The Pinecrest baseball team took an unsteady, but important step back into the Southeastern 4-A Conference playoff chase with a 7-5 win at Lumberton County Thursday evening.

The Patriots managed just three hits off two Pirate pitchers, but benefited from some egregious infield play by the Pirates in the fourth inning that gave them six unearned runs and a 6-2 lead.

Tyler Wolfe started for the Patriots and picked up his third win against no defeats. Rob Carpenter pitched the seventh inning after Wolfe was ejected for exchanging words with a Lumberton player after being called out on a close play at home plate. Dave White had the only hit in the six-run fourth, a two-run double.

The win broke a three-game conference losing streak for the Patriots who improved to 4-5 in the conference and 10-6 overall. Scotland is the runaway leader in the conference with a perfect 8-0 mark. There are four other teams in the conference, including Pinecrest that are hovering around the .500 mark. Lumberton brings up the rear with just one conference win.

There are three slots available in the state playoffs for the conference.

Tonight the Patriots entertain Union Pines at 7 p.m. in the makeup of a postponed contest. Then they are idle until next Tuesday when they travel to Richmond County for the first of their final three conference games of the regular season.

Lumberton, now 1-8 in the conference and 7-9 overall, looked anything but over the first three innings. In the first and second frames they used the sacrifice bunt to advance a runner who eventually scored to build a 2-0 lead. Meanwhile, Pirate starter Matt McIntyre was retiring the Patriots without having to throw many pitches that were strikes.

“I still think that’s one of the reasons why we are sitting where we are,” Patriots coach Jeff Hewitt said. “We get ourselves out. We get impatient.”

The decisive Patriot fourth began with Rob Carpenter getting hit by one of McIntyre’s wide- breaking, but often-errant curve balls. Seven batters and five infield errors later, the Pats were still hitless but leading 4-2. White broke that string when he dumped a two-run opposite field double down the left field line driving in the final two runs of the inning.

“The one thing we did well was put the ball in play,” said Hewitt, alluding to the distance of the fences at Lumberton. “In this park you have to put the ball on the ground and not in the air.”

Wolfe gave up just two singles until the Pirates’ three-run fifth. With one out Bryan Hardin bounced a single up the middle and Jonathan Lupo singled sharply to left field. Following a passed ball, Jordan Reisman singled scoring Hardin. Lupo also scored when center fielder Nate Ernst bobbled the ball. One out later, Scott Graham picked up his second hit and RBI to close the gap to 6-5.

It appeared Wolfe was still on the ropes when he walked Andrew Strickland to lead off the sixth. But with Patrick Pait at the plate, catcher Drew Anker caught Strickland wandering off first base and he was tagged out in a rundown. Wolfe struck out the next two hitters to protect the one-run lead.

The Patriots added an insurance run in the seventh, but lost Wolfe in the process.

Carpenter lead off the inning by blooping a double down the right field line against relief pitcher Reisman. Wolfe walked and Ryan Scott moved both runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt. With two out and Andrew Synowiez at the plate, Carpenter scored on a wild pitch. Wolfe tried to score all the way from second and was thrown out at the plate leading to the unpleasantness and ejection. Carpenter pitched the seventh and struck out Graham with the tying runs on base to end the game and pick up his second save.

“We were lucky to get out of here with a win,” Hewitt said.

Pinecrest 0 0 0 6 0 0 1 — 7 3 3

Lumberton 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 — 5 7 6

Wolfe, Carpenter (7) and Anker; McIntyre, Reisman (6) and Martin; 2B – (P) White, Carpenter; SB – (P) Hawthorne, Chriscoe; SAC – (P) Scott, (L) Reyes, Ventura; HBP – (P) Carpenter, Chriscoe, RBI – (P) White 2, Wolfe, Synowiez, (L) Graham 2, Reisman, Taylor; Leading hitters – (P) Carpenter, 1-2, 2 runs; (L) Reisman 2-3, 2 runs, Graham 2-4; WP – Wolfe 3-0 LP – McIntyre Save – Carpenter (2).