AHOSKIE – Travis Ellis and Richard Burns combined to toss a three-hitter for Hertford County High School here Tuesday.

The Bears used that combined performance to defeat non-conference rival Northampton County High School – East by a score of 16-2.

HCHS wasted little time in getting started, scoring five runs in the bottom of the second inning.

Edward Joyner led off the inning with an infield single and took second on an error on the play. After Brandon Warren reached when he was hit by a pitch, Mitchell Godwin reached on a fielder’s choice that erased Joyner. Tyler Pryor then drew a walk to load the bases.

Warren scored on a wild pitch before Monterio Hunter hit a three-run homer over the left field wall to make it 4-0. Ellis then singled to center, stole second and third and scored when Burns laced an RBI-single to right field, giving the Bears a 5-0 advantage.

The Bears added six more in the bottom of the third when Joyner started the inning with a double to center. He advanced to third on a Warren single and scored when Godwin singled to center. Warren took third on the Godwin single and scored when Pryor delivered an RBI-single to left.

Godwin and Pryor advanced on a wild pitch before Alden Early drew a walk that loaded the bases. Back-to-back sacrifice flies off the bats of Ellis and Burns scored two runs before Daniel Merritt’s infield single. Early scored on a Joyner RBI-single to left to give HCHS an 11-0 edge.

Northampton-East had a chance in the top of the fourth inning when they loaded the bases on three walks, but couldn’t get a run across. The Bears capitalized, scoring their final five runs in the bottom of the inning.

Justin Amick reached on an error after Godwin doubled to left. Godwin then came around to score on an Anthony Fitzhugh RBI-single to right. Burns had an infield single before Amick and Fitzhugh raced home on a two-run single by Merritt.

Amard Nichols then reached on an error to load the bases. Burns came in to score on a Warren single and then Godwin drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 16-0.

The Rams scored their only two runs in the fifth inning on two HCHS errors, but a strikeout ended the game.

Ellis pitched four innings for Hertford County and picked up the win on the mound. He allowed no runs on two hits and struck out seven. Burns tossed the final inning, allowing two runs on one hit. He had struck out one.

Carson Hilliard, Greg Outland and Jordan White had the three hits for Northampton-East.

The Bears had 16 total hits and was led by Joyner with three. Burns, Merritt, Warren, Godwin and Hunter had two each.

The win boosted the Bears to 1-1 overall. They will host Farmville at 5 p.m. Friday.