AHOSKIE – Ahoskie surrendered just three hits here Thursday night.

That combined pitching effort – coming from Tyler Burden, Timmy Whitlow and Billy Nixon – led Post 102 to a 12-3 victory over Elizabeth City Post 84 in a Senior American Legion contest.

Elizabeth City actually got on the board first, scoring a single run in the top of the first frame.

Ahoskie rallied back in the second, plating five runs and taking the lead for keeps.

Will Glover and Mason Wright got things started by drawing back-to-back walks. Brock Merritt then plated both runs with a double to right field. Merritt scored himself moments later when Whitlow tripled to right field.

Burden then walked and, as he stole second, Whitlow swiped home to make it 4-1. Burden scored himself when Marvin Harrell laced an RBI-single to left, giving Ahoskie a 5-1 edge.

Post 84 responded with a run in the top of the fourth that cut the lead to 5-2, but Ahoskie rallied for two more in the bottom of the sixth.

Wright and Brock Merritt drew free passes before Whitlow reached on a fielder’s choice which erased Merritt at second. Wright scored on a wild pitch that allowed Whitlow to advance to second.

Whitlow came home when Burden had an RBI-double to center, giving Ahoskie a 7-2 advantage.

Post 102 pushed across two more in the bottom of the seventh stanza.

Harrell and Nixon had back-to-back singles before a wild pitch allowed them to advance to second and third. Harrell scored on another wild pitch which also allowed Nixon to move to third.

Daniel Merritt delivered Nixon on an RBI-groundout as Ahoskie pushed their lead to 9-2 after seven complete.

Elizabeth City added another run in the top of the eighth, but it was their last of the game.

Ahoskie, meanwhile, plated three more in the bottom of the same frame.

Brock Merritt got things started with a triple to right. He scored on a Whitlow RBI-single. Whitlow moved to second on a wild pitch before taking third on a groundout by Burden. He scored on a wild pitch.

Harrell then reached on a two-base error, move to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Nixon sacrifice fly, making it 12-3.

Burden pitched seven innings for the win, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out nine. Whitlow tossed one inning, allowing a run on no hits and striking out two. Nixon closed out the game by allowing no runs and one hit while striking out two in one inning of work.

Post 102 had nine hits during the contest with Brock Merritt, Whitlow, Nixon and Harrell recording two each.

“This was a good conference win for us,” Ahoskie coach Dave Ellis said. “We got good pitching from all three pitchers. Everybody got to play. We got some key hits when we needed them.”

Ahoskie is now 6-12 overall and 5-5 in the conference.

They will play Sunday at 3 p.m. at Wayne County before traveling to Windsor for a 7 p.m. contest Monday.