Kinston Post 43 threw the game away — literally.
Post 43 committed seven errors, four of which decided the outcome in the final three innings as Pitt County Post 39 rallied for an 8-7 win in Area I East division play on Tuesday at Viking Field.
Kinston (4-3, 1-1) led 7-4 heading into the seventh, but the left side of its infield had problems fielding and throwing the baseball which led to the deciding three unearned runs.
“We blew it,” Post 43 manager Ronnie Battle said. “We had an opportunity at least twice to close it out, I guess, but we didn’t get the job done.”
Kinston left-hander Ben Brann was in control for most of the night and had a chance to get out of the seventh unscathed. With two gone Matt Boyd’s pop-up on the infield was dropped by third baseman Dylan Puchalski, who then rushed the throw to get Boyd on the run and it sailed into the depths of the Kinston High foul territory beyond first base.
The pair of miscues allowed a run to score and the inning to continue, and it saw the end of Brann’s outing.
Will Deters came on and gave up an RBI single to Aaron Clark, which pulled Post 39 to within a run. But he got Kyle Cross to ground into an inning-ending double play turned by VeQuain Joyner at second to end the threat and keep Post 43’s lead intact.
The seventh was just a sign of things to come.
Deters sat Pitt County down in order in the eighth — the first time it had gone down 1-2-3 since the opening inning — then got things started off right in the ninth with a groundout back to the mound.
Thomas Conlin singled, then Davis Kirkpatrick flew out to left to put Post 39 down to its final out.
Post 43 gave it three more.
A throwing error by Puchalski allowed Matt Sugg to reach, then Aaron Clark reached on another throwing error by Wesley Melvin that allowed Conlin and Sugg to score for the 8-7 lead.
“Pitching was fantastic. The relief came in and done exactly what he was supposed to,” Battle said. “We had a three-run lead in the seventh inning.
“Yep, we flat-out blew it.”
Pitt County looked like it may give a run or two back in the bottom of the ninth.
Garrett Holland’s deep line drive to the fence in left was misplayed by Ben Blackwell, allowing Holland to run all the way to third. Matt Hinson, who was 3-for-3 in his first three at-bats, grounded out for the first out, holding Holland.
Pinch hitter Taishu McLawhorn was hit by a pitch on the first one he saw to put the winning run aboard. But reliever Blake Allen buckled down and got Joyner to roll over on a fastball and into a 6-4-3 game-ending double play.
“We didn’t get it done,” Battle said. “Hopefully we can bounce back in a positive way. We’ve got some competitors who can hang in there until the end.”
While Post 43’s defense couldn’t keep it together, its offense did.
Hinson finished the night 3-for-5 and drove in a run, Sammy West went 3-for-5, Puchalski went 2-for-5 and drove in two runs, Ryan Cobb had a hit, scored twice and drove in a pair and Holland singled home a run for an offense that has far exceed Battle’s expectations.
Puchalski’s double scored West, who doubled, for a 1-0 lead in the first. Then Cobb, Holland and Hinson singled home runs in the fifth to go up 4-3.
After Pitt County tied it in the sixth, Kinston got RBIs from Cobb and Puchalski, and Melvin scored on an error after reaching on a bunt single to go up 7-4 in the home half of the frame.
But from then on it was all downhill. When Battle’s team scores seven runs he now expects it to win.
Not lose the way it did on Tuesday.
“They should win, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “We proved that tonight, being ahead with the pitching that we were getting.
“This team should win when we score that many runs.”
Notes: Brann gave up six runs, five earned, on six hits, walked four and struck out two in what Battle called a “fantastic” outing. Deters was charged with two unearned runs in the loss. … Kirkpatrick and Clark each went 2-for-5 and drove in a run for Post 39. … The game lasted 2 hours, 39 minutes. … Kinston, which has dropped two in a row, hosts Wayne County Post 11 on Thursday.
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPsports.
Post 39 001 201 202—8 8 4
Post 43 100 033 000—7 13 7
Fuller, Allen (5) and Boyd; Brann, Deters (7) and Hamilton. W—Allen. L—Deters.