Ahoskie Legion Juniors fall on the road

Published 2:09 pm Wednesday, May 31, 2017

HERTFORD – The Hertford Pirates scored four runs in the sixth inning and erased an early Post-102 lead as Perquimans beat Ahoskie 5-3 in a junior American Legion baseball game here May 22.

After three scoreless innings by both teams, Ahoskie opened the scoring with a run in the top of the fourth. Evan Lassiter doubled, went to third on Spencer Simonowich’s single and scored on an Ethan Hughson sacrifice fly. The Pirates failed to answer and Ahoskie led it 1-0 after four innings of baseball.

Post-102 added their second run in the top of the fifth. Tyrek Beverly reached first base on an error, and later scored on a Hunter Mitchell RBI double into the gap in left-center field for a 2-0 Ahoskie lead.

Perquimans scored a run in the bottom of the fifth to halve their deficit to 2-1, Post-102 after five.

Ahoskie failed to score in the top of the sixth and held onto their 2-1 lead through five-and-a-half innings.

But in the bottom of the sixth, Perquimans scored four runs for a 5-2 lead after six.

Ahoskie scored their third run in the top of the seventh when, with two outs, Ryan Rowe reached first on an error. Pinch-runner Derious Boone came in to run for Rowe and scored on a Mitchell RBI double. Lassiter then singled to put two runners aboard and get the go-ahead run into the batter’s box; instead, the game would end on a strikeout.

Trent Munford pitched five-and-two-thirds innings and took the loss. Trent Hobbs pitched the final one-third or an inning.

Ahoskie had eight hits. Mitchell and Lassiter had two hits apiece, while Rowe, Beverly, Simonowich, and Edward Bradley each had one hit.

“We’re playing well,” said Post-102 coach David Ellis. “We played good defense, but it was another tough loss as again, we had a lead in the game but couldn’t hold it.”

Ahoskie was 0-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play with that loss. Post-102 got their first win in Elizabeth City against the Albemarle Wildcats Friday, and played Windsor Post-37 Monday night at home in a game not completed by press-time.