it to the basketball games.

I was proud to see the Kinston High senior’s dedication to his craft, so much so that it reminded me a little bit of myself at his age.

In high school, I was always looking for something to write about.

Alex is always looking for something to announce or even narrate.

But his marked voice didn’t develop overnight — more like over the summer.

“Sophomore year, I had a really squeaky voice, like a really squeaky voice; you can ask anyone,” Alex told me. “At the end of sophomore year, it started to change. I couldn’t tell. When I came back for junior year, everyone started spazzing about my voice.”

Alex said the compliments about his baritone began pouring in, as he was even recommended to announce a girls’ soccer game.

His voice wasn’t all that transformed; those early opportunities changed his life, really.

He had planned to study computer engineering but with a new-found talent, he altered his path.  

Now, Alex hopes to make a career with his voice.

Although he wants to transition into narration and voiceovers — a goal supported by his Lenoir Community College radio broadcast course, he’s enjoyed calling out sports: from girls’ soccer, to Kinston basketball to the NJCAA Division III World Series.

"When I do initially announce the introduction,” Alex said, “the first reaction I get from spectators gets me. They always turn around and are like ‘What in the world?’ They see me talking and tap their spouse's shoulder and he’ll look, too, or she’ll look. They’re trying to figure out who’s talking because they cannot believe that was me.

“That’s pretty cool.”

The Kinston native has certainly made a name for himself around town with his signature sound.

And for Alex, it comes naturally.

Well, sort of, he joked.

“I always bring my Bojangles’ sweet tea  —  t hat’s what’s giving me my voice ,” he laughed. “I don’t really eat anything before the game. I just kind of focus. I don’t really channel anything; I just get ready.

“Just a sweet tea and I’m good to go.”

Over the sports seasons, Alex has grown more and more comfortable behind the microphone.

And it shows.

It shows in how he carries himself. It shows in how he walks confidently into a press box full of strangers, utterly glowing. It shows in his proven passion for broadcast.

“I get the same reaction every time I talk or announce,” Alex said (and I’m admittedly one of those who was initially intrigued by his voice). “Now, I kind of know I’m going to get that reaction and it helps me ease up. I’ve actually had fun with it now.”

Alex plans to take online courses at LCC from Virginia once he completes his current radio class. He’ll live with a relative for a year and then transfer to the University of Virginia.

In the meantime, he’ll distribute his custom business cards to local companies seeking voiceovers for commercials.

“When I first started announcing, I was like I’m in a small town, I’m not going to go anywhere,” Alex said. “But then I started announcing more and more, and I’m trying to branch out now. If you’re going to do something that you’re going do with your life, definitely stick with it.

“Eventually, it’s going to be a success and you’re going to be happy with what you’ve done.”

Can you see why Alex has fans?

That fire. That drive. That dedication. That passion.

He’s got the big voice to create those big inspirational words to capture a big bold dream.

Though Alex and I have affinities for different aspects of media, his hustle is simply one I recognize.

Jessika Morgan is the Sports Editor of The Free Press. She can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.

DEEP RUN | Hunter Kennedy, 19 years old, died in a wreck early Wednesday afternoon.

Kennedy was driving on N.C. 241 just north of Beulaville when a pickup truck ran a stop sign and struck his vehicle.

Charges are pending in the collision.

Kennedy was named to the Lenoir Community College dean’s list in fall 2013, received the Who’s Who among Students in American Junior Colleges award for spring 2015 from LCC and is a 2013 graduate of South Lenoir High School.

Check Kinston.com for further updates.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

SNOW HILL | The third fire incident at the Greene County Courthouse this year occurred early Thursday morning which involved someone trying to set the courthouse entrance afire.

Around 3 a.m. deputies discovered a broken window at the entrance and further investigation revealed a breaking and entering attempt and that someone tried to set the doors on fire. However, the fire burned itself out.

The Snow Hill Fire Department was contacted but its services weren’t needed.

Anyone with any information on the incident is encouraged to contact the State Bureau of Investigation at 800-334-3000 or the Greene County Sheriff’s Office at 252-747-3411.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

Two men allegedly stepped out of a van on Railfence Drive and began shooting in the direction of a man standing outside a house in the 1300 block around 6:55 p.m. Wednesday.

