North Duplin’s baseball team lines up for the playing of the national anthem before their Carolina 1A clash at Rosewood on Tuesday evening. The Eagles defeated the Rebels, 5-0. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin right-hander Erik Rosas hurls a pitch toward the plate against Rosewood on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Garris Warren fouls off a pitch against Rosewood on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Erik Rosas, left, gets a glove tap from second baseman Hunt Pate after Rosas caught an infield pop-up during early-inning action against Rosewood on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin catcher Austin Duff blocks a pitch in the dirt against Rosewood on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin second baseman Hunt Pate, left, shows the ball to the umpire after tagging out Rosewood’s Logan Merritt on a stolen-base attempt in the third inning Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin head coach Colton Chrisman, left, has a short discussion with pitcher Erik Rosas during middle-inning play against Rosewood on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Rosewood teammates wait for Logan Merritt (5) to touch the plate and celebrate after he slugged a three-run homer in the fourth inning against North Duplin on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Hunt Pate celebrates after hitting a double in the sixth inning against Rosewood on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Duplin’s Kayden Bowden dons his teammates’ caps in hopes of sparking a late-game rally against Carolina 1A baseball rival Rosewood on Tuesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
GOLDSBORO — Still seething from a road loss in Calypso nearly a month ago, Rosewood got what it wanted against Carolina 1A baseball rival North Duplin on Tuesday evening — revenge.
Robbie Boren made sure it happened.
The freshman southpaw hurled a complete-game, four-hit gem during the Eagles’ 5-0 triumph at The Nest. The teams ended the night tied atop the Carolina standings at 8-1.
“I just did what I do all the time,” Boren said. “During their first at-bat, I throw all the pitches that I have, and see what they can and can’t hit. [Then] I just work from there.
“I just put it in the strike zone, let them hit it to my teammates. I’m very confident in them and knew they could make the plays.”
In his third start of the season, Boren coerced the Rebels into 11 flyouts, seven groundouts and logged three strikeouts in the scorebook. He retired 11 consecutive batters over a four-inning stretch.
North Duplin put five runners aboard and stranded two in scoring position.
“We put a lot of balls in play, popped it up a lot and hit ground balls right at them,” second-year ND head coach Colton Chrisman. “[My] hat’s off to that kid [Boren]. He kept us off balance. We didn’t punch out a whole lot, but he didn’t give any free passes.
“They played really great defense behind him.”
Scoreless through three-plus innings, Rosewood boosted Boren’s confidence in the bottom of the fourth.
Anderson Clucas laced a two-strike single up the middle.
Wyatt Lassiter dropped a base hit into left field.
Both trotted home on Logan “Root” Merritt’s three-run bomb that easily cleared the left-field wall. The junior shouted “go ball!” as he ran to first base, and emphatically pumped his fist while he and Rebels’ left fielder Brady Byrd watched it leave the yard.
It was Merritt’s first home run of the season.
“That home run boosted the adrenaline … was pumped,” Boren said. “I just started throwing the ball harder.”
North Duplin threatened in the sixth.
Hunt Pate stroked a one-strike double to left field. He moved into scoring position on Richard Noble’s base knock up the middle. However, the two watched in frustration after a flyout to shallow center field and pop-up in foul territory ended the rally.
The Rebels suffered their first shutout loss in league play since a 3-0 setback at Rosewood on June 1, 2021.
“We didn’t win the moment, which is something we’ve kind of been living off of all year,” Chrisman said.
Erik Rosas endured the mound loss.
The senior right-hander surrendered eight hits, five runs (four earned), walked three and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings. Noble struck out the Eagles’ designated hitter, Derek Lund, to end the sixth.
Pate, Noble, Tanner Kornegay and Esteban Santos Clark each had one hit.
North Duplin (17-3 overall) returns home Thursday to face Hobbton, while Rosewood (15-6) entertains Lakewood. If the Rebels and Eagles both win, they’ll share the regular-season title.
“It’s been a long season, not over yet,” Chrisman said. “It’s hard to win in this conference contrary to what everyone believes. I told the boys if you want to be champions, you’ve got to win three games and that starts tomorrow in practice.
“We’re going to get locked back in.”
