HAMILTON — The fate of Hamilton High School baseball team”s bid to win what has proved to be an elusive state baseball championship might rest tonight on the arm of Austin Earnest.
Earnest is scheduled to start Game 2 of Hamilton”s Class 2A North State title playoff series against Mantachie, one day after being a part of sloppy infield play that led to a 9-7 loss in eight innings — not the way coach Lewis Earnest wanted to open this best-of-three series at home.
On Thursday, four infield errors plagued the Lions, transforming a three-run game in the fifth into an extra-inning affair and later, a letdown for the home crowd.
Hamilton will hope for better play tonight, starting with Austin Earnest.
“I feel like we can trust him; he can trust us on defense,” Hamilton outfielder Ethan Earnest said. “We”re going to flush all this today and get some hits tomorrow.”
The series will move to Mantachie for a 6 p.m. game today. Hamilton must win that game to force Game 3 at 1 p.m. Saturday. The winner will advance to the Class 2A title series next week.
If not, the program”s seniors, which includes Austin Earnest, will fall short of their goal of trading in memories as multiple state runner-ups for the Class 2A title that has eluded them in their varsity years.
The loss offered a new twist to Hamilton”s 2011 playoff run. After sweeping its first two opponents of the postseason, Hamilton lost its first game of the playoffs and faces its first elimination game.
Mantachie (20-6-1) rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the top of the fifth, thanks to errors.
“We just didn”t play very good all the way around,” Hamilton coach Lewis Earnest said. “Should have hit the ball a little better, I think. Didn”t make all the plays when we had a chance to. They did a good job. They got hits when they had to. They put the ball in play when they had to.”
Even without Chase Reeves enjoying a great night on the mound, the Lions (17-6) were within reach of taking the opening game. Behind solid games from Austin Earnest (three RBIs) and Cole Gill (two RBIs), the Lions led 5-2 after the fourth. But Hamilton gave up three runs in the fifth, a mixture of wild pitches, passed balls, and throwing errors — from an errant throw to first base that sailed long and allowed Cody Chatham to score from third to a passed ball that allowed another run to score.
Hamilton regained the lead on Ethan Earnest”s RBI single to left field. But in the sixth, Chatham singled to center, scoring two runs, giving Mantachie its first lead since a 1-0 edge in the top of the first inning.
The Lions forced extra innings thanks to Gill”s sacrifice in the bottom of the seventh.
Mistakes, though, followed the Lions to extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, Graham Pritchett mishandled a throw to second, and Austin Earnest was unable to cleanly field it, allowing runners to move to third and second. Chatham then doubled to center, scoring a run. And after Reeves intentionally walked C.J. Jackson, Alex Marlin found a spot in shallow right for his first hit and an RBI.
Collin Minga moved from third base to the mound for Mantachie, fielding consecutive groundouts against Austin Earnest and Pritchett and a hard shot by Rye.
“It”s hard to jump right in the game like that, (but I) just tried to throw strikes and battle through it, let the defense work,” Minga said.
That was just enough on a night when Reeves (6-1) didn”t have full command. Early, his curveball was flat, Lewis Earnest said.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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