The 27-year-old man was uninjured, but investigators with the Kinston Department of Public Safety found one round lodged in a curtain inside the house and another went through the hood of a silver 2001 Lincoln Navigator parked outside the residence.

Officers also found three different calibers of shell casings – two .380-caliber casings, four .40-caliber casings and 20 Winchester 7.62x39 mm casings – in the roadway near the Railfence Drive intersection with Farmgate Road.

Estimated damage was $500 to the Navigator, $70 to a mailbox and $50 to a window pane.

A witness told police the gunmen were in a blue van and one of the suspects was a black male wearing a black hoodie and red pants.

Anyone with any information on the incident is encouraged to contact KDPS at 252-939-3160, the anonymous TIPS line at 252-939-4020 or CrimeStoppers at 252-523-4444.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

As roughly a third of North Carolinians like U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, another third doesn’t like him and the balance has no opinion, Democrats think they can knock him off in 2016.

But the two-term Republican may face only cursory opposition if Democrats can’t persuade former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan to run again.

Hagan lost her seat in a close-fought and expensive contest in 2014 to U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and talk among insiders is if she doesn’t run again, the bench is fairly empty – few Democrats could bring the competitiveness that she could to the race.

“Certainly, when a party looks for a candidate, it helps if that candidate has name recognition, the ability to fundraise, and a built-in organization – infrastructure – and she certainly brings that,” said Michael Bitzer, provost and professor of politics and history at Catawba College. “What she faced last year is not going to be the same electorate as what we typically see in a presidential year, which is when she won her first term.

“So, if Hagan chooses not to, there’s not a kind of middle tier between someone who has held that office, and has run that kind of important campaign and organization versus someone who is at a more district level.”

As a result, National Journal reported May 25 that U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. – a former chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Senate minority leader – is doing what he can to get her to pull the trigger.

“Their sit-down last month ended with the Senate minority leader promising that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee would commission a poll in North Carolina, testing the feasibility of Hagan’s candidacy,” Alex Roarty wrote.

But should Hagan agree to a second helping of the slings and arrows served up in the 2014 campaign, she may not even be the highest-polling Democrat.

Public Policy Polling ran a survey in April assessing Democratic challengers and Burr came out ahead of Hagan 50-38 percent. State Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, D-Wake, State Treasurer Janet Cowell and U.S. Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., all polled slightly higher and Burr didn’t break 50 percent against any of the three.

And while it’s not earth-shaking, for instance, if South Carolina Democrats fail to produce a strong contender in a given election – a situation leading to the months-long national absurdity of the 2010 Alvin Greene candidacy versus former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint – the purplish nature of the Old North State puts additional pressure on state Democrats to make a significant effort.

“I think the national party, particularly the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, is looking for someone who can mount a serious challenge,” Bitzer said. “If that’s Hagan and she chooses not to, it may be more of a sense of having to groom someone to make that run. National Democrats certainly look at this as a key opportunity to regain control of the Senate.”  

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

SNOW HILL | Robert Heath Insurance has been named one of the top 10 growth agencies in the state by Auto-Owners Insurance.

At a reception held in Charlotte with all the regional associates, Heath and the other nine awardees were each presented with a plaque commemorating their accomplishment.

“Their growth and support only help to make the entire community stronger and more secure," said Dan Thelen, executive vice president of Auto-Owners. "We are grateful they choose to do business with us.”

Robert Heath, president, opened his agency in 2008 and attributes the growth to word-of-mouth by numerous friends in Greene, Lenoir, Wayne and Pitt counties.

"We were very privileged," he said, "and very proud of our achievement and our policyholders that made it all possible."

His son, Lee Heath, said it took many hours of work to receive the recognition.

"It's an honor," he said. "It's a great accomplishment. ... The vice president of the company came to Charlotte, and that means a lot."

Robert Heath said his company has also been a top agency for another carrier for the past couple of years.

A Greene County native, he graduated from Greene Central High School in 1974 and attended Lenoir Community College. Learning on the job and taking numerous courses on the various aspects of insurance, Heath has 36 years of insurance experience.

His family business includes his wife Anita and son Lee, who's taking more of the operations and management responsibility, and his wife Ivy. Robert Heath has another son, Parker, who manages the family turkey farm.

