SALISBURY — Don’t mind the Eastern Randolph Post 81 American Legion baseball team if they are feeling a bit snake-bit this season.
Eastern Randolph dropped its fifth game of the summer by three runs or less in a 4-3 defeat at the hands of a 10-3 Rowan County squad on Sunday night in Salisbury on the campus of Catawba University.
Post 81 falls to 2-7 on the season in Area III play but remains 1-0 in the Northern Division.
It seemed to be the same ol’ tune Sunday evening as the locals battled powerful Post 342 all the way to the bitter end before the homestanding bunch plated a walk-off run in the bottom of the seventh to send Post 81 to Ramseur with the defeat. And Rowan County had to do little to produce the winning run as leadoff man Jordan Goodine walked, stole second, darted to third on a wild pitch and scored when the ER throw to third sailed wide and into the outfield for an error.
Eastern Randolph had taken an early 2-0 advantage when Mason Canoy singled to center, Clay Edmondson and Cameron Kennedy singled to left to load the bases, and Cade Snotherly came through with a two-run safety to left to plate Canoy and Edmondson.
Chris Morgan would slap an infield single one out later before to load the bases again but Rowan County starter Daniel Durham coaxed Tyler Campbell into an inning-ending ground out short.
Rowan County came back with three runs in the home half of the second ignited by leadoff walks from Bo Rusher and C.P. Pyle. Back to back singles from Steven Smith and Cameron Graham tied the score at 2-2 before a ground out to second by Goodine sent in Smith to give Post 342 a 3-2 lead.
Eastern Randolph, which out-hit Rowan County 10-to-4 in the contest, put runners at first and second with no out in the third behind base hits from Camden Fuquay and Canoy. Durham hurled an inning ending double-play ball off the bat of Edmondson to end the Post 81 threat.
The contest remained scoreless until the top of the sixth when Kennedy tagged a 1-1 offering from Post 342 reliever Jake Davis over the left field wall to leadoff the inning and even the game at 3-all.
Eastern Randolph would receive a single from Nate Canter later in the sixth, and a base hit from Canoy in the seventh, but could not plate another run, setting up Rowan County plating the walk-off winner in the home half of the seventh.
Kennedy paced the ER effort offensively with a 2-for-2 night that included a run, two RBI, a walk and a homer while Canoy was 3-for-4 with a run.
Chipping in a 1-for-2 effort with two RBI and a walk was Snotherly while Canter was 1-for-2, Edmondson 1-for-4 with a run, Fuquay 1-for-4, and Morgan 1-for-4.
Smith was 1-for-2 at the plate with a run and an RBI to lead Rowan County while Rusher was 1-for-2 with a run and a walk.
Chandler Kime was the hard luck loser for Post 81 after working three innings and allowing one hit, an unearned run, three walks and striking out one.
Eastern Randolph starter Trevor Maness hurled three innings and yielded three hits, three runs and two walks while striking out a pair.
Rowan County reliever Scout Nichols took the win on the mound after going the final 1.2 innings for the victors and allowing a hit and striking out two.
Durham worked the opening three frames and surrendered seven hits and two runs while Davis went 2.1 innings and yielded two hits, a run and three walks while fanning one.