Two local middle school baseball teams, along with a local softball team and girls’ soccer team, opened the week with a win.
Red Rams remain perfect, come back to defeat Carver
The Hamlet Middle School baseball team used a walk-off hit from Hayden Wheeler to defeat Carver Middle School on Monday.
Trailing by a run entering the bottom of the seventh, the Red Rams rallied to defeat the Eagles 7-6. Starting pitcher Steve James threw a complete game and registered eight strikeouts.
Hamlet took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Terande Spencer singled home Evan Hodges (double). Carver responded with four runs in the top of the third to take a 4-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, Wheeler reached on an error and a hit by Tristan Chavis moved him to third. Keith Cummings drew a walk and Amer Morrison was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to plate Wheeler.
Pulling within a run, Chavis scored on a sacrifice fly to cut Hamlet’s deficit to 4-3 after four.
An inning later, Hodges reached on a walk and stole second with one out, and Wheeler brought him in. Heading into the sixth, Hamlet led 5-4.Â
Carver scored two runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead 6-5, and James retired the Eagles in order in the top of the seventh to preserve the one-run deficit.
James led off the final frame with a hit to left field, which led to an inside-the-park home run to tie the game. Hodges followed with a double to right-center and Wheeler connected on an RBI single to earn the win.
Now 5-0 on the season, Hamlet will host Spring Hill on Thursday.
Rockets edge Sandy Grove behind two-pitcher effort
Rockingham Middle School’s baseball team held on to defeat Sandy Grove Middle School 11-7 on Monday.
Jason Gainey was awarded the win, tossing three innings and striking out nine batters. Throwing three innings of relief was Caden Nolan, who also added eight punchouts.
Head coach Jamie McDonald said the game was only played to six innings because the umpires called it after a two-hour time limit.
Leading the Rockets at the plate was Nolan, who went 1-for-3 with “a massive three-run home run.” Gainey added a hit in three trips to the plate.
Tyler McKenzie recorded two RBIs on one hit, Andrae Streeter registered two RBIs on two hits and Preston Fann notched two hits and an RBI.
The Rockets improved to 4-2 on the campaign and will host Anson Middle School Blue on Thursday.
Ellerbe softball evens record with mercy-rule win
Returning to action on Monday, the Ellerbe Middle School softball team defeated West Hoke Middle School 13-0 in five innings.Â
Kenley Smith started the game in the circle and pitched two innings, striking out all six batters she faced. Carly McCormick threw three innings of relief and recorded nine strikeouts for all nine of her outs.
Leading 3-0 after the second inning, the Lady Wildcats added six runs in the third. With the bases loaded, Addison Raines tripled home three runs to score Kaley Connor (double), Smith (single) and MacKenzie Hill (single).
Lilly Hill added an RBI single and Addison Connor brought in another run on a double.
Four more runs in the bottom of the fourth secured the win. Abby Robinson had a home run, MacKenzie Hill and Raines had an extra base hit with an RBI each and a ground out by Lilly Hill recorded the final run.
Now 2-2, the Ellerbe softball team will host East Hoke Middle School on Thursday.
Note: The Ellerbe baseball team lost 8-6 to West Hoke. No other information was reported.
Cordova softball falls to Spring Hill
Suffering its first loss of the season, the Cordova Middle School softball team lost 19-0 to Spring Hill in three innings on Monday.
Jamesyn Quick was the only Lady Cavalier to reach base, courtesy of a walk.Â
Coach Rebecca Wright said she was pleased with several defensive plays, including a catch by Arlee Goodman at short. Madison Hancock snagged a blooper back to the circle and Tatum Watson made a nice out fielding a grounder at first.
Now 2-1 on the season, Wright says she hopes the team fares better against Sandy Grove later this week.
Ellerbe soccer teams split with West Hoke
On Tuesday, the Ellerbe soccer teams battled the rain and West Hoke Middle School. Playing shortened halves because of the weather, the Lady Wildcats won while the Wildcats lost.
The girls’ team shut out the Lady Tigers 4-0. Mariana Gonzalez Aguilar scored three goals in the win, while Lucero Morales scored the other goal.
In the boys’ game, which played one 20-minute half, the Wildcats lost 2-0.
The Lady Wildcats improved to 4-1 and the Wildcats’ record is 2-3. Both teams will travel to East Hoke on Wednesday.
Note: Coaches Derek Anderson, Anthony Hailey, Grover McDonald, Jamie McDonald and Rebecca Wright submitted scores and details for this article. Coaches can submit details to be published by emailing kpillar@richmondobserver.com.
