HAMLET — When it was crunch time Wednesday, the Hamlet American Legion baseball team gutted it out for its fourth straight win.
Head coach Chip Gordon noted that Post 49’s pitching wasn’t up to its usual standard, but thanks to strong defensive play and the manufacturing of runs, the team remained in the win column.
Hosting Hope Mills Post 32 for an Area 2 Conference game, Hamlet earned a 7-5 victory over the Lions.
Post 49 used a four-run bottom of the first inning to take an early lead that would hold until the top of the fifth. Thanks to a throwing error and a sacrifice fly, Hamlet recorded its final three runs in the fifth and sixth frames to regain the lead for good.
Jason Walker (Richmond) remained perfect on the mound this summer and collected his team-leading third win. Throwing five innings, he allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks with two strikeouts.
Dylan Tilson (Scotland) and James Eason (Richmond) helped close the door with an inning of relief each. Tilson pitched the sixth frame and gave up an earned run on two hits and had a strikeout.
Eason, who scored the eventual game-winning run, earned the save with a scoreless seventh inning. Facing just four batters, Eason struck out two of them.
Hope Mills used an error on the leadoff batter and an RBI groundout to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Starting the same way, Hamlet’s leadoff batter JD Scarbrough (Pitt Community College) reached when a pop up to third base was dropped in the bottom of the first. With one out and Scarbrough at third base, Isaac Hinshaw (Richmond) drove in the tying run on a ground out to the left side. Keeping the inning alive, Evan Hodges (Richmond) recorded an RBI when he hit an infield single to first base. Hustling to beat starting pitcher Chandler Garner (four innings, five runs, two hits, four walks) covering the bag, Hogdes plated Eason (walk). A walk to Riley Brown (Richmond) in the next plate appearance paved the way to two more runs. Maddox Locklear (Scotland) battled at the plate and extended low and out of the zone to hit a line drive base knock to center for his two RBI. Walker faced four batters in the second inning and used his defense to thwart a potential big inning in the third. Hinshaw recorded the first out on a 5-4 fielder’s choice to get the lead runner after a leadoff walk. Eason tracked down a fly ball in the gap for the second out in center and Hodges flashed his leather to leave the bases loaded. On a grounder to short, Hodges made a backhanded sliding stop and threw to Brown at first to end the inning. The offense for both teams went cold until the top of the fifth when the Lions used three straight singles to load the bases with no outs. A sacrifice fly to right field scored a run, as Scarbrough’s relay throw nearly hit its mark. An RBI single and a throwing error scored two more runs for Hope Mills to tie the game 4-4. But Hamlet settled the dust by nabbing a runner at the plate and at third base during the same sequence to head back to the dugout. A four-pitch walk to Landon Taylor (Richmond) to start the bottom of the fifth ended Garner’s night. Jaythan Locklear (two innings, two runs, five hits) entered the game and loaded the bases on an Eason single and a walk to Hinshaw. With Hodges at the dish, an errant pickoff attempt by Hope Mills’ catcher bounced down the left field line. Scoring easily from third was Taylor and Eason made a clean read to hustle in on the same miscue to slide safely across the plate to make it 6-4. Despite an infield single by Brown, one of Hamlet’s seven hits, and a walk to Locklear to reload the bases, a pop out and a fly out ended Hamlet’s inning. The Tigers scored their final run in the top of the sixth courtesy of a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded. A batter’s interference call on a throw down to second base by catcher Jacob Williams (Union Pines) put a stop to the threat. Singles by Scarbrough, Eason and Hinshaw (who fouled off six straight pitches) loaded the bases with one gone in the sixth for Hamlet. Hodges did a job, notching his second RBI of the night with a sac fly to score Scarbrough for a final insurance run. Hodges and Locklear led Hamlet with two RBI apiece, as Eason’s two hits led the team. Hamlet (11-4, 2-0 Area 2) will travel to Union Pines High School Thursday to play Moore County Post 12. The Area 2 Conference game will start at 7 p.m.
