PINEBLUFF — Following Tuesday’s mercy-rule win, head coach Chip Gordon praised the Hamlet American Legion baseball team for checking off its third of four boxes.
Gordon informed the team that with its third straight victory, Post 49 had secured at least second place in the North Pod 2 Division of the Area 3 Conference standings.
Getting even in its season series with Aberdeen Post 72, Hamlet put on an offensive display as part of a 20-9 victory in five innings.
Save for one inning, Gordon said the victory was “a total blowout win” for Post 49, which moved to two games over .500, its best mark this season.
Hamlet scored four runs in the first inning, added three runs in the second inning and scored four more runs in the top of the third. Putting the game away was a nine-run fourth inning that put the team up by as many as 14 runs.
Riley Brown (Richmond) got the start and was credited with the win. The righty threw 4.1 innings and allowed nine runs (six earned) on 13 hits. He struck out six batters before reaching the pitch count.
Brady Fowler (Montgomery Central) put in his second straight night of solid work out of the bullpen. He threw the final two-thirds of an inning and gave up just one hit.
Hamlet swatted 16 hits as a team Tuesday and was led at the plate by John Carre (North Moore) and Jacob Williams (Union Pines). Carre went 3-for-4 with three singles and a game-high five runs batted in. Williams was a perfect 4-for-4 with four base hits and three RBI.
A one-out walk and a stolen base by Jabari Douglas (Richmond) in the top of the first got Hamlet’s scoring started, which sent 10 batters to the plate.
Caden Nolan (Richmond) drew a free pass from starter Seth Norris (two-thirds of an inning, four runs) with two away, which led to some two-out lightning. Back-to-back line drive singles to left and center field by Williams and John Carre, respectively, plated Douglas and Nolan.
A walk to Isaac Hinshaw (Richmond) loaded the bases for Maddox Locklear (Richmond), who connected on a backside double down the line in right field to score Hamlet’s final two runs of the inning to make it 4-0.
Brown got two quick outs in the first and stranded two runners at first and second to preserve the early lead.
The top of the second inning was deja vu for several of Hamlet’s batters, which increased the lead to 7-0.
Douglas and Nolan both reached via a walk, which led to Williams and Carre doing more damage. With one out, Williams sent the second of his four hits back up the middle, which bounced off the mound and scored Douglas.
Carre recorded the second out of the inning, but not without adding to the lead. He lifted a sacrifice fly to right field and brought in Conner Phifer (Richmond), who was courtesy running for Williams.
After Phifer swiped second and moved to third base on a throwing error by the catcher, he scored when Hinshaw hit an RBI ground ball through the right side of the infield for the final run of the inning.
Aberdeen answered with six runs in the home half of the second to make it a 7-6 game. Collin Hill (Richmond) ended the bleeding when he fired home to Williams after a base hit to get a runner trying to score with another in a rundown between first and second.
With its lead down to a run, Hamlet’s three and four-hole hitters Evan Hodges (Richmond) and Nolan helped open the lead for good. Both players smoked one-out RBI doubles over the bag at third base to extend the lead to 9-6. Scoring on Hodges’ two-bagger was Garrett Manning (Scotland, walk).
A Williams single put runners on the corners and Carre kept his productive night going with an RBI line drive single to center. Hinshaw, who had two hits and two RBI, collected the second of both in the next at-bat when he singled home a run to make it 11-6.
After Brown faced five batters in the bottom of the third and stranded two runners in scoring position, Hamlet got back to work for its final nine runs at the plate, all of which came with two outs.
Douglas joined the hit parade with a ground rule double over the fence in left field to score Manning (error). Three straight walks to Hodges, Nolan and Williams brought Douglas in safely for another run.
Carre capped his big game in the next at-bat with his third base knock and final two RBI. Leading 15-6, Hinshaw was hit by a pitch to reload the bases and Locklear drew a free pass for his third RBI of the game.
Trading places, Hill, Manning and Douglas all connected for singles in the next three at-bats to drive in a run apiece to pad the lead to 20-6. Douglas and Hill both finished the game with two RBI.
Aberdeen scored two runs in the fourth on a base hit and an error, and added its final run in the fifth thanks to a solo home run.
Gordon’s closing remark to the team was that its “job isn’t finished” and that the goal is to close out its four-game stretch in four days with a win and clinch the No. 1 seed in the division.
Hamlet (9-7, 5-4 Area 3) will go for its second straight division title and close out the regular season at home Wednesday against Randolph County Post 45. Post 49 will try to go for the season sweep starting at 7 p.m.
