MOCKSVILLE — Trying to keep its postseason run alive Wednesday, the job couldn’t be done for the Hamlet American Legion Junior baseball team.
Capping its first playoff appearance in program history, No. 4 Hamlet was eliminated from the Area 3 Conference tournament with its second loss of the double-elimination bracket.
Playing at Rich Field, Post 49 suffered an 8-5 loss to No. 2 Moore County Post 12.
Hamlet led 3-0 early and rallied later in the middle innings to tie the game 5-5. Moore County scored solo runs in three different innings, however, to pull ahead for good.
Unlike the first game of the postseason, Post 49 stuck with one pitcher Wednesday. Tristan Chavis threw six innings and only five of his eight runs allowed were earned.
Chavis gave up five hits, walked five and struck out two batters.
Hamlet jumped ahead 3-0 in the top of the first inning, starting with a one-out single by Wallace Herring and a double by Julius Bowden, the first of his team-high three hits, to put both runners in scoring position.
Keeping his bat hot, Noah Stubbs recorded an RBI single in the next at-bat on a ground ball to right field to bring in Herring. Bowden added a run a few pitches later on a wild pitch to the back stop.
With Stubbs moving to third on the same wild pitch, Jaxton Watson dug in and sent an RBI base knock through the left side of the infield to score Stubbs and make it 3-0.
Moore County answered with three runs in the bottom half on a bases-loaded walk, a sacrifice fly and a fielder’s choice.
An inning later, Post 12 added a pair of runs and took its first lead of the game with a two-run single.
Bowden and Stubbs got the rally going in the top of the third inning that resulted in two runs to tie the game 5-5. Leading off with a single, Bowden scored when Stubbs roped a triple to right field to cut the deficit to a run.
With two away, Colton Nelson hustled out an infield single on a hard grounder to the shortstop. Drew Gause, who reached on a fielder’s choice, scored to make it a new ball game.
Moore County scored the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the third on a wild pitch with the bases loaded and one out. Chavis got out of the inning with Hamlet down just a run thanks to a strikeout and a pop out.
Post 49 went down in order in the fourth and stranded Gause (single) at third base in the fifth inning. An error added a run for Post 12 in the fourth, but Chavis kept Hamlet in striking distance with a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth.
Dean Cottle led off the sixth inning with a double to left field. Despite the leadoff extra-base hit, a pair of groundouts and a pop out to the next three batters stranded Cottle at third base.
A fielder’s choice recorded the final run of the game for Moore County in the sixth to make it 8-5.
Down to its final three outs, Hamlet got two runners on base when Bowden doubled and Gause drew a walk with one away. Ending the game, and Hamlet’s season, was a 6-4-3 double play.
Part of a 12-hit effort by the team, Bowden had three hits, including a pair of doubles. Stubbs, Watson and Cottle all had two hits and Herring, Gause and Nelson each had one hit.
Stubbs’ two RBI led the way, followed by one each from Watson and Nelson.
With its loss Wednesday, the Hamlet Junior baseball team finished its season with a 5-14 overall record.
