HAMLET — A marathon, high-scoring game Monday ended in a one-run loss for the Hamlet American Legion junior baseball team.
Hosting Pembroke Post 50 to close out its two-game Area 2 Conference series, Post 49 let an early four-run lead collapse and end in a 15-14 loss.
The Hamlet juniors led 7-3 after two innings, but 11 runs by Post 50 over the next three and a half innings made it a 14-7 deficit.
Post 49 rallied to tie the game with seven runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth. Pembroke, however, scored the eventual game-winning run in the top of the seventh.
Conner Phifer started on the mound and lasted 3.1 innings. He allowed seven runs (six earned) on two hits and seven walks with five strikeouts.
Three pitchers threw in relief for Hamlet, starting with Michael Osentowski (0.0 innings, four runs, four walks and two hits).
Cooper Gainey tossed two innings and struck out three batters, while surrendering three runs on three hits. Cameron Liles pitched the final 1.2 innings (one run, one hit, two strikeouts).
Trailing 3-0 to start the bottom of the first, Phifer stole home to get Hamlet on the board. Later in the inning, Preston Fann scored on a passed ball and Keith Cummings also stole home.
An RBI single by Steve James started a four-run second inning for Hamlet. Phifer scored on an error and Tristan Chavis doubled home two runs with the bases loaded.
Pembroke cut its deficit to three runs in the top of the third and its seven-run fourth inning saw Post 50 face Phifer, Osentowski and Gainey on the mound.
The visiting team tacked on three more runs in the sixth to extend its lead to 14-7.
Not going away quietly, Post 49 sent 12 batters to the plate in the bottom half to score seven runs and make it a new ball game.
Fann started the rally with an RBI single with the bases loaded. Chavis recorded his team-high third RBI when he was hit with a pitch with the bags full of 49ers.
A walk to Julius Bowden scored another run and an error on a Cameron Liles ground ball plated a pair of runs. A wild pitch and a passed ball brought in Bowden and Liles, respectively, to tie the score 14-14.
Pembroke used an inside-the-park home run from the leadoff batter in the seventh to score the final run of the game. Hamlet went down in order on three straight grounders to end it.
The Hamlet juniors (1-7, 1-4 Area 2) travel to Gray’s Creek High School Tuesday to face the Hope Mills Post 32 Bears. Action will start at 7 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Game stats provided by Hamlet’s GameChanger app and head coach Anthony Hailey.
