“They take a toll on you,” Post 296 coach Greg Robinson said afterward, “but it sure is fun baseball.”
Union Pines (2-6) defeated Scotland Post 50 5-4 last Saturday in 11 innings. Wednesday’s immaculately played contest, also at Union Pines, featured outstanding pitching performances by Josh Bagley for the visitors and Sam Buie for the home team.
Bagley went the distance, allowing only four hits while striking out 16.
Buie pitched seven shutout innings in relief before giving up a game-winning home run to Shawn Lovetts. Lovetts drove in all three of his team’s runs.
The evening began with Korean War veteran Her-man Seawell, grandfather of Post 296 right fielder Matt Seawell, leading the players in the recitation of the American Legion sportsmanship creed.
After the visitors nicked Post 296 starting pitcher Chis Holt for single runs in the first and third innings, Robinson brought Buie on to pitch.
“Chris did a good job,” Robinson said. “He just wasn’t as sharp as I’ve seen him in the past. We were down two runs and I thought it was time to bring in Buie and see if we could shut them down.”
For a long while, it appeared that the two runs would be all that Bagley would need. After giving up a lead-off walk to John Amato in the third, he retired the next nine batters in a row, seven on strikeouts.
Buie had been matching Bagley out for out before the Hope Mills’ hurler faltered in the bottom of the sixth.
Josh Haley led off the frame with a walk and stole second. After Bagley retired the next two hitters, Buie sent a wicked shot down the right field line for a run-scoring double. An infield single by Seawell and a double to right-center by Nick Cameron tied the game at 2-2.
The bases were loaded when Bagley retired Cody Howe on a groundout to end the inning.
“The inning before,” Hope Mills Coach Randy Ledford said, “he (Bagley) threw 10 pitches and got three strikeouts. Then he got out of rhythm. Then he picked it back up again. It was hot tonight. There was no air moving.”
Buie retired Hope Mills in order in the seventh and eighth innings. Afterwards Robinson was second guessing himself for a move he didn’t make in the bottom of the eighth.
Drew Robinson and Buie led off that inning with walks, but Bagley then retired Seawell, Cameron and John Gallimore without the runners advancing.
“I lost this ball game,” the coach said. “We should have bunted. I had a feeling Seawell might hit the ball and he deserved the chance. He did hit it, but not quite deep enough to right field to advance the runner.
“Nick Cameron is the best bunter I know other than Seth Maness (Sandhills Diamond player). We could have done the suicide squeeze and won this ball game.”
When Buie retired the first batter in the 10th, it gave him seven complete innings in which he had allowed two hits while striking out eight and walking one. He fell behind Lovetts 3-0 before the count went full. The Hope Mills third baseman took the next pitch over the fence in left-center for what became the game-winner.
“I got deep in the count with that one guy and made a mistake,” Buie said of the off-speed pitch that Lovetts waited on. “He made me pay for it. We came back, but we didn’t get the big hits when we needed them.”
Bagley had never pitched more than seven innings in a game, but Lovetts’ homer seemed to re-energize him. He struck out two of the three batters he faced in the bottom of the 10th to sew things up.
The only error in the entire game was committed by Hope Mills, now 8-4. Both teams made some outstanding plays in the field.
“Our defense was great,” coach Robinson said. “That kept us in the ball game. Our record isn’t very good right now, but our players are coming on and our fans are great.”
Post 296 plays at Stedman tonight at 7 p.m. The next home game is on Monday against Jack Britt, also at 7 p.m.
R H E
Post 32 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 — 3 9 1
Post 296 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 — 2 4 0
Bagley and Jeffries; Holt, Buie (3) and Cameron; WP - Bagley LP - Buie. Leading hitters: Hope Mills - Lovetts 2-5 (HR, 3 RBI), Weaver 2-5 (run), Jeffries 1-3 (2B), McLaurin 1-5 (2B, run); Union Pines - Buie 1-4 (2B, run, RBI), Cameron 1-4 (2B, RBI), Seawell 1-4, Sullivan 1-5.
