HAMLET — A barrage of hits led to the Hamlet American Legion junior baseball team’s first win of the season Monday.
Opening Area 2 Conference action, Hamlet defeated Hope Mills Post 32 by a final score of 6-4.
It was also the first win for head coach Anthony Hailey, as Hamlet belted a season-high 12 hits en route to the victory.
Post 49 used a strong outing from left-handed starting pitcher Conner Phifer, who went 4.2 innings. He had six strikeouts while allowing four earned runs on six hits and five walks.
Steve James threw the final 2.1 innings for Hamlet and put up zeroes in the hit and run columns. He punched out three batters and walked two.
Drew Gause led the team with three hits, all singles, and drove in a run. Jabari Douglas and Preston Fann each connected for two hits, including a triple and an RBI for Fann.
James had a hit and a team-high two RBI, as Phifer and Michael Osentowski each singled home a run. Noah Stubbs and Colton Nelson both had a hit.
“I am proud of our guys for competing until the last out,” Hailey said. “Conner Phifer pitched a good game for us tonight. He got ahead of hitters and kept them off balance. I think the defense played good behind Phifer, but I think there were a few plays we should have made.
“We did a good job battling at the plate tonight,” he added. “There were several guys who stepped up with timely hits. When we got the fastball, we attacked, and I like how we battled with two strikes.
“Steve James did a good job in relief by going right at the batters and was able to close the door. I like the direction we are headed, and we will continue building off of this momentum.”
Phifer sat the Bears down in order in the first, but Hope Mills jumped ahead 2-0 after the top of the second inning on a one-out two-RBI single.
Hamlet answered with its first run in the home half, which started with Fann’s three-bagger. Stubbs was hit by a pitch, which led to a sacrifice bunt by Osentowski to score Fann.
After a quick four-batter inning by Phifer in the third, Hamlet took a 4-2 lead with a three-run frame.
Three straight singles from Douglas, Phifer and Gause loaded the bases for James. On the fourth pitch of his at-bat, James lined a two-run single to center to plate Douglas and Phifer.
Up next, Fann put Hamlet ahead by two runs with an RBI on a fielder’s choice back up the middle.
Hope Mills used a bases-loaded walk and an RBI single in the top of the fourth to tie the game. Phifer escaped the big inning by collecting two strikeouts with the bases loaded and another two batters later after the single.
Helping himself in the home half, Phifer recorded the game-winning RBI on a sacrifice fly to right field. Nelson, who led off with a single to center, trotted home.
On the next pitch, Gause barreled up an RBI single to center to score Douglas (single) for an insurance run.
Phifer got the first two outs in the fifth before James replaced him and shut it down the rest of the game.
The junior 49ers (1-3, 1-0 Area 2) will play another conference game Tuesday on the road against Pembroke Post 50. The game will be played at Purnell Swett High School and start at 7 p.m.
