HAMLET — A trio of pitchers combined to face just two batters over the minimum and throw a no-hitter Tuesday.
The Hamlet American Legion baseball team continued to ride its wave of momentum into the final stretch of the regular season, as it earned its ninth straight victory.
Hosting Area 2 Conference opponent Moore County Post 12, Hamlet cruised to a 10-0 win in six innings.
Jason Walker (Richmond), Jeremiah Ritter (Richmond) and Brady Fowler (Scotland) each threw two innings to record the no-hit bid. The three also extended Post 49’s shutout streak to 22 innings.
Zeroes were put up on the board by all three pitchers except for a walk apiece by Walker and Fowler in the second and sixth innings, respectively.
Walker faced just six batters in his two innings to start the game and recorded four strikeouts. His free pass in the second was caught stealing by catcher Jacob Williams (Union Pines) to shortstop James Eason (Richmond).
Ritter was dialed in and fanned all six batters he faced in order in the third and fourth frames. He threw 37 pitches and worked back in a few counts to register his six strikeouts.
Fowler went 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth on two flyouts and a groundout. In the sixth, he recorded a pair of groundouts, walked a batter then got a lazy fly ball to right field to strand the runner.
Post 49 scored three runs in the second inning, added four runs in the fourth and ended the game early with its final three runs in the sixth. Maddox Locklear (Scotland) registered his one hit and run batted in on a fly ball to center to end it.
Landon Taylor (Richmond) drew a bases-loaded walk for the first run of the game off starting pitcher Dominic Inocencio (four innings, seven runs, five hits, five walks). Trotting in from third was Riley Brown (Richmond), who reached on an error.
A 4-6 fielder’s choice off the bat of JD Scarbrough (Pitt Community College), who had a triple to lead off the game an inning earlier, scored John Carre (Pinecrest, single).
Trying to turn a double play, the throw to first sailed high, which allowed Williams (walk) to score and make it 3-0.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the fourth, Eason dropped a two-RBI double inside the foul line in right field. Crossing home plate to make it 5-0 were Williams (hit-by-pitch) and Taylor (single).
A free pass to Evan Hodges (Richmond) reloaded the bases and all three runners advanced on a passed ball. Scoring on the ball in the dirt was Scarbrough (walk).
Isaac Hinshaw became one of six Hamlet players to record at least one RBI with a sacrifice fly to left field. Tagging up on the backside line drive out was Eason, who extended the lead to 7-0.
Two innings later, Hinshaw matched Eason with a game-high two RBI when he barreled a triple to the corner in right field. Hodges (walk) scored easily as Hinshaw beat the relay throw to third and slid safely under the tag attempt.
An RBI groundout to second base by Robbie Peed (Scotland) scored Hinshaw, and in the next at-bat, Locklear found the grass in shallow center to score Brown (walk).
Carre’s two hits led the team. Scarbrough, Eason and Hinshaw all had one extra-base hit and Locklear and Taylor both singled.
Eason and Hinshaw each plated two runs. Scarbrough, Peed, Locklear and Taylor combined for the other four RBI.
Hamlet (16-4, 7-0 Area 2) can clinch the outright regular season conference championship with a win against Hope Mills Post 32 Wednesday, which would be the program’s first since returning to the diamond in 2021.
Post 49’s regular-season finale will be played at Terry Sanford High School and begin at 7 p.m.
