CREEKSVILLE – Hertford County Junior right-hander Dexter Carter pitched the first no-hitter of his career as the Bears pound out 13 hits and win 13-0 here Friday afternoon.

&uot;It felt good,&uot; Carter said. &uot;I was just trying to throw strikes. I was getting a little tired at the end, but I wanted to finish it off.&uot;

In all, Carter pitched five innings, allowing no runs and no hits during the complete-game performance. He faced 16 batters and had 14 strikeouts while only walking two. He did not allow a runner past second base.

HCHS scored early, plating one in the top of the first. Carter was hit by a pitch, stole second and then scored on an Adam Baldwin RBI-double to left-centerfield.

The Bears added five in the top of the third when Carter again is hit by a pitch and steals second. He took third on an error and then scored on a William Barmer RBI-single to left.

Eric Ellis then tripled to right-center, scoring Barmer. Ellis scored on a Brandon Matthews RBI-single to center before Matthews advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches.

Josh Lane walked and then advanced to third when Heath Britt hit into a groundout, which also scored Matthews. Lane scored on a RBI-single by Clay Thompson, which paced the Bears to a 6-0 lead after three innings.

Hertford County added four runs in the top of the fourth when Carter started things off with a single to left and then took second on an error. Carter advanced to third on a Baldwin groundout before scoring on Barmer’s RBI-single to right. Ellis then singled to right.

Matthews added two RBI’s when he singled to center. He then stole second, proceeded to third on an error and then scored on a Britt single to center. The combination gave HCHS a 10-0 advantage after four.

Carter reached on a fielder’s choice to start a three-run fifth for the Bears. Baldwin and Barmer then each drew a base on balls to load the sacks. Carter scored on an Ellis RBI-single before Baldwin came home on a wild pitch. Darius Manley’s RBI-fielder’s choice closed out the scoring for Hertford County.

Ellis led the batting for the Bears’ with a 4-for-4 performance with two RBI’s while Barmer was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in. Matthews added a 2-for-3 day with three RBIs.

&uot;Dexter pitched a great game,&uot; HCHS skipper Matthew Melton said. &uot;We hit the ball real well. Barmer did a great job behind the plate.

&uot;We are coming together,&uot; he added. &uot;We are playing with great effort and lots of enthusiasm.&uot;

HCHS, now 4-1 on the season, will have a rematch with the Rams at 4:30 p.m. today in Ahoskie.