Hamlet handed first loss

HAMLET – After opening the season with a 5-0 run, Hamlet Post 49 suffered its first defeat after a seventh-inning rally fell a run short in a 3-2 loss to the defending state champion Garner Nationals.

The loss came during the final game of last Saturday’s triangular, featuring Hamlet, Garner and Kannapolis, with Garner walking away the victor after previously defeating Kannapolis before handing Hamlet its first loss.

“I thought 1-1 on the day is not a bad day. I would have loved for it to have been 2-0, but they’re the defending state champions. That’s not a bad team over there. We gave them a dogfight. They came back, and battled, and never gave up. We had a chance there at the end. We just did not capitalize, but – hey – that’s baseball,” Coach Chip Gordon said.

James Eason pitched a complete-game Sunday, with his only blemish coming in a three-run third inning. Despite giving up the runs, Eason maintained his composure while allowing eight hits, two walks and picking up a pair of strikeouts in the losing effort. Left fielder Landon Taylor registered Hamlet’s only RBIs with a hard chopper up the middle in the fifth inning, and a forcing a throw to first on a dropped third strike in the seventh inning.

“I came to the plate with the approach of just get the run in somehow, and tried for my best,” Taylor said.

Despite suffering their first loss, Coach Gordon said going toe-to-toe with the defending state champion may bode well for the rest of the season.

“It’s a good confidence builder. All things come to an end, and the streak has to end some time. I’d rather get that loss out of the way now rather than later on in the year. These guys got a taste of what an L feels like, so now they will keep battling and we’ll start another streak.”

Hamlet not only hosted Sunday’s triangular, but they also served as the opening act in a 2-o victory over Kannapolis. A pair of runs in the third inning was all Hamlet needed for the victory with pitchers Evan Hodges and Dylan Tilson combining for the shutout. Hodges allowed five hits over six innings with six strikeouts and a pair of walks. After reaching 98 pitches, Coach Gordon opted for Tilson to come on in relief. Despite giving up two walks, Tilson kept Kannapolis scoreless with his lone strikeout setting up a game-ending flyout to left fielder John Carre.

As for the aforementioned runs, those came on a third-inning RBI triple by right fielder JD Scarbrough and an RBI single by third baseman Austin Mooring that drove in Scarbrough. Mooring attributed his RBI to a hitting tip from Coach Gordon.

“I just tried to stay smooth with the ball. I have a bad tendency of getting out in front. Coach tried to help me stay right-center, and if you stay right-center you’re more than likely to hit it up the middle,” Mooring said

While on the road Monday, Hamlet fell to Randolph County 5-1 for their second loss of the season. A Mooring RBI grounder put Post 49 on the board in the first inning, but that’s all they could muster as Randolph pulled away with a score in every inning but the fourth and seventh. Hamlet remains on the road Tuesday night against Rowan County, then hosts Davidson County Thursday, who they defeated a week ago 7-3 off a pair of Scarbrough homers. First pitch for both games is at 7 p.m.