The Sandhills Diamond Post 72 baseball team got off to a running start in American Legion action with a 13-1 victory at Bladen County Wednesday evening.

Sam Buie, a rising junior at Union Pines, led the Diamond hit parade, going four-for-four, including a double and four RBI. Pinecrest rising senior Eric Shinn went 5 2/3 innings on the mound to gain credit for the win in the season opener for both squads.

The Diamond knocked out 18 hits off three Bladen pitchers, including a home run by Brad Davis. In addition to Buie and Davis, other Patriots enjoying multiple hit games were Eric Marion, Taylor Norfleet, Ryan Summerford and Brandon Cain.

Davis opened the scoring in the top of the third with his home run to left-center field. Buie’s double and a sacrifice fly by Glenn Moore drove home two more in the fourth. A three-run fifth included run-scoring hits by Cain and Buie.

The Diamond scored another run in the top of the sixth, making it 7-1, but lost its starting pitcher in the bottom half.

Shinn took a comebacker off the bat of Bladen’s Max Hatley on the left shoulder and had to leave the game. Carson McLean came on to get the last out of the sixth and shut the home team out in the seventh and eighth innings.

A sixth-run eighth inning by the Diamond included run-producing hits by Davis, Norfleet, Buie, Marion and Moore. When Adam Johnson retired the home team in order in their half of the eighth, the game ended under the mercy rule.

The all-around effort by the Diamond included some good work in the field. Norfleet, playing second base, started a 4-6-3 double play. Left fielder Moore made a run-saving catch of a fly ball to the fence by Bladen’s Jordan Carter in the second inning.

Next for the Diamond, coached by Carl Boykin and Mike Shinn, is a game at Scotland on Monday. They will play their home opener at John Williams Field against Hamlet next Wednesday at 7 p.m.

R H E

Sandhills 0 0 1 2 3 1 0 6 — 13 18 2

Bladen 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 — 1 7 3