The agency represents 54 companies offering all types of insurance, including policies from Auto-Owners, which ranked third in satisfaction in the southeast region in the "J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Auto Insurance Study."

"They've got a very competitive product," Heath said. "They're customer service is superior. They truly live up to their motto of the no-problem people."

A Fortune 500 company, Auto-Owners is the 15th largest property and casualty insurance company in the nation, based on written premium.

"For a company that size,"  Lee Heath said, for us here in Greene County to be in the top 10 in the state, it means a lot to us."

Robert Heath Insurance, 303 Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, Snow Hill, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information, call 252-747-2557.

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Reynolds Seafood has been a family business since 1961.

Emmett Murphy ran what was then called Kinston Fish and Oyster Company until his death in 1970, when he left it to his youngest son, Buster Murphy and son-in-law J.C. Reynolds.

J.C. Reynolds bought Murphy's share of the business a couple of years later, and in the mid- to late-1980s changed the name to its present one.

Today, it's owned by J.C. and his son Johnny Reynolds.

Chuck Reynolds, the general manager, provided the background of the business and what the store stocks.

"Most of it comes from Nixon's Fishery in Edenton and Atlantic Seafood in Hampstead," he said, adding some of the seafood is purchased from U.S. Foods in Zebulan. "Most of it's fresh (not frozen)."

Spots are the No. 1 selling fish, while flounder follows as a close second. Rockfish, snow crabs, salmon, trout, oysters and shrimp are popular, too.

"We sell 100 to 800 pounds every week," Chuck Reynolds said about the shrimp.

All the fresh seafood can be seen displayed on ice along the counter.

In the earlier years, the fishing industry was at its prime, but the industry began dwindling in the 1980s, Reynolds said.

While other nearby fish stores closed, Reynolds Seafood hung on and became the only seafood store in Kinston.

Reynolds said there are smaller stores in neighboring cities, but not with the selection the Kinston shop carries.

"Fresh seafood and friendly service — that's it in a nutshell," he said is the reason Reynolds is still in business.

It's not just Kinston folks showing up to buy the fresh seafood.

"We've really had a big influence the last couple of years from out of town," Reynolds said.

Reynolds Seafood, 336 N. Herritage St., is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For information, call 252-523-3474.

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Living Well Down East is celebrating a 1-year anniversary of its Winterville store.

There will be special sales on select items from Friday through Sunday at both stores.

The Winterville store, which opened June 2, will have its celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday with local vendors offering free tastings.

In addition, Saint Anne's Drum Circle of Tarboro will provide music, as well as loaner drums, shakers and a cow bell for individuals and families to create their own rhythms — known as a drop-in drum circle.

The celebration will be held at 154-A Beacon Drive, off Memorial Drive, Winterville.

Living Well in Kinston, 127 W. Gordon St., is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. For information, call 252-522-1100 in Kinston or 252-227-4685 in Winterville.

Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.

Do you have a new retail business or one that’s undergone a significant change? The Free Press would like to hear about it. Contact Margaret Fisher at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com

Beginning July 8 one of the main entrances to downtown Kinston will be closed for 10 months.

Work demolishing the present bridges linking South Queen Street to U.S. 70, and the construction of a single, new bridge is scheduled to run through April 18.

While the project received authorization for $12.4 million, Thalle Construction of Hillsborough won the contract with a bid of $11.4 million.

“We’ve been monitoring the bridge for several years and knew we needed to replace it at some point,” said Johnny Metcalf, state Department of Transportation district engineer, in August. “The average age of a bridge is 40 to 50 years, and while we don’t know the exact age of this one, we’re at that point. The bridges do get inspected every other year and they’ve passed inspections. If there is a deficiency found, we’ll prepare to do maintenance on it.”

Traffic — both into and out of town — is to use Skinner’s Bypass and what Lenoir County Commissioner Eric Rouse called the Happersville Bridge, which leads to West King Street.

The name comes from former Kinston Mayor Mills Happer, who in his effort in the 1920s to rid the town of prostitutes and bordellos merely forced them outside the city limits, at the present location of the Neuseway Nature Park.

