SILER CITY — Chandler Kime came within one out of tossing a complete game while Southern Alamance opened up a 4-0 lead after three innings before rain forced a 40-minute delay, and when play eventually resumed the Patriots managed to hold off Chatham Central down the stretch to claim a 5-2 triumph in second-day action of the second annual Jordan-Matthews Easter Classic Saturday afternoon on Jimmy Warfford Field.
The victory lifted Southern Alamance to 13-6 for the season, while the Bears slipped to 8-7 overall.
Kime went six and two-thirds innings on the mound before reaching his pitch-count limit to gain the win, giving up just three hits and a pair of unearned runs while walking four and fanning a season-high nine batters.
Patriots’ reliever Maddux Smith then came on and retired Tyson Measamer on three pitches to seal the victory.
“Kime’s effort was most of the story tonight,” remarked Southern Alamance coach Jason Smith. “I was really proud of his performance, as this was his best as well as his longest outing of the year. We also benefited from a group effort at the plate, as we spread our hitting around up and down the lineup, and stolen bases helped to get runners in scoring position.”
Chatham Central starter and loser Michael Moore hurled three innings, surrendering five hits and four earned runs in addition to issuing four free passes and whiffing three.
Following the rain delay, Bears’ reliever Carson Brewer threw two hitless frames, striking out one, prior to Micah Gurley pitching the final inning and allowing three hits plus an earned run.
“Give Southern Alamance credit, they swung the bat well and got timely hits when they needed them,” said Chatham Central coach Brett Walden. “We struggled to get runners on base as we couldn’t get much going on offense, and three hits won’t get the job done.”
The Patriots grabbed a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the second as Scottie Thompson led off with an infield hit and advanced to third on back-to-back free passes issued to Hunter Harrelson and Macon Pickard.
After Kime lined into a double play that erased Pickard from first, Jackson Pass brought in Thompson with an infield single to deep short.
Southern Alamance boosted its lead to 4-0 in the home third as Kaleb Potts opened the frame with a walk, stole second and scored when Ayden Edwards poked a base hit up the alley in right center.
Courtesy runner Evan Shaw then stole second and tallied two outs later on Harrelson’s opposite-field single to left prior to the latter stealing second and coming around to score on a pair of wild pitches.
The Bears sliced their deficit in half in the top of the fifth as leadoff batter Drew Cox walked on four pitches and went to second when Brewer reached on an infield error.
After Hunter Strickland sacrificed both runners up a base, Lofton Dodson plated Cox with a groundout that moved courtesy runner Collin Lagenor to third before Moore drove in the latter with a base hit up the middle.
But the Patriots would answer with an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Pass belted a one-out double into the left field corner prior to coming home on Jacob Ray’s single to left to close out the scoring.