From thepilot.com – The baseball season for Moore County ended Friday night after Pinecrest and top-seeded Ashley battled for nine innings in Wilmington in the fourth round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A state tournament.

The Patriots held the first lead of the game, but it was the Screaming Eagles who finished off the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to earn the 3-2 win, and advance to next week’s 4A East regional final series.

Fourth-seeded Pinecrest finished the season with a 24-5 overall record, the third straight season the Patriots finished with 23 or more wins.

Junior Quinn Bentley hit a one-out single to left field with the bases loaded to end the game, and that was one of six hits the Pinecrest pitching staff allowed in nine innings. Senior Bryant Kimbrell, junior J.C. Woolard and senior Connor Tepatti each allowed two hits, with Kimbrell and Woolard tallying four strikeouts each. Tepatti had three strikeouts. READ MORE.

From thepilot.com – Gone are the easy games for the Pinecrest baseball team, and coach Jeff Hewitt was quick to remind his team of that before the team’s third-round state playoff game at home against Laney. He even reiterated it on the whiteboard in the dugout that this was the tough part of the season.

“We told the whole team that this is the tough team part of the year. You’ve got to be tough now,” Hewitt said after his team’s 6-1 win over Laney moved the Patriots into the fourth round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association state playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

Pinecrest’s (24-4) toughness will be tested again, getting no day to rest going to top-seeded Ashley Friday in the fourth round. The delay of the third round due to inclement weather on Tuesday and Wednesday set up the fast turnaround.

“We’ve got a three-hour drive tomorrow, but that’s not going to stop us. We’re going to go out there and they’re going to get a little something,” sophomore pitcher Bohdi Robertson said. READ MORE.

From thepilot.com – The motto the Pinecrest baseball team has when it comes to postseason baseball is to find some way to win the game.

Even if that means one of the wildest finishes you can ask for. With the bases loaded, with two outs in the bottom of the seventh of a tie game, a walk on a full count to Liam Dutton plated the winning run in a 2-1 home victory over Fuquay-Varina in the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A state playoffs Friday.

The win moves the No. 4 Patriots into Tuesday's third round, setting up a matchup with No. 21 seed Laney.

The Patriots (23-4) rallied with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning with the score knotted at 1-all. Bryant Kimbrell was intentionally walked, followed by a walk to Grayson Hudgins, and an infield single by Addison Roth loaded the bases for the sophomore. Dutton fell behind 0-2 on the count in the at-bat, and Fuquay-Varina’s Jackson Semanisin tossed four straight balls to end the game. READ MORE.