HAMLET — Despite a valiant effort during the final week of the regular season, the Hamlet American Legion baseball team came up one victory short of winning its second straight division title.
With its 8-3 loss to Randolph County Post 45 Wednesday, Post 49 finished second in the final standings of the North Pod 2 Division.
In addition to the team winning three of its final four games to end the regular season, head coach Chip Gordon explained Hamlet got some help in finishing second.
Post 49’s two losses earlier this season to Moore County were negated when it was determined Post 12 had an ineligible player on its roster.
“We had a good final week of the regular season and went from being out of the conference playoffs to the No. 2 seed,” Gordon explained. “There were plenty of chances for us to score tonight, especially early on, but we weren’t able to capitalize. That’s baseball sometimes.
“It also wasn’t our best defensive game, and that hurt us,” he continued. “But I’m proud of the team for fighting their way back into a good spot in the standings.”
Hamlet erased a three-run deficit to tie the game 3-3 in the fifth inning, but a five-run top of the sixth led to Randolph County winning the division title.
The pitcher of record was Evan Hodges (Richmond), who threw five innings. He allowed six earned runs on eight hits and struck out two batters. Caden Nolan (Richmond) pitched two innings of relief and gave up two runs (one earned) on a hit with three Ks.
Hodges got out of an early jam with two on and no outs in the first. Collin Hill (Richmond) snagged a bunt pop up at first base for the first out.
Hodges made a smooth move to pick off a runner at second, throwing to Nolan at third for the second out. The final out was Hodges’ first K of the game to end the inning.
Hamlet managed to load the bases with one out in the bottom half, but a fielder’s choice and a fly out left all three 49ers on base.
Randolph County took its first lead of the game on a two-out single in the top of the second. Catcher Jacob Williams (Union Pines) hosed a want-to-be base stealer at third base for the final out.
Two more base runners were left on for Hamlet in the bottom of the second. Hill and Garrett Manning (Scotland) each drew a walk.
With two outs in the third, Randolph County added a run to make it 3-0 with an RBI single.
For the second time in three innings, Hamlet left the bases loaded without scoring a run in the bottom half. Williams drew a two-out walk and John Carre (North Moore) and Jason Walker (Richmond) both lined singles, but a lineout ended the threat.
Post 49 got on the board in the fourth to make it a 3-1 deficit. Maddox Locklear (Richmond) led off the inning with a single to right field and Manning followed with a walk. Jabari Douglas (Richmond) moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt.
Helping himself out, Hodges plated Locklear with an RBI groundout to first base. Manning was left on third base, one of 13 runners stranded in the game for Hamlet.
A four-batter inning by Hodges in the top of the fifth led to the team’s final two runs in the bottom half. Carre connected for a one-out double, Hamlet’s only extra-base hit, and later stole third base. Hill cut the deficit to a run with an RBI groundout back to the mound.
In the next at-bat, Locklear hit a hard ground ball single through the right side of the infield. Racing in from second base to knot the score at three runs was Walker, who drew a walk following Carre’s two-bagger.
Randolph County scored its five runs in the top of the sixth on two base hits, an error and a wild pitch.
Hamlet, however, didn’t go away quietly in the final two innings. Manning (error) and Douglas (walk) each reached scoring position in the sixth with no outs, but Post 49 was retired in order in the next three at-bats.
In the seventh, Carre and Hill drew free passes and also made their way into scoring position thanks to stolen bases with one away. But a pair of strikeouts ended the game.
Carre and Locklear each had two hits, as a hit apiece from Manning and Walker rounded out Hamlet’s six-hit effort. Driving in a run each were Hodges, Hill and Locklear.
No. 2 Hamlet (11-6, 7-3 Area 3 Conference) will start the Area 3 Conference playoffs Saturday. Post 49 will face the No. 3 seed, either Chatham County or Eastern Randolph, which is yet to be determined, in a best-of-three game series.
The Richmond Observer will publish playoff details when they’re finalized.
