Jordan-Matthews out-duels Chatham Central 4-1

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BEAR CREEK — Camden Fuquay and Samuel Murchison combined for a two-hitter here Thursday night to lift visiting Jordan-Matthews to a well-played 4-1 victory over rival Chatham Central in area high school baseball action.

Fuquay worked 5.2 innings and threw 75 pitches and allowed one hit, one run (earned), and one walk while striking out three to garner the victory on the mound. Murchison notched the save by working the final 1.1 innings and yielding one hit, a walk and fanning three.

The J-M tandem overshadowed a nice effort from Chatham Central ace Caleb Staley who went 5.1 innings and allowed five hits, three runs (two earned), and three walks while striking out five. Staley gave way to Micah Gurley in the 6th, who went the final 1.2 for the Bears, and allowed an unearned run and a walk while whiffing two.

The contest was scoreless in the opening three innings as Fuquay and Staley dominated.

Jordan-Matthews threatened in the top of the 1st behind an infield single by Christopher Morgan, a CC error, and a line drive base hit to left field. J-M’s Thomas Smith, who had grounded into a fielder’s choice earlier, rounded third in an attempt to score, but was thrown out by Bear leftfielder Tyson Measamer who uncorked a nice throw to catcher Carter Fuquay, who applied the tag on the sliding Smith to end the threat.

Neither team had a batter reach base during the next three innings with the exception of J-M’s Luke Hinshaw drawing a walk in the 3rd inning.

Jordan-Matthews finally broke a scoreless tie in the top of the 4th when the visitors pushed across the run with two outs. Staley had gotten a strikeout and fly out to begin the frame, but Fuquay beat out a ground ball to short and Seth Moore followed with an RBI-single to right center which plated courtesy runner Caleb Campbell who had stolen second moments earlier.

Trailing 1-0, Chatham Central went down in order for the fourth consecutive time in the home half of the 4th.

This set up the Jets scoring again to take a 2-0 lead in the 5th sparked by Landon Vickery and Hinshaw drawing walks, the pair swiping third and second respectively, and Vickery hustling home to score on a sacrifice fly by Vickery to right field.

After the Bears went down in order yet again in the bottom of the stanza, Jordan-Matthews plated a run in the top of the 6th to extend its lead to 3-0. With one down, Fuquay reached on an error for the Jets, courtesy runner more moved to second on a wild pitch, and Moore stroked an RBI-single to right center to plate Campbell.

Gurley would come in to get a strike out and a pop up to third base to end the threat.

Chatham Central finally showed some life offensively in the home half of the 6th when Drew Cox coaxed a lead off walk before Fuquay fanned the next two batters.

The Bears weren’t done, however, as Lofton Dodson singled off Fuquay to drive him out of the game before Michael Moore greeted J-M reliever Samuel Murchison with an RBI-single to center to plate Dodson and cut the deficit to 3-1.

Things got even more interesting moments later when Measamer walked to load the bases, but Murchison worked out of the jam by getting Staley to ground back to the mound for the final out.

Jordan-Matthews tacked on an insurance run in the top of the 7th behind a CC error, a walk to Smith, and another Bear error which allowed pinch-runner Luke Martinelli to score.

Working with a 4-1 advantage, Murchison struck out the side to sit Chatham Central down in order for the sixth time in seven innings while clinching the road win for the Jets.

Moore paced Jordan-Matthews at the plate with a 2-for-3 effort with two RBI while Fuquay, Morgan and Rios were all 1-for-4.

Chatham Central was led offensively by a 1-for-3 effort with an RBI from Moore while Dodson was also 1-for-3.

Chatham Central, Jordan-Matthews, baseball, Siler City