BEULAVILLE — A pivotal fourth inning helped the Post 49 baseball team extend its winning streak to three games on Tuesday.
Playing its second of three straight games, Hamlet traveled to Beulaville Post 511 and earned a 6-3 victory.
Behind a 4.1-inning effort from starting pitcher Walker Lambeth, Post 49 erased a two-run deficit by scoring four runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good.
The team added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh.
Head coach Chip Gordon noted the team had some missed opportunities to score early in the game, but it was Hamlet’s pitching that kept the game close and allowed for the late rally.
“It was a well-played game tonight,” Gordon said. “We left some runners on base early, but we kept fighting and we were able to take over in the fourth inning.
“Walker was big for us and he gave us way more than we asked of him,” he added. “Our pitching was the key and gave us a chance to win. Tristan (Hunt) shut them down the last couple of innings and we capitalized late in the game at the plate.”
Lambeth surrendered just two runs (one earned) and five hits, while striking out two batters. Tristan Hunt tossed the final 2.2 innings of relief, allowing one run on three hits with four Ks.
After Lambeth retired Post 511 in order through the first two innings, Beulaville used back-to-back doubles and a passed ball in the bottom of the third to take a 2-0 lead.
Hamlet responded in the top of the fourth by loading the bases with its first three batters and worked some two-out magic to jump ahead.
With the bags full of 49ers, Chaz Whitmore and Tanner Cheek drew consecutive walks to score two runs and tie it up. Crossing the plate were Finley Spicer (error) and Hunt (walk).
In the next at-bat, Cameron Way battled and delivered on a full count, slicing a two-RBI double into the left-center gap. Making their way home were Lambeth (walk) and Whitmore to put Hamlet up 4-2.
Beulaville scored its final run of the night on an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth to cut Hamlet’s lead to one run. Spicer helped save a run in the inning by firing a fielder’s choice home to nab a runner.
For good measure, the bats for Post 49 tacked on two more runs late. Way led off the seventh inning with a single, one of his two hits in the game, and later scored when Hunt hit his second knock of the night on a line drive single to center field.
Lambeth, who was the third player to collect two hits in the win, recorded the final RBI with a sacrifice fly to center. Racing home was Spicer, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.
Hunt worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the bottom of the seventh, registering a strikeout and flyout to Cheek at second base to end the game.
Spicer had a single to round out Hamlet’s seven-hit performance, and Way’s two RBIs were a game-high. Driving in one run apiece were Cheek, Hunt, Lambeth and Whitmore.
“It feels good every time you get a win,” Gordon said of the current winning streak. “We’re going to enjoy this one tonight, but we’re going to take it one game at a time. This win has no bearing on our next game, so we’ll be ready to play.”
Post 49 improved to 7-4 on Tuesday, and will return to play with another road trip on Wednesday.
Hamlet will play Wilmington Post 10 Veterans in a make-up game at Legion Stadium, starting at 7 p.m.
