If Harnett Central was riding high off their 15-4 takedown of Pine Forest last Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Harnett Central Trojans took an 8-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Terry Sanford Bulldogs on Tuesday. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Harnett Central in their matchups with Terry Sanford: they've now lost eight in a row.
Mason Butts was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Harnett Central saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Wesley Barefoot, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Barefoot has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On Terry Sanford's side, Jonathan Pate tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Josh Mozingo came in to relieve Pate and was airtight, giving up no runs, hits or walks in his 2.1 innings pitched.
At the plate, Benny Whiteaker and Mason Walker did most of the damage at the plate: Whiteaker went 3-for-3 with four RBI, a stolen base, and a run, while Walker went 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and a stolen base.
Harnett Central's loss dropped their record down to 7-4. As for Terry Sanford, the victory (which was their seventh in a row) raised their record to 7-3.
While Harnett Central had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
