In a thriller, the Hobbton Wildcats lost their first game of the season, falling by the score of 9-3 to the Clinton Dark Horses on Monday evening in a game that was pretty even before things got away from the Wildcats in the seventh inning.

In that decisive seventh inning, the Dark Horses’ bats got hot as they scored a crippling six runs to take the win.

There are new rules in place this year that govern how many pitches a high school player can throw in a certain time period. Wildcats assistant coach Alfonza Hooper commented after the game.

“The pitch count got us late,” he said.

Jackson McLamb started the game and helped the Wildcats keep it close. However, a pitching change came about in the fifth inning.

“It was a tough game for us tonight,” commented Hobbton head coach Chris Carroll. “Our guys battled strong for six innings. They played hard. They hit the ball and ran hard. One thing we have to work on is how we finish a game. Overall, we had a good outing. This is going to make us stronger and tougher and we are going to come out and be more eager to come out and be on the right side of the score. I give all credit to Clinton. They came out ready to play. It was a great game for six innings. Both teams fought hard and we look forward to the rest of the season.”

The Wildcats got hits from McLamb, Aaron Beasley and Justin Adkins. For Clinton, the Dark Horses had a staggering 10 hits on the night.

The Wildcats will host Union Wednesday night at 6 p.m. followed by a road trip to Union on Friday night for a 5 p.m. game.

With basketball still in full swing for the Dark Horses, they have endured some schedule changes for the remainder of the week. Clinton was supposed to play Tuesday at Triton, but that has been postponed with a make-up date pending. The Dark Horses will be back in action Monday hosting Hobbton.

Hobbton’s Mason Wilson advances to second base on a steal as the Dark Horse second baseman loses the handle on the ball.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_wilson.jpgHobbton’s Mason Wilson advances to second base on a steal as the Dark Horse second baseman loses the handle on the ball.
Horses score six runs in final inning to break 3-3 tie

By David Johnson

Sports Writer

Reach Sports Editor Daron Barefoot at [email protected].