The local middle school baseball and softball championships are set, and one Richmond County baseball team will get a chance to play for the title.
No. 1 Red Rams heading to the championship
Top-seeded Hamlet is heading to the championship in baseball following Wednesday’s semifinal round win over No. 4 East Hoke Middle School.
Behind a complete game from Evan Hodges and 14 strikeouts, the No. 1 Red Rams earned a 4-0 win against the Eagles.
Hamlet took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Hodges knocked a two-RBI double, scoring teammates Drew Gause (walk) and Steve James (walk).
In the fifth, James doubled with two outs and later scored on an error by the center fielder on a ball put in play by Hodges. The Red Rams took a 3-0 lead heading into the final two innings.
Hamlet’s final run was scored on an RBI single up the middle by Amer Morrison in the sixth. Crossing the plate was Tristan Chavis, who drew a two-out walk and stole second base.
James, Chavis, Morrison and Hayden Wheeler all had one hit. Hodges’ double was his lone hit, but he recorded three RBIs.
“We had a few errors in the beginning of the game, but I’m proud of how the guys played through them and made the next play,” head coach Anthony Hailey said. “Evan pitched a great game by getting ahead in the count, which allowed him to utilize his other pitches to get outs. Just overall a good team win.”
The championship game is set for 4 p.m. on Monday, as Hamlet (10-1) will host No. 2 Anson Blue (9-2). The Bearcats defeated No. 3 Carver Middle School on Wednesday.
No. 4 Ellerbe softball suffers semifinal loss
As the last remaining Richmond County middle school in the softball playoffs, No. 4 Ellerbe was eliminated in the semifinal round on Wednesday.
The Lady Wildcats lost to No. 1 Carver by a final score of 20-0. Ellerbe finished the season with a 6-5 record. No other details were submitted.
Note: Coach Anthony Hailey and contributor Deon Cranford submitted scores and details for this article. No other stats or information were reported by the time of publication.
Coaches can submit details to be published by emailing kpillar@richmondobserver.com.
