By Willie McLawhorn

Sports Writer

LASKER — Behind the four- hit pitching of Austin Bryant, the Northeast Academy Eagles scored their second win of the season here Thursday.

The Eagles defeated the Rams of Ridgecroft 8-2 on a chilly Thursday afternoon.

Bryant struggled in the first couple of innings as the Eagle defense and a couple of walks allowed base runners with the Rams only able to score one unearned run while leaving five runners on base in the first two innings.

Bryant got things together by the third inning and completed the seven inning performance with 13 strikeouts.

Bryant’s performance was supported by the bats of Will Glover, Ryan Williams and James Pope who were a combined 7-for 9-with four runs batted in.

Glover got things started for the Eagles in the bottom of the first frame with a long leadoff homerun to left center.

The Rams fought back to tie the game in the top of the second. Matthew Judge led off with a walk. Following a pop up to Bryant, Jay Lane walked. After a strike out, Woody Lane was safe on an error loading the bases. Tyler Jones then singled plating a run.

The third out was then made as the Rams left the bases loaded.

In the bottom of the second, the Eagles took a lead they would not relinquish.

Willie Rose led off the inning and was safe at first on a Rams’ error.  Rose then stole second and scored later on a Tyler Hux RBI-double.

Hux then scored on an RBI-single by Glover giving the Eagles a 3-1 lead after two innings.

Neither team could mount much of an offense until the bottom of the fifth frame, when the Eagles scored two runs on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter J. Williford and an RBI= groundout by Hux.

The Eagles closed out their scoring with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth stanza.   Rose plated one with a bases loaded walk and James Pope then followed with a two-run single.

The Rams closed out the scoring in the top of the seventh.

A one-out single by W. Lane, followed by a couple of Eagle errors led to a RBI-single by Nathan Pearce.

The Rams saw their record fall to 1-2 in the Tarheel Independent Conference and 1-5 overall and the Eagles are now 2-1 in the TIC and 2-3 overall.