RAMSEUR, N.C. — Most of Thursday’s Area 3 Conference baseball game was played before rain showers suspended play.
Hamlet Post 49 returned to the field for the first time in eight days at Eastern Randolph Post 81.
With Post 49 trailing 4-2 during the change between half-innings in the fifth, a heavy downpour saw both teams head to their respective dugouts.
After a 20-minute delay, the head coaches and umpires decided to suspend the game due to field conditions.
Hamlet head coach Chip Gordon explained that the plan is to resume the game when Post 49 hosts Eastern Randolph on June 29.
Prior to the originally scheduled game, Thursday’s contest will pick up with no outs in the bottom of the fifth.
Before the rain, Eastern Randolph scored its first two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Post 81 used a two-RBI single with two outs to open the scoring.
Hamlet cut its deficit in half in the top of the second inning. John Carre (North Moore) blooped an RBI single into shallow left field with two outs and runners on the corner.
Collin Hill (Richmond), who led off the inning with a line drive single, trotted in easily from third base.
A throwing error with one out and a two-out base knock for Eastern Randolph made it 4-1 in the bottom of the second.
Starting pitcher Jason Walker (Richmond) dealt consecutive 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth.
After a runner reached on an error with one out in the fourth, Walker started a 1-3-6 pickoff move to get the second out. Shortstop Evan Hodges (Richmond) applied the tag to end the rundown.
Hamlet’s second run came in the top of the fifth, which started with a leadoff error to Gavin Jones (Purnell Swett) and a free pass to Carre. After a fielder’s choice, Jacob Williams (Union Pines) was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Carre again cut the deficit in half when pitcher Lucas Smith threw a wild pitch to the backstop. Racing in to beat the throw and scoring was Carre.
Jabari Douglas (Richmond) tried to score from second base on the wild pitch and a bad throw back to the plate, but he was tagged out on a bang-bang play moments before the rain delay.
In the meantime, Hamlet (2-4, 0-2 Area 3) will return to play Tuesday with a home Area 3 doubleheader against Aberdeen Post 72. Game one will start at 4 p.m., followed by game two at 7 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Thursday’s conference game soon.
