SILER CITY — Facing an early deficit Friday, the Hamlet American Legion baseball team rallied to win its second game of the summer.
Closing its two-game Area 3 Conference series with Chatham Post 305, Post 49 bounced back from Thursday’s loss by scoring a season-high in runs.
Thanks in part to a six-run fifth inning, the 49ers evened the series with a 14-10 victory.
Hamlet also knocked a season-high 16 hits in the win, including doubles from Brad Hogan (Christ the Cornerstone Academy) and Caden Nolan (Belmont Abbey College), as well as a triple by Evan Hodges (Lenoir Community College).
Hogan had a team-high three hits in the win and also plated two runs batted in. Five players had two hits apiece – Nolan (team-high three RBI), Hodges, Drew Gause (Richmond), Miken Concepcion (Christ the Cornerstone Academy) and Sam O’Neal (Richmond).
Maddox Locklear (Richmond), Noah Stubbs (Richmond) and Jabari Douglas (Johnson & Wales University) each had a base hit.
Finishing the game with two RBI apiece were Locklear and Hodges. Stubbs, Gause and Concepcion all had one RBI.
Hamlet trailed 7-0 after the second inning, but the bats started coming to life in the top of the third with a pair of runs.
Starting the top of the fourth down 8-2, Post 49 scored three more runs to cut its deficit to 8-5. Flipping the script with a six-run fifth, Hamlet took the lead for good and held an 11-9 advantage.
Three runs in the top of the sixth proved to be enough insurance, as Chatham scored just one run in the home half. Both teams were scoreless in the seventh.
Four pitchers made an appearance for Post 49, starting with Locklear, who pitched two innings. He allowed seven runs (five earned) on six hits and recorded two strikeouts.
Tristan Chavis (Richmond) was the first reliever and gave up an earned run. Pitching three innings of relief was Douglas, who limited Post 305 to one unearned run on no hits with two strikeouts.
Closing the door was Hodges over the final two frames. He struck out three batters and also allowed an unearned run on two hits.
Hamlet’s comeback started with one out in the third inning when Nolan doubled home Hodges (walk). Locklear, who also drew a walk, scored on a wild pitch.
Five consecutive singles to start the fourth inning led to three more runs for the 49ers. Hodges hit a backside single to score Concepcion (single), Locklear beat an infield single to plate O’Neal (single) and Nolan made it an 8-5 deficit when he lined a single to center to bring home Hodges.
The hit parade carried over into the top of the fifth for Hamlet, as a Hogan double and a Douglas bunt single put runners on the corners to lead off the inning. Concepcion plated the first of the team’s six runs when he hustled out an infield single.
A bunt single by O’Neal in the next at-bat loaded the bases for Hodges, who recorded an RBI with a base on balls. Concepcion scored a couple pitches later on a wild pitch to tie the game 8-8.
Following a walk to Locklear to reload the bases, Nolan drew a free pass and was credited with an RBI when O’Neal scored, giving Hamlet its first lead of the game.
The final two runs of the pivotal inning came when Gause reached on an error to score Hodges, and a sacrifice fly by Hogan, which scored Locklear.
Leading 11-9 to start the sixth, Hamlet added its three insurance runs. A one-out triple by Hodges saw him score a batter later when an error was committed at third base.
A hard ground ball single to the shortstop by Stubbs scored Locklear (error), and the last run was the result of an RBI single to right field by Hogan.
With the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh, Hodges recorded his final strikeout to preserve the win.
Hamlet (2-2, 2-2 Area 3) returns home Sunday to play Randolph County at 7 p.m.
