5th Street Service Center edges Dick’s Sporting Goods, 8-6

PINETOWN — Two Beaufort County Conference teams featuring a collection of local high school players battled it out at Northside High School Wednesday evening, as 5th Street Service Center outlasted Dick’s Sporting Goods in a shortened six-inning contest, 8-6.

The boys from Bath, the preseason favorite to win the conference, entered Wednesday with a deep roster and league-best 7-1 overall record under animated head coach Kevin Cutler.

To counter, Dick’s Sporting Goods, 4-4 this season, sent Zack Woolard to the mound to try to contain the Bath bats. For 5th Street, Brock Marsh got the call, as the lengthy right-hander was throwing wildly in warm-ups and early in the first inning.

Marsh walked Zack Woolard to start the inning, but then a meticulously turned double play by shortstop Chase Sauls gave the 5th Street starter some early defensive support. However, Trent Harding followed with a two-out single to right and Marsh answered by walking the next two batters to load the bases. A chopper in the infield from Jacob Smith plated Harding and WDN First Team All-County selection Hunter Sparks, the catcher from Southside, scored on a wild pitch to give Dick’s Sporting Goods an early lead.

5th Street answered in the bottom half of the frame with two runs of its own on hits by Brantley Cutler, Marsh and Dustin Boseman, but the offensive assault would continue for Dick’s Sporting Goods in the second.

After Marsh walked the first two batters of the inning, Cutler pulled his starter, replacing him with Zach Woolard, who walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. Two hitters later, Tyler Jeter smashed a perfectly placed double to the gap in left-center, plating Tanner Boyd and Jerry Rivera. Brandon Edwards later scored on a groundout and a seeing-eye single from Sparks to left field scored Jeter to post a four spot in the inning.

Up 6-2 heading into the bottom of the second, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ comfortable lead would be tested. 5th Street posted two runs on three hits in the second and three runs on three consecutive singles from Boseman, Boyd and Rhys Alligood to put Bath on top.

After a rocky second inning, Woolard held Dick’s Sporting Goods scoreless through the third and was replaced by Zach Griffin in the fourth. Griffin allowed just three base runners through the final nine outs, shutting the door on the opposing offense and even striking out Sparks in a 13-pitch at bat.

Bozeman finished the day 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Jeter notched two hits and 2 RBI.

With the come-from-behind win, 5th Street improves to a league-best 8-1 this season and will face Extreme Action Park in Chocowinity Saturday at noon.

Dick’s Sporting Goods drops to 4-5 and wil match up against Coca-Cola in Chocowinity at 6 p.m.