ASHEBORO — Not one, but two leads late in Tuesday’s extra-inning game weren’t safe for the Hamlet American Legion baseball team.
Trying to even its regular season Area 3 Conference series with Randolph County Post 45, Hamlet lost a 9-8 heartbreaker in eight innings.
Despite a three-run lead entering the bottom of the seventh inning, and a one-run lead following the top of the eight, the 49ers allowed Post 45 to walk it off on a one-out fielder’s choice.
Giving Post 49 a chance from both the mound and the batter’s box was Caden Nolan (Belmont Abbey College). He pitched six innings and allowed five runs (one earned) with nine strikeouts, while going 4-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and three runs batted in at the plate.
Evan Hodges (Lenoir Community College) was also efficient at the dish, finishing the game 3-for-5 with three base hits and two RBI. Both Nolan and Hodges scored two times each.
A run in the second inning and two runs in the third gave Hamlet a 3-0 lead before Post 45 scored four runs in the bottom of the third.
Retaking the lead with a three-run fifth, Hamlet scored another run in the seventh to lead 7-4. Randolph County, however, answered to tie the game with three runs in the home half to force extras.
Hamlet took an 8-7 lead in the eighth, but Post 45 used a couple of hits, a sacrifice bunt and two intentional walks to win it in the bottom half.
Giving Hamlet a 1-0 lead was Maddox Locklear (Richmond), who singled home Nolan (double). With two outs in the third, Hodges singled home Nate Culbreth (Richmond, single) and Nolan doubled in Hodges to give the 49ers a 3-0 lead.
Starting the three-run fifth to put Hamlet back up on the scoreboard was another RBI single from Hodges that scored Culbreth (walk). A hard ground ball back up the middle by Nolan in the next at-bat scored Miken Concepcion (Christ the Cornerstone Academy, single).
Hodges later scored before the third out was recorded to give Hamlet a 6-4 lead.
Nolan’s successful night at the plate continued in the top of the seventh when he went yard with a solo shot to center field. Making the trip around the bases on his first home of the summer, Nolan extended the lead to 7-4.
After Nolan walked the first batter of the bottom of the seventh, reliever Jabari Douglas (Johnson & Wales University) took over on the mound. In addition to the earned run charged to Nolan, Douglas gave up two earned runs on three hits in the inning.
After Post 45 tied the game 7-7, Douglas worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam. The defense recorded a 6-2 fielder’s choice and a fly out to center field to send the game to extras.
Two-out lightning struck for Hamlet in the eighth when Culbreth drew a walk and moved 90 feet when Concepcion recorded his second base hit of the game.
Three pitches later, Drew Gause (Richmond) barreled a line drive single to left field to plate Culbreth, his team-leading third run scored, to give the 49ers an 8-7 lead.
Randolph County tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on a one-out triple with Hodges on the mound. Needing a double play, head coach Eric Brown ordered up consecutive intentional walks to load the bases.
Getting a potential inning-ending ground ball to second base, Hamlet wasn’t able to get both outs and the winning run scored for Post 45.
Hamlet (2-4, 2-4 Area 3) will look to return to the win column Saturday when it travels to HiToms Post 87. First pitch is at 7 p.m.
