HOPE MILLS — The early season struggles continued Tuesday for the Hamlet American Legion Junior baseball team.
On the road at non-conference Hope Mills Post 32, the Junior 49ers dropped their third straight game in a close 3-1 decision.
Hamlet took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning, but allowed two runs to Hope Mills in the home half. Post 32 added an insurance run in the sixth frame.
Starting on the mound for Post 49 was Wallace Herring, who pitched five innings. He allowed two unearned runs on five hits and struck out two batters.
Throwing one inning of relief was Cooper Gainey, who gave up an earned run on two hits.
Jake Veach led off the game with a single, one of his team-high two hits, but Hamlet’s bats were retired in order for the next 11 batters.
Herring recorded a 1-2-3 bottom of the first inning and stranded a base runner in each of the second through fourth frames, all while facing just four batters each inning.
Drew Gause drew a leadoff walk to start the fifth inning and swiped second base. He scored the game’s first run when an error on a ground ball to the shortstop off the bat of Jaxton Watson allowed him to race in from second base.
With two outs in the home half, a pair of singles by Post 32 loaded the bases. The next batter skied a fly ball to left field, but an error allowed two of the three base runners to score and make it a 2-1 deficit for Hamlet.
Singles by Veach and Noah Stubbs, along with a free pass to Gause, loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth. Hamlet’s chance to tie the game or take the lead was undone in the next at-bat when a fielder’s choice was recorded at third base.
A one-out walk and consecutive singles to the next two batters with Gainey on the mound in the sixth accounted for Hope Mills’ final run of the game.
Right fielder Julius Bowden saved a run by turning a 9-2 inning-ending double play, nabbing a runner at the plate trying to tag up from third.
Bowden drew a leadoff walk to start the seventh, but Hamlet’s next three batters went down in order to end the game.
The Hamlet Juniors (1-5) begin Area 3 Conference play against North Pod 2 opponent Eastern Randolph Post 81 Thursday. The home game at Memorial Park is set for 6 p.m.
