In Saturday’s contest against East Chatham, Hamlet got its offense in gear early and often, as Hamlet scored in each of the first four inning, going on to take the contest, 11-0.
Hamlet’s best inning was the second, when the squad scored seven runs and swiped four bases.
Hamlet carried a 9-0 lead into the third, and closed up shop early due to the 10-run run rule in the fourth, scoring two more on a RBI double by Dylan Callahan.
Callahan picked up the win on the mound for Hamlet, pitching four innings, allowing three hits, and striking out four.
“I think we can beat Laurinburg, we just got to hang with them and play smart. Laurinburg is our biggest Rival,” said Dylan Carpenter, who was 2-2 with two stolen bases, and two RBIs against East Chatham.
Hamlet’s Saturday win set the stage for a rematch with a top rival.
“We are looking for redemption against Laurinburg, it’s going to come down to defense and hitting,” Callahan said.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. Hamlet once again struggled in the field, losing to Laurinburg, 11-9, and going home without a guarantee that they will play in the state championship.
Hamlet coach Glenn Ross sent Jamie Graham to the mound. Graham worked four innings, allowing five hits, three earned runs, and recording four strike outs for Hamlet.
However, Graham was let down by his defense, as errors led to six of Laurinburg’s 11 runs.
Hamlet managed to score just two runs through four innings, they had a chance to score a third run, and be within three runs of Laurinburg.
However, a base running error was costly for Hamlet, robbing them of a run.
This shifted the momentum dramatically in the favor of Laurinburg, as the two teams were tied 1-1 going into the top of the fourth.
Laurinburg saw their opportunity and jumped on Laurinburg, scoring four runs on five hits, to take a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the inning. Laurinburg allowed Hamlet to scored just one more run through the bottom of the fifth, as they jumped out to a 9-2 lead through five.
The game looked all but wrapped up at this point as Hamlet had just three outs to rally.
Rally, they did.
Hamlet started the inning off with a single by Dylan Carpenter, and Jacob Simmons drew a walk. Nick Honeycutt sparked a rally with a bases-clearing double, leading to seven runs crossing the plate.
The rally momentum was stunted by a decision to have Jacob Simmons bunt with one out, Jamie Graham on third, and Dylan Carpenter on second.
Down 0-2 in the count, Simmons fought off the next two pitches before striking out for the second out, followed by Nick Honeycutt striking out to end the inning.
The game appeared to be where Hamlet wanted it: Tied, 9-9 going into extra innings. But errors again proved very costly for Hamlet
With a man on first for Laurinburg and one out, an error on a throw to first allowed the runner to advance to third.
Hamlet had the chance to end the inning, but due to an error on the catch at first, two runs crossed the plate, sealing the game for Laurinburg as Hamlet was unable to rally in its half of the extra frame.
Contact sports reporter Travis Anderson at 997-3111 ext. 44 or via e-mail at tanderson@yourdailyjournal.com
Post a Comment
