COMEBACK KIDS: Post 49 plates five in 7th inning, retakes series lead

BEAUFORT — Three outs away from going into a series deficit, the Hamlet American Legion baseball team got to work and scrapped its way into the win column Wednesday.

Trailing by two runs entering the top of the seventh in game three of the second round of the Area 2 Conference playoffs, No. 1 Hamlet completed the comeback attempt it wasn’t able to do the night before.

Playing on the road at East Carteret High School, Post 49 plated five runs in the seventh inning to defeat No. 2 Beaufort Post 99 by a final score of 6-3.

Taking a 2-1 series lead, Hamlet used a strong start by Jason Walker (Richmond) before finding its offense late in the game.

Walker, who earned the win, pitched six innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits, while walking two and striking out two batters. He was the pitcher of record when Hamlet took the lead.

Leaving five runners on base through his six innings, Walker kept Post 99 off the board through the first three innings. Post 49’s defense, which Walker tipped his cap to, turned inning-ending double plays in the second and fifth frames.

“Tonight was all my defense and I have to give credit where credit is due,” Walker said. “The guys made plays when the ball was put in play and once again, like many games this season, as long as I was landing in the zone, I knew my guys would make the plays.

“It was a collective effort on defense tonight,” he added. “We’re looking forward to winning game four and taking the series.”

Evan Hodges (Richmond) notched the save following Walker’s quality start, facing just four batters in the seventh with a three-run cushion. Following a leadoff walk, Hodges punched out Post 99’s next three batters, all swinging.

Similar to Walker, Hodges said his mindset was to rely on the defense behind him to help give Hamlet the series lead.

“My approach was just to throw it in there and let the defense work,” Hodges explained. “I knew coming out that I had the 9-1-2 batters up to bat.

“The rally in the seventh really got me fired up,” he continued. “I knew when we got up 6-3 it was on from there. Those runs helped boost my confidence way up to where it needed to be.”

Head coach Chip Gordon switched around the batting order for Hamlet in game three, which yielded 10 hits. The first three batters — James Eason (Richmond), Hodges and JD Scarbrough (Pitt Community College) — all had two hits, with one of Scarbrough’s going for two bases.

John Carre (Pinecrest) also knocked two hits in the win, with Austin Mooring (Union Pines) and Maddox Locklear (Scotland) both adding a single. Hamlet drew seven base on balls and didn’t record a strikeout.

Wood Parker pitched 6.1 innings for Beaufort and carried a 3-1 lead in the seventh. He finished the night with a line of four earned runs on nine hits and three walks.

Relief pitchers Bryan Hadder (loss) and Cooper Sheley (0.2 innings) both threw in the seventh. Hadder, who held Hamlet scoreless through two innings in game two, allowed two earned runs on a hit and two walks.

Parker and Walker traded zeroes through the first three and a half innings before Beaufort took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Hunter Sinsel recorded a run batted in with two runners in scoring position on a groundout to Eason at short.

Hamlet answered quickly in the top of the fifth to tie the game. Locklear led off with an infield single and Carre collected his second hit of the game with a bunt single.

With Locklear standing on third base, Landon Taylor (Richmond) knotted the game with an RBI on a sacrifice fly to left field. Singles by Eason and Hodges loaded the bases, but Post 99 turned a double play to end the threat.

Ryland Howell led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo homer to put Post 99 ahead by a run. An error later in the inning allowed another run to score to put the home team ahead 3-1, which set Hamlet’s comeback in motion.

Carre and Taylor led off the top of the seventh with walks. Eason got the five-run inning started with an infield single back up the middle that hit second base, allowing pinch runner Jeremiah Ritter (Richmond) to score on the hop.

Hodges advanced Taylor and Eason into scoring position with a groundout for the first out. Scarbrough delivered with a two-RBI single on a hard ground ball to right field in the next at-bat, which scored Taylor and Eason to give Hamlet a 4-3 lead.

“I had a runner on second and third and I knew all I had to do was hit the ball hard,” Scarbrough recalled. “I got both runs in and did my job in the moment.”

Hadder replaced Parker following Scarbrough’s clutch at-bat and lasted just two batters, loading the bases with back-to-back walks to Mooring and Jacob Williams (Union Pines).

Sheley kept the walk parade going when he took over. Free passes to Riley Brown (Richmond) and Ritter plated Scarbrough and Mooring for Hamlet’s final two runs, respectively, to make it 6-3.

“Jason pitched exceptionally and went right at batters tonight,” Gordon said. “He did everything we needed him to do to give us a chance to win. Our defense played lights out like we always do.

“Offensively, we executed on every hit-and-run and every bunt, but when we’d get into scoring position, we’d hit the ball right at people. For the majority of the game, we weren’t finding holes.

“When it counted at the end, the guys connected and stuck with our approach,” he closed. “They didn’t let the adversity get to them, they battled and showed the mark of a championship-caliber team. We took care of business and are looking to finish the series tomorrow.”

Hamlet (21-5) has a chance to qualify for an automatic bid for the state tournament if it can win game four Thursday.

First pitch against Beaufort (11-7) will get underway at 7 p.m. at East Carteret High School.

Sports editor’s note: Stats and game information provided by Hamlet’s Game Changer, assistant coach Anthony Hailey and Gordon.

This article was updated at 11:52 p.m. on July 10 to correct the winning pitcher and save.