Down 4-0 after the top half of the fifth inning, the W.S. Neal JV baseball team rallied with three runs to cut the lead to 4-3, but loss to the Opp Bobcats by one run—with the tying run on third base. The loss started the season for the Eagles with a 0-1 record.
Both teams were scoreless through four innings until all Opp’s runs came in the fifth with two outs on the scoreboard.
Opp benefited from only one in the inning—their only hit of the game—and three walks and two errors in the inning for the Eagles. Three runs came off one error.
Trailing 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth, W.S. Neal put up a fight before eventually falling by one run.
In their half of the fifth, the Eagles benefited from two walks and a hit batter to load the bases with no outs. A fielder’s choice by the Bobcats along with a walk and a throwing error cut the lead to 4-3 and put the tying run on third base with two outs.
From there, the Eagles flew out to centerfield for the final out of the game and took the loss by one.
Miles Powell was the pitcher of record for the Eagles. Powell went 4 2/3 innings and allowed one hit, four runs, walked four and struck out three. Jared Cooper went the final inning on the mound for the Eagles.
At the plate for W.S. Neal, Malcolm Hawthorne led with a double while Taylor Elliott and Cooper had one single each.
The JV Eagles will be back in action Tuesday at home against Greenville. Game time is set for 4 p.m. and will be a doubleheader.