HAMLET — Despite hanging tough with a veteran team Sunday, the Hamlet American Legion Junior baseball team couldn’t put enough runs across the plate.
Continuing the North Carolina Legion Baseball Hall of Fame Classic at Memorial Park, Hamlet was edged by the Garner Nationals 4-1.
Noting it was a “much better” outing than the day before, head coach Robert Smith said he was proud of Post 49’s ability to remain competitive.
“We played a team that was a lot older than us today. Most of their players are rising seniors and juniors,” Smith said. “I’m proud of the way our guys didn’t back down and really tried to scrape out a win.
“If we don’t make a few mistakes, a three-run game may have been a one-run game or tied,” he added. “We’re still a young team trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle in the right place. But today was an improvement for us even though we didn’t win. We just have to cut down on the errors.”
Garner scored one run apiece in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings. Hamlet’s lone run came in the bottom of the second to make it a 1-1 score.
Making his first start of the season, Colson Smith pitched 3.1 innings. All three of his runs were unearned on no hits and he had one strikeout.
Hamlet actually no-hit Garner using four pitchers, but eight errors in the field and 11 walks allowed the Nationals to score.
Colton Nelson threw 2.1 innings of relief and allowed an unearned run. His two strikeouts were the most for any of Post 49’s pitchers.
Tristan Chavis made an appearance and faced three batters (three walks) in the sixth before Nate Culbreth entered the game. Culbreth retired four of the five batters he faced in order and didn’t allow a run in his 1.1 innings.
Garner scored its first run on a bases-loaded walk, but Smith got out of the jam when shortstop Drew Gause started an inning-ended 6-4-3 double play.
Smith stranded two runners in scoring position an inning later, which helped Hamlet knot the score.
Gause led off with a single to right field and moved to third on a pair of groundouts to first base. A wild pitch to the backstop allowed Gause to sprint home and make it 1-1.
An error allowed Garner to retake the lead in the third inning. Center fielder Jake Veach helped eliminate a potential big inning when he made a leaping catch for the first out and doubled off the napping runner to Jaxston Watson at first.
Using a squeeze play, Garner added another run to its lead in the top of the fourth.
Hamlet was efficient in getting runners on base, but couldn’t score. Post 49 left a runner on second in the third, two runners on base in the fourth and another runner in scoring position in the fifth.
The final run of the game came when a Garner base runner stole; home, sliding just under the tag by catcher Sam O’Neal.
Hamlet had three hits in the game, led by Smith’s two singles. Gause also had a base hit.
Now 1-4 on the season, the Hamlet Juniors will look to get back in the win column at Hope Mills Post 32 Tuesday. First pitch from Gray’s Creek High School is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Sunday’s game soon.
