SILER CITY — Evan Hodges and Drew Gause did most of the heavy lifting for the Hamlet American Legion baseball team during its playoff-opening win Monday.
No. 5 Hamlet started its best-of-three-games series on the road at No. 4 Chatham Post 305 with a dominating 7-1 victory.
Hodges (Lenoir Community College) was dialed in on the mound with a complete game performance, while Gause (Richmond) drove in a game-high four runs batted in on two hits.
Post 49 plated a run in the first inning and two more runs in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead. Chatham scored its lone run of the game in the bottom of the fifth.
Tacking on some insurance runs in the top of the sixth, Hamlet scored its final four runs of the game.
In his seven innings of work, Hodges allowed one unearned run on just three hits, and he struck out 10 batters.
Retiring the first eight batters he faced in order, Hodges sat Post 305 down in order in the first, second and fourth innings. He maintained a three-run lead when he stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout to end the bottom of the third.
The only blemish on Hodges’ stat line was a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. The run which scored was the result of an error to start the inning.
Facing just four batters in the sixth inning, Hodges slammed the door shut in the seventh with two quick outs and leaving two base runners stranded with a game-ending strikeout.
“Evan came up big time for us tonight,” head coach Eric Brown said. “He’s a competitor on the mound and he did everything we needed him to do to get the win.
“I’m happy for Drew, too,” he added. “He’s been swinging the bat better later in the season and he came up with some timely hits and RBI for us tonight.”
Gause, who went 2-for-4 at the plate, got Hamlet on the board in the first inning. He recorded an RBI groundout to first base, which scored Miken Concepcion (Christ the Cornerstone Academy, walk).
Two innings later, Gause gave Hamlet a two-run lead when he hit a line drive single to the opposite field. Racing in from second base was Jabari Douglas (Johnson & Wales University), who was courtesy running for Hodges (walk).
Gause stole third base and popped up and scored when the catcher’s throwdown attempt went into left field, giving Hamlet a 3-0 advantage.
Leading 3-1 to start the top of the sixth, a walk to Nate Culbreth (Richmond) and back-to-back bunt singles by Julius Bowden (Richmond) and Sam O’Neal (Richmond) loaded the bases. Culbreth scored in the next plate appearance when Hodges reached on an error.
With one out, courtesy runner Colton Nelson (running for O’Neal) crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
Still with the bases loaded following a base on balls to Caden Nolan (Belmont Abbey College), Gause stepped in and capped his big night at the plate.
On the first offering, Gause hit a backside double to right field, scoring Douglas (running for Hodges) and Concepcion (fielder’s choice) to extend Hamlet’s lead to 7-1.
Hodges stranded a one-out single in the sixth inning. In the final frame, he retired the first two batters on a pop out and a dropped third strike. After a hit-by-pitch and a walk, Hodges got the final out swinging on four pitches.
No. 5 Hamlet (6-7) will go for the playoff series sweep over No. 4 Chatham (10-11) at Memorial Park Tuesday. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m.
