HAMLET — A shutout streak by its pitching, along with a season-long winning streak, continued for the Post 49 baseball team Monday.
Playing the first of its three Area 2 Conference games in as many nights, Hamlet completed its two-game regular-season series sweep of Wadesboro Post 446.
Extending its winning streak to eight games, Post 49 blanked Wadesboro 9-0. Over its last four games, a handful of pitchers have combined to record 16 innings of consecutive scoreless baseball.
Hanging a zero in the run column Monday were starting pitcher Evan Hodges (Richmond) and relievers Robbie Peed (Scotland) and Brady Fowler (Scotland).
Earning win No. 2 of the season, Hodges pitched five innings and struck out seven batters. He allowed four hits and a walk, while retiring Post 446 in order in the second and fifth frames.
Peed and Fowler tossed the sixth and seventh innings, respectively. Leaving the bases loaded without allowing a run was Peed, as Fowler faced just three batters to shut the door in the seventh.
Hamlet’s defense was also on point against Wadesboro as several plays at the plate and around the field saved runs.
Hodges left two base runners on during the top of the first inning, which was followed by the first of three straight one-run innings by Hamlet.
Back-to-back doubles by James Eason (Richmond) and JD Scarbrough (Pitt Community College) to lead off the first inning saw them trade places for a run. It was the first of two hits for Scarbrough and his lone RBI.
Two strikeouts to start the top of the second by Hodges was aided by a 9-3 putout for what would have been a single. Scarbrough fielded the ball in right and lasered a throw to Riley Brown (Richmond) at first for the third out.
With the bases loaded in the home half, John Carre (Pinecrest, infield single) scored from third when the catcher tried to pick a runner off at second base to make it 2-0.
Wadesboro got runners on the corners with two outs in the top of the third but a heads up play by Hodges started a sequence to nab a runner at the plate.
The runner on first made his way to second base, causing Hodges to step off and fire to Eason at short. Eason chased the runner back to first and capped the 1-6-2 putout when he threw home to catcher Jacob Williams, who tagged out the runner trying to steal.
Brown recorded the first of his two RBI in the game a half inning later, slashing a single to left field. Scoring from third base was Sacarbrough, who led off with a free pass off starting pitcher Reece Harrington (four innings, three runs, seven hits, two walks).
A four-batter top of the fourth from Hodges was followed by a 1-2-3 top of the fifth. Across those two frames Hodges picked up his final two Ks and third baseman Isaac Hinshaw (Richmond) flashed his leather for an athletic 5-3 putout for the first out in the fifth.
Pitching in relief starting in the fifth for Wadesboro was Preston Thomas (two innings, five hits, six runs, three walks). Hamlet opened its lead to 7-0 with a four-spot in the home half.
With the bases loaded and one away, Maddox Locklear (Scotland) joined the RBI parade with a base on balls to score Hodges (single). Williams followed in the next at-bat with a sacrifice fly to center field, plating Hinshaw (walk).
A fly ball by Landon Taylor (Richmond) found the grass in shallow left field for a two-RBI single to extend the lead to seven runs with two away.
Taking over in the sixth, Peed allowed the first two runners on via a single. With runners on the corners, a stolen base at second resulted in another out at home. Receiving the throw down to second, Eason popped back up and fired to Williams, who applied an easy tag for the first out.
For the second out, Brown charged from first on a bunt with the bases loaded and flipped the ball with his glove to Williams at home for the 3-2 fielder’s choice. Peed left the bases full of Wadesboro runners when he struck out the next batter.
Hamlet’s final two runs came in the bottom of the sixth. An RBI groundout to short by Brown made it 8-0, scoring Scarbrough (single) from third.
Jeremiah Ritter (Richmond) hustled out an infield single a few pitches later to bring in Hinshaw, who doubled high off the Wilbur Dome wall, a few feet short of a homer.
A leadoff single for Post 446 was undone on a 3-6 fielder’s choice coupled with a runner’s interference call at second base. Fowler got the final out on a swinging K in the dirt, which Williams sealed with a throw down to first.
Hamlet had 12 hits in the win, including two each from Scarbrough, Hodges and Hinshaw. Eason (double), Brown, Carre, Ritter, Locklear and Taylor each had one hit.
Brown and Taylor both drove in a pair of runs, which were supported by solo RBI from Scarbrough, Ritter, Locklear and Williams.
Hamlet (15-4, 6-0 Area 2) hosts Moore County Post 12 Tuesday for its penultimate regular-season game. First pitch from Memorial Park is set for 7 p.m.