The new bridge’s look should be relatively similar to the present structures, while other aspects are to conform to downtown design elements and general beautification.

“There were several pieces to our recommendation,” Pride of Kinston Executive Director Adrian King said. “One was the bridge itself, and part of that was the railings and what was proposed and what DOT adopted is what’s called ‘Texas classic’ railings.

“And we also recommended lighting for the bridge and that the lighting would be compatible with the downtown lighting, and that recommendation was adopted. We also recommended some artistic elements at the entrance, as well as when you leave the bridge.”

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

PINK HILL | The man who allegedly ran a stop sign and caused a fatal collision Wednesday has been charged.

Jan Willard Friis III, 28, faces counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and failure to stop for a duly erected stop sign.

Around 12:29 p.m. Wednesday, Hunter McQuade Kennedy was heading north on N.C. 241 just north of Beulaville when Friis, driving a 2003 Ford pickup truck, was heading west on Sarecta Road.

Friis crossed into the northbound lane of the highway and struck Kennedy’s 2004 Toyota pickup, causing it to overturn.

Kennedy, a 2013 graduate of South Lenoir High School, was 19 years old.

Arrangements have been made for Kennedy’s visitation 6-9 p.m. today at Pink Hill Funeral home and his funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at the same location, with burial to follow at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 2520-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

Editor's Note: This is the first of a series on the Kinston city budget.

There’s no rate increase for Kinston garbage pickup, but it could be on the way.

Kinston City Manager Tony Sears presented the city’s proposed budget to the city council Monday and costs involved with the environmental services section — which handles “residential and commercial garbage, vegetative and non-vegetative trash, white goods, residential recyclable materials and leaves” — are rising faster than revenues.

“We heard you loud and clear … so what you have before you has no increases,” Sears said. “But, the problem that we have here is that we’re going to work through this with no increases.”

To make up for the deficit, $286,749 moves from the Capital Reserve Fund to cover the costs. But, if the city’s going to continue to provide the same amount of environmental services, a possible 10 percent rate hike could be necessary by fiscal year 2016-17. For the average resident, their bill would rise from $22.50 to $24.75.

In the immediate future, two garbage trucks need replacement — $240,000 to replace a 2005 front-loader and $257,000 to replace a 1996 side-loader.

“Those are two large numbers,” Sears said. “What we have done in recent years is to keep the cost of this department and other departments down. Take the side-loader — what it is, it comes by your house, it has the arm, with that it grabs the trash can, takes it up, dumps it, comes back down and sets it out. It does that four days a week — and five, including recycling.

“And what we have done, that we haven’t done in prior years, is we just replace the old one. And we have done things to rehab the trucks to the point where we put it off a year, or two years or three years by replacing the major mechanical arms on this truck.”

But by getting off the regular replacement schedule, the city finds itself needing to replace both trucks at the same time.

Kinston Public Services Director Rhonda Barwick said the front-loader, especially, has a heavy workload.

“It gets a lot of wear and tear — when it picks up these big dumpsters,” the liquid from rain and other garbage that collects in dumpsters damages the truck in the long term. The loading mechanism also gets heavily taxed from the weight of the dumpsters, versus the side-loader truck handling the usual plastic bins.

While electric and water rates aren’t changing either, projects and purchases are ready to go.

Replacement of underground primary electric lines on Doctors Drive, Haskett and Truman courts, St. John’s Village and a section at the Cunningham Road substation is estimated to run $295,834.

Also scheduled is the replacement of six substation voltage regulators for $270,000 and replacement of a 1995 bucket truck at a cost of $235,000.

For city water, a plan to replace cast iron water lines in the Lawrence Heights neighborhood east of Old Snow Hill Road is estimated to cost $165,000. There are also plans to handle increased demand at a lower cost by reinstating Well No. 14 for the Falling Creek Industrial Park and upgrade Well No. 12 to assist the eastern part of the system for a combined cost of $110,000.

The next city council meeting’s scheduled for June 18.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

The smell of grilled burgers and other fare has long since left the premises, but the building that housed the historic Billy’s Drive-In came down Friday morning. The building, at 2012 N. Queen St., was demolished in about 45 minutes. City officials say owners of the property chose to bring the building down and there are no current plans for development.