Sandhills Post 72 broke a four-game losing streak by defeating Mount Gilead Post 92 12-3 amidst the rain and lightning at Pinecrest High School Wednesday evening.

Home runs by Brian Grimsley, John Fowler, Jesse Navarro and Tyler Wolfe produced eight of the runs and three Diamond pitchers held Mount Gilead to three hits.

Fowler with three RBI, Navarro with three hits and Brad Shinn with two hits and three innings of one-run relief distinguished themselves in rare starting roles.

The win against a team the Diamond had beaten 44-9 two weeks ago in Biscoe took some of the sting off the previous night’s embarrassing 17-3 home loss to Asheboro.

The Diamond, now 5-13, played Troy at home Thursday. They complete the regular season with a 2:15 p.m. contest at Troy on Sunday.

Sandhills has qualified for the American Legion playoffs beginning Wednesday, June 21.They are currently in third place in the Southern District of the Eastern Division behind Eastern Randolph and Troy and ahead of Siler City and Mount Gilead.

After Asheboro (16-4 overall) exacted some revenge for a 14-7 loss to the Diamond at Asheboro last month, coach Jeff Hewitt got just what he wanted from his team Wednesday – in spite of the rain and three lightning delays – and a Mount Gilead team that played much better than the first time the two teams met.

“I’m glad we got it in,” Hewitt said. “Hopefully this will loosen the morale a little bit – and maybe we can get something going tomorrow (Troy). One thing we did was save some arms”.

After Mount Gilead took a 2-0 lead, shortstop Grimsley, who made three outstanding defensive plays, jump-started the Diamond with a two-run homer that tied the game at two. Two batters later, John Fowler’s second home run of the season made it 4-2.

“The play up the middle was about as good as any I’ve seen in a long time,” Hewitt said of Grimsley’s first gem in the second inning. The Union Pines high schooler went airborne and fully extended to nab the Harold Brock line drive.

Left-hander Mike Messana started for the Diamond but had to leave the game after the second inning. He was kicked on the glove hand making a tag at the plate. It was later determined a bone was broken in his right hand.

Leon Lyons earned the win with four shutout innings of two-hit relief.

“I like Leon in relief, “ Hewitt said. “ He keeps his composure as well as anyone we have. He’s just here to play baseball. He’s not worried about anything else.”

Hewitt liked the contributions he got from all of his young players under the difficult playing conditions.

“This was a good night for the young kids. To me, they played just as well as anyone else I could put in there. That’s what I wanted to see – some kids enjoying playing baseball again,” he said.

The previous night debacle may have represented a low point of the season. Asheboro Post 45 coach Eric Hall started his ace Lance Cole who limited the Diamond to two hits. Home runs by Ben Yow and Michael Stefanacci in the first inning off Stuart Richardson got the ball rolling for Asheboro.

The visitors scored three times in each of the first four innings and five times in the fifth.

When the Diamond were retired in order in the bottom of the fifth inning trailing 17-3, having already used four pitchers, the plate umpire asked Hewitt if he wished to end the game. The offer was accepted.

Diamond Bits: Sixty youngsters participated in a baseball clinic this week provided by Hewitt and Southern Pines Recreation and Parks. This is the third year of the event. Assisting Hewitt were Diamond players Robert Carpenter, Brian Grimsley, Clay Irwin, Mike Messana, Ryan Scott and Brad Shinn.