Jesse Smith sends a pitch across the plate from the stretch with a runner on third.
Robert P. Taylor|Sampson Independent
Reid Strickland hustles back to third to make a play against a Rocky Mount baserunner.
Robert P. Taylor|Sampson Independent
Jaiden Stallings looks to home plate from first base.
Robert P. Taylor|Sampson Independent
As the Rocky Mount Eagles’ baseball team soared into Harrells, they were looking to keep the struggling Crusaders winless. With both teams matching each other’s energy throughout, going run-for-run for most of the game, Harrells ultimately pulled out on top with a 6-4 win.
Jesse Smith started things off well for the Crusaders on the mound, ringing up the first two batters on swinging strikeouts. A fly out from the third batter ended the Eagles’ go at things to start the game off, setting the tone early for Harrells.
The lead-off batter for the Crusaders was Brayden Frederick in the bottom of the first, who struck out swinging after just four pitches. Jesse Smith was up next, who hit a grounder to third immediately to get the second out of the bottom of the inning as things looked to move in similar fashion to the top half, but two more Smiths were there to change the pace of play.
First, Dawson Smith reached second on a line drive double to right field to put himself in scoring position. Next up was Drake Smith, who singled on a grounder to centerfield, scoring Dawson. Drake made it to second during Jaiden Stallings’ at-bat on a passed ball, looking to cross the plate for the Crusaders as well. Stallings hit a grounder to the first baseman, who committed the error, allowing Drake Smith to score and Stallings to move to second. Peyton Gomez grounded out to the shortstop to end the first with the Crusaders leading 2-0.
To keep fans on the edge of their seats, Rocky Mount answered back in the top of the second to tie things up. The first batter took just two pitches to hit a fly ball to center field for a single, and Coley Sasser committed and error in center to allow the second batter to reach first, putting two ducks on the pond for the Eagles with no outs to start the inning. A double to the third batter scored a run, while a runner was picked off at first, making it a 2-1 game with one out. Jesse Smith walked his first batter of the night after bouncing back to move things to a full count. A sacrifice grounder scored another to tie things at two runs each, and another grounder retired the Eagles in the second after they knotted things up.
Collin Cole walked to start the bottom of the second and Reid Strickland struck out swinging in the next at-bat after Cole found second base on an error. Connor Casteen bunted himself onto first to move Cole to third, but no runs were scored as Frederick struck out and Jesse Smith grounded out.
The Eagles momentarily took the lead in the top of the third on a grounder that found its way into left field for a double, making it a 3-2 game in favor of Rocky Mount Academy.
Matching their opponent’s energy, the Crusaders bounced back in the bottom of the third and allowed their bats to come alive and retake the lead. The 1-2 punch of the back-to-back Smiths in Harrells’ lineup was back in action, as Dawson Smith singled to start the inning and Drake doubled to put two Crusaders in striking distance with no outs. A sacrifice fly came next from Stallings, which allowed Dawson to tag up from third and score to make it a 3-3 ball game. Gomez singled to score Drake, retaking the lead for the Crusaders. Cole struck out to give Harrells two outs, but a pinch runner — Colten Harrell — was substituted in for Gomez on the basepath, which allowed the speedy runner to steal second and third before scoring on an error, pushing the Crusaders ahead at 5-3. Strickland walked before Casteen struck out swinging to end the third with the Crusaders sitting on top with a two-run lead.
The fourth inning saw little action for either team, with no hits for Rocky Mount and three singles for Harrells before the Crusaders hit into a double play to end their frame, keeping the score the same.
Stallings came in as the relief pitcher in the top of the fifth, walking his first batter and giving up a hit to the next. Strickland committed an error at first to allow a runner at third with one out. A sacrifice grounder scored another for the Eagles to bring it to a 5-4 score, still in favor of the Crusaders, but another grounder ended any further advancements.
In the bottom of the fifth, Casteen drove Harrell in on a fly ball, extending the lead by one more run, but outside of that, a mundane inning was had for the hosts.
Nine straight outs came next to finish off the game, ending the top and bottom of the sixth and the top of the seventh in 1-2-3 fashion for both squads.
Jesse Smith was credited with the win on the mound. He tossed four innings, giving up three earned runs and a walk, while adding a strikeout. Stallings was the only other pitcher for the Crusaders, throwing three innings and giving up one hit, one run, and a walk, while striking out four batters.
Drake Smith led the team with three hits in four appearances and an RBI. Joining him in the RBI club for the night were Stallings, Gomez, and Casteen.
The Crusaders notched their first win of the season, giving them a 1-4 record overall. They will be at Halifax Academy on Tuesday and Faith Christian on Thursday.