By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Danny Webster smashed two home runs in the first two innings, and the Washington Pam Pack could never recover.
Webster, Havelock’s leadoff hitter, belted a solo home run in the first inning and a three-run blast in the second to help lift the Rams to an 8-3 win over Washington in Wednesday’s Coastal Conference baseball game. While Pam Pack third-year coach Darin Vaughan said the home runs were pivotal in the game, he said the Rams just came out with more urgency.
The Rams (6-16, 2-12) took a 7-0 lead over the first three innings. The Pack (11-9, 5-8) rallied with three runs in the fifth, but it wasn’t enough.
The key blow was Webster’s three-run dinger during a five-run second inning. The uprising chased Washington starter David Tyson.
Relievers Michael Goldberg and Hatteras Brooks were solid for Washington, but the Pack couldn’t get the bats going against Justin Godette and Charles Millea. Washington finished with just four hits in the game.
Austin Thompson provided the biggest blow, smashing an RBI triple in the fifth. The hit extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
Cody House led off the fifth with a single. Jimmy Hardison drew a walk one batter later. House scored on a wild pitch, Thompson’s triple into left scored Hardison and Thompson later scooted home on a wild pitch.
The Rams added an insurance run in the sixth.
The Pack will close out the regular season tonight against West Carteret. Washington’s seniors will be honored prior to the game.
Plenty is on the line as both teams enter with a 5-8 conference mark. The winner earns the No. 3 seed for the playoffs, while the loser gets the No. 4 seed.
Vaughan said he’s like his team to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs.