Pinecrest’s explosion of runs downs Scotland

LAURINBURG — Digging out of an early hole can be challenging for any team. Nearly doing so and then falling into a deeper hole is even tougher to recover from.

That was the story of the Scotland Fighting Scots baseball team’s game against the Pinecrest Patriots Tuesday night at McCoy Field, when Pinecrest won 15-3, using a seven-run sixth to pull away after holding just a one-run lead in the third inning.

The game was called in the top of the seventh due to fog.

“It was (5-2); I felt like we were in it,” Scotland coach Ricky Schattauer said. “I felt like we were a couple string hits away. And it went to 12-2 in a heartbeat. So I thought for the most part of the game, we were in it, we were battling at the plate, and a blink of an eye, it seemed like it was 12-2.”

Pinecrest (13-3, 6-1 Sandhills Athletic Conference) recorded two unearned runs in the first and made it 3-0 in the third when JC Woolard scored on one of Addison Roth’s five RBIs on the night; Scotland (8-5, 5-2 Sandhills Athletic Conference) found home plate twice also in the third with a Dawson Williams RBI single and a balk by Pinecrest pitcher Connor Tepatti that allowed Maddox Locklear to be brought in from third with the bases loaded.

On Williams’ hit, which drove in Garrett Sellers, Garrett Manning attempted to also score behind Sellers. But he ran through Pinecrest catcher Liam Dutton down the third-base line near home plate and was ejected for a malicious act, which if not appealed, or the appeal is lost, would mean Manning can’t play in the next game — the second game of the series against Pinecrest Friday night.

No comments were given on the situation by Schattauer postgame.

Mitch Baek and Andrew Vandevander had RBI hits in the fourth to drive in two more runs for the Patriots, extending their lead to 5-2.

Following a scoreless fifth, Roth’s grand slam highlighted Pinecrest’s touchdown of runs in the sixth.

“I don’t think there were any errors in there,” Schattauer said. “(Dylan) Tilson reached his pitch count, and then Robbie (Peed) came in, and they (the Patriots) got some hits together. And I guess at that point, you’ve got to tip your hat to them. They’re up there to hit the ball.”

Scotland’s Kaiden Hunsucker had an RBI knock in the sixth, which scored Tilson to hold off a 10-run rule ending, and the Patriots found three more runs in the seventh, with fog abruptly finalizing the game.

Dutton went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI for Pinecrest; Roth finished with two hits; Woolard had a double and two RBIs; Tepatti and Baek each had a double and an RBI; Josh Slade had a hit and an RBI and Grayson Hudgins and Vandevander had an RBI each.

Tepatti threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits with nine strikeouts and one walk to earn the win.

Hunsucker was 3-for-3 hitting for Scotland; Locklear was 2-for-3 with a double and Williams finished with a hit and an RBI.

Tilson allowed seven runs and six hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in 5 2/3 innings pitched to suffer the loss for Scotland.

“He found the strike zone more,” Schattauer said on Tilson. “Missed some barrels, I think helped. And I think not letting the one error behind him and then him making the next error affect his pitching mindset.”

After Scotland and Pinecrest’s game on Friday, just four conference games remain for the Scots. And with them sitting in third in the SAC behind Pinecrest and Richmond, which is 6-2, Schattauer feels the last few games are crucial for seeding purposes in the league.

“Since the Easter tournament, us facing Triton, which we lost in round one, they put another arm out there, us facing Gray’s Creek, they put another arm out there,” Schattauer said. ‘So, it geared us up for the last half of our season, which, it’s going to come down to if we win, we finish good in the conference. If we lose, we don’t finish good in the conference.”

Brandon Hodge is the sports editor for The Laurinburg Exchange. He can be reached at 910-506-3171 or by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BrandonHSports.