AHOSKIE – Three Ridgecroft School pitchers combined to pitch a six-hitter as the Rams beat The Albemarle School 6-1 in a Tarheel Independent Conference baseball game here Tuesday afternoon.  The win kept Ridgecroft undefeated in conference play at 8-0.

The Rams opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second as Luther Glover doubled into the gap in left centerfield and later scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 Ridgecroft lead after two innings of play.

The home team added three more runs in the bottom of the third.  David Basnight and Wyatt Whitley both singled and Zeb Askew walked to load the bases.  Glover produced the first run with a bases-loaded walk and Whitley and Askew both scored when the Colts hurler uncorked two separate pairs of wild pitches.  It was 4-0, Rams, after three.

Ridgecroft scored another run in the bottom of the fourth when Grayson Joyner walked, stole second and later scored on a Bryce Stevens RBI groundout. It was 5-0 for the boys in blue after four innings.

Albemarle got its only run of the game in the top of the sixth to trail by four before the Rams got their last tally in the bottom of the frame on a Whitley RBI groundout to go back up by five runs.

Albemarle got a one-out single in the top of the seventh, but the Rams reliever got back-to-back strikeouts to end the contest.

David Basnight pitched four innings for the win allowing no runs on three hits and six strikeouts. Boone Barkley pitched two innings allowing two hits, one run, and he had one strikeout; while Lane Slachta pitched the seventh allowing no runs, a hit, and he had three strikeouts.

The Rams got all their runs with just five hits: one each by Glover, Basnight, Whitley, Slachta, and Barkley.

Ridgecroft raises its overall record to 9-3-1 and a perfect 8-0 in league play. After hosting Oakwood on Wednesday they host Northeast Academy at home on Friday beginning at 5 p.m.