ASHEBORO — Running into a live arm Monday, the Hamlet American Legion baseball team dropped its second game in as many days.
Using a different looking lineup card against Randolph Post 45, Hamlet suffered a 5-1 loss at historic McCrary Park.
Despite the outcome, head coach Chip Gordon expressed his pleasure with the 49ers adjusting to the shake up and battling a strong outing from Drake Purvis.
Several players shifted defensive positions as Jeremiah Ritter (Richmond) made a quality start on the mound for Hamlet.
An injury to starting right fielder and leadoff hitter JD Scarbrough (Pitt Community College) late in the game further shuffled Hamlet’s defensive look.
Gordon explained his game plan entering the night, in order to “keep arms sharp,” was to cap Ritter at three innings and use Robbie Peed and Brady Fowler (both Scotland) for two innings each.
Ritter threw 49 pitches in his three innings of work and allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits. He struck out one batter and left three runners on base.
Opposite of him, left-handed Purvis tossed a complete game for Post 45. Hamlet knocked five hits off Purvis but struck out nine times and stranded five runners.
Hamlet scored its lone run in the top of the first inning with two outs. Austin Mooring (Union Pines) laced an RBI single with two strikes on a liner to center, one of his two hits.
Getting on his horse and racing in from second base to score was Isaac Hinshaw, who reached via a base knock an at-bat earlier. Hinshaw also had Hamlet’s only extra-base hit, a double, in the third.
Post 45 scored solo runs in the first (sac fly), second (single), third (sac fly), fifth (single) and sixth innings (sac fly).
Peed entered in the fourth and faced just three batters. Following a ground out, Hinshaw started a 3-6-3 inning-ending double play with Evan Hodges (Richmond).
In his two frames, Peed allowed one earned run on three hits and struck out his final batter. Fowler pitched the sixth for Hamlet and gave up one earned run on a hit and two walks.
Isaac Hinshaw, who had a single and a double, scores in the first inning. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Post 49’s bats went cold after the first, going down in order in the second, fourth and fifth frames. Mooring also singled in the sixth but was stranded.
Riley Brown (Richmond) had Hamlet’s only other hit, an infield single in the seventh. He outran a trio of infielders to the bag on a slow roller to second base.
Hamlet (5-2) will make the long trek to Catawba College Tuesday for a non-conference meeting with Rowan County Post 342. Game time is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Monday’s game soon.
