LA GRANGE — The Patriots didn’t hit the ball consistently, but went they did they made it count.
Parrott Academy clustered nine of its 14 hits into just two innings and used those two outbursts to roll past North Lenoir Green 9-1 in an East Carolina Scholastic Summer League game Tuesday at Hawk Field.
The Patriots (4-0) scored three times on four hits in the first, and then plated four more runs on five hits in the fifth.
It was more than enough for Parrott pitchers Connor Bright, Henry Sloan and Joseph Spear, who combined to limit the Hawks to just three hits.
“We pitched very well and strung together some hits when we needed to,” Parrott coach Jason Wade said. “Overall, I thought we were a little sluggish offensively except for those two innings, but we’ll definitely take it.”
Parrott inflicted all of its first inning damage after two were out.
NL starter Alex Jones retired the first two batters before surrendering three consecutive doubles to John Tyer, John McLawhorn and Charlie King. Zack Hill added an RBI single and APA quickly led 3-0.
The score was still manageable, 4-1, when the Patriot strolled to the plate in the top of the fifth.
This time there were no clutch two-out heroics. Singles by Zacchaeus Rasberry, Jared Hill and Tyer opened the frame, King roped his second two-bagger of the game, and Alex Henderson added a single as the Patriots scored four times and blew the game open.
“We got up some pitches up in the strike zone and they took advantage,” North Lenoir coach Trenton Lovekamp said. “We’re the youngest team in this developmental league (no player older than ninth grade), so we expect to take some lumps as we learn. Except for those couple of bad innings I thought we held our own.”
King and Tyer were the offensive standouts for Parrott. King went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs while Tyer collected three hits and drove in three.
Riley Sasser knocked in NL’s lone run with a fourth-inning base hit, the Hawks’ first of the game up until that point. Jones and Reed Parris also contributed hits for NL (1-3).
Parrott hosts C.B. Aycock White today at 6 p.m., while NL Green will travel to Aycock Blue on Thursday for a 5 p.m. doubleheader.
Parrott 300 141 1—9 14 1
N. Lenoir 000 100 X—1 3 1
Bright, Sloan (4), Spear (7) and Howard; Jones, Letchworth (5), Sasser (6) and Sasser, Letchworth (6).
W—Sloan. L—Jones.