WILMINGTON — The Hamlet Post 49 baseball team let a fourth-inning tie slip away during Monday's road game against Port City Post 545.
Port City broke a 3-3 ball game with seven runs in the fourth, en route to a 13-3 win in six innings.
“We misplayed a ball to the No. 9 hitter in the bottom of the fourth, and that swung the momentum their way,” head coach Chip Gordon explained. “We couldn't refocus our pitching and the walks started.”
Hamlet jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Kole Dutton (single) and Josh Griggs (walk) reached safely with one out, and Jake Clemmons doubled to left field to score Dutton.
Two at-bats later, Ra’Nes Little roped a two-RBI double to the alley in center, scoring Griggs and Clemmons.
Post 49 used three pitchers in the game, starting with Kenneth Brown who allowed three runs on four hits in a third of an inning. Harley Honeycutt tossed three innings of relief, and gave up seven runs (five earned) on two hits and eight walks.
Throwing the final 2.2 innings for Hamlet was Jacob Lomax, who surrendered three runs on two hits and four walks. Both Honeycutt and Lomax registered two strikeouts each.
Post 545 answered with three runs in the bottom of the first, before taking a 10-3 lead in the fourth. A run in the fifth and two more in the sixth ended the game early.
“I thought our guys played well up to that point in the fourth,” Gordon said. “We swung the bat very well, but we still need to cut down on our strikeouts. And we are working to do a better job of putting the ball in play with runners in scoring position.
“Overall, it was a much improved game from the first time we played Post 545,” he added. “These last two games, we’ve really played a lot better baseball. If we can limit the mistakes like we did Friday and most of the game Monday, we’ll continue to be in baseball games.”
Post 49 collected five hits in the loss, with Dutton collecting a team-high two base hits. Clemmons and Little added one double apiece and Griggs had a single.
Little’s two RBIs led Hamlet, and Clemmons added the other. As a team, Post 49 struck out 10 times at the plate.
“Now we need to work on being mentally tougher after we commit mistakes,” Gordon closed. “We can’t let those mistakes dictate the rest of the game.
“I feel good about where we are going into the final stretch of the regular season. Our hitters are getting hot and our pitchers are giving us an idea of where they are most successful.”
Hamlet (1-9) will host Jacksonville Post 265 for a doubleheader at Memorial Park in Hamlet on Saturday. The first game will begin at 4 p.m., followed by the second game at 7 p.m.
