North Duplin’s baseball team remained unbeaten in four Carolina 1A outings this season with a 4-1 win over Hobbton on Tuesday evening.
NEWTON GROVE — North Duplin built a three-run lead after one inning and eased past Hobbton, 4-1, on the Carolina 1A Conference baseball scene Monday evening.
Six Rebels stepped into the batters’ box during their first at-bat.
Richard Noble reached on a fielder’s choice, which forced lead-off man Hunt Pate out at second base. Austin Duff and Tanner Kornegay each drew a walk.
Hobbton gunned down Noble at the plate.
Brady Byrd followed with an RBI single that scored courtesy runner Branden Reyna, who replaced Duff. Byrd stole second, and scored along with Reyna and Kornegay on Wildcat defensive miscues.
More defensive mistakes allowed Wesley Holmes to tally the Rebels’ fourth run in the fifth inning.
The Wildcats pulled to within 4-1 after six innings, but couldn’t get any closer and dropped their fifth straight game in the series.
Pate paced North Duplin’s offense with two hits, an RBI and a stolen base. Byrd ended the day 1-for-3 with a stolen base.
Noble toed the rubber and claimed the win. The right-hander yielded two runs (one earned), walked four and sat down nine Wildcats on strikeouts in six complete innings.
Erik Rosas threw the seventh and earned the save. He permitted one hit and collected two strikeouts.
North Duplin (11-2 overall, 4-0 Carolina) puts a five-game win streak on the line Thursday at Neuse Charter. Game time is 6 p.m.
Hobbton (8-4) dropped to 3-2 in league matters this season.
