ELIZABETHTOWN – Jayden Bethea pitched a 5-hitter and struck out 10 batters to lead Tar Heel to a 13-3 Waccamaw Middle School baseball victory over Elizabethtown Monday at County Park.
The Cougars grabbed the early lead as Chandler Wall slammed a double, and Fox Sutton and Jaden Lewis belted singles in the 1st inning. All 3 of them scored to put the Cougars up 3-0.
Tar Heel rallied in the home 1st. Landon Gause, Bethea and Carson Navarro smacked singles, and Gause and Bethea scored runs to pull the Panthers to within 3-2.
The Panthers broke the game open with a 9-run 3rd inning. Bethea drew a lead-off walk, and Navarro, Cameron Thompson and Keon Whittington laced singles. Jordan King walked, and Gause reached base. Dylan McLaurin and Bethea raked singles, and Navarro walked.
Bethea and Navarro scored 2 runs each in the inning, and Thompson, Whittington, King, Gause and McLaurin scored 1 run each as the Panthers took an 11-3 lead.
King, Faircloth, and Gause drew walks, and McLaurin swatted a single in the Tar Heel 4th inning. King and Faircloth scored runs as the lead grew to 13-3.
Navarro batted 2-for-3 with a walk and 2 runs scored to lead the Panther hitters. McLaurin finished 2-for-3 with a run scored. King walked 3 times and scored 3 runs. Bethea singled, walked and scored 3 runs.
Gause singled, walked twice and scored twice. Faircloth, Thompson, Whittington and Gregory O’Neal had 1 hit each. Faricloth and Whittington scored runs.
Wall batted 2-for-3 with a run scored to lead the Cougar hitters. Sutton, Lewis and Hunter Williams connected for 1 hit each. Sutton and Lewis scored runs.
It was the first win of the season for the Panthers, who completed their season with a 1-7 league record and 1-8 overall mark. Elizabethtown, now 1-6 in league and 1-7 overall, will conclude their season at East Columbus Tuesday.
Elizabethtown 300 00 — 3- 5
Tar Heel 209 2x — 13-10
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