NORWOOD — It was a tough loss for the Eastern Randolph Post 81 legion team here on Tuesday night in Norwood as the locals dropped a 3-2 decision to Stanly County Post 76 in Area III play.
Eastern Randolph (0-2) led 1-0 entering the bottom of the fourth before allowing three runs in the inning which proved to be the difference.
The loss overshadowed a solid combined effort of Colton Craven, Nate Canter and Mason Canoy on the mound. Craven worked three innings and yielded three hits, three runs, no walks and striking out four in suffering the loss while Nate Canter went two innings for two hits, no runs, no walks and fanning three, and Canoy one inning with no hits, one walk, no runs and whiffing two.
After squandering a single by Samuel Murchison in the second, Post 81 took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd when Trevor Maness was hit by a pitch, Clay Edmonston walked with one down, and Connor Murphy slammed a two out single to center to plate Maness.
In the fourth, Stanly County came alive offensively ignited by a leadoff single from Will Dagenhart. Carson Lowder followed with an RBI-triple to center to tie the game at 1-1 before Cody Kidd singled in Lowder, and then scored when Colton Austin mashed an RBI-double to right field.
Trailing 3-1, Eastern Randolph came back with a run in the visiting half of the fifth when Edmonston singled with one down and advanced all the way to third on an error, before scoring on a sacrifice fly to right by Camden Fuquay. Murphy would later single to left in the inning, but would be stranded.
Post 81 would never threaten again in the final two innings as the locals went down in order in both frames including a pair of strikeouts in both.
Kidd picked up the win on the mound for Post 76 by going six innings and allowing six hits, two runs (one earned) and a walk while striking out eight. Lowder notched the save while working a frame and fanning two of the three ER hitters he faced.
Murphy was 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead Eastern Randolph at the plate while Edmondson was 1-for-1 with a run and a walk, Murchison 1-for-3, Macon Pickard 1-for-2, and Evan Shaw 1-for-3.
Stanly County was paced offensively by Dagenhart who was 2-for-3 with a run while Lowder was 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI and a triple, Kidd 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI, and Austin 1-for-2 with an RBI and a double.