WILLIAMSTON — For a team that entered Wednesday averaging just 1.7 runs per contest, reliant on an experienced rotation to stay competitive, it was only fitting the Pam Pack found itself on the wrong end of a down-to-the-wire slugfest. Once both starting pitchers were rendered ineffective early, giving up a combined 16 runs through the first two innings, Washington eventually fell to Riverside, 11-10, in the seventh on a walk off, infield single from Griff Taylor.

The defeat, the Pam Pack’s seventh in eight tries, marks the fifth time this season the team has lost by two runs or less. On paper, it’s a mirror image of last season’s 3-16 campaign, thus far, but it’s a narrative head coach Kevin Leggett is looking to reverse moving forward.

“That’s been the only thing holdings us back, our bats,” he said. “It was almost an identical game except for the one run, but they’re keeping their heads up. They’re looking at it as if we’re 0-2 and that’s it. We feel in our hearts we should have won both our conference games and most of the games we’ve played this year. If our bats look like that and we get the pitching from our top two pitchers, in the conference we’ll be fine.”

It took just a couple of minutes for Washington’s dormant offense to erupt in the first inning, as three walks administered by Riverside starter Mike Mitchell, two errors and a single from Nick Everette prompted a two-out rally, the visitors posting a quick four runs on the scoreboard.

But the Knights had an answer of their own off sophomore starter Logan Little, the third pitcher in Leggett’s rotation making his first start of the season. Austin Lee, Chase Taylor and Joe Wiggins started things off with three-straight hits. Little proceeded to bean the next batter, walk Taylor and give up an infield single to Branson Rogers. When the dust settled, the home team had matched the Pam Pack’s four-run frame.

And in the second inning, again, Washington posted four runs and Riverside answered with another four. While Mitchell remained in the game, Little was pulled in the second inning with two outs, replaced by Cody Godley. The sophomore right-hander calmed things down and managed to stop the bleeding, allowing two runs (one earned) and seven hits in 3.1 innings of work, his infield bailing him out of a handful of jams.

“We had some nice plays tonight, trying a couple guys at some new positions for a nonconference game to see how they do before Easter Break,” Leggett said. “They performed good tonight and hopefully that changes some things moving forward.”

 

After a strong offensive start, Washington quickly came back down to Earth and was held to just five base runners — two errors, two walks and a single from freshman Frederick Holscher — through the final five frames, but the Pack managed to squeeze across two runs.

Sophomore Nick Everette came on to pitch the final two innings for Washington, retiring the side in the sixth, but in the bottom of the seventh, a hit by Lee, a costly error at first base and an intentional walk loaded the bases. With one out, the count at 1-2, Griff hit a chopper up the middle, just light enough to make the double play unfeasible and hand Riverside it’s third win of the season.

For Washington, Holscher finished 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs, while Everette went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Riverside’s Jess Miller, who pitched the final 2.2 innings in relief, picked up the win.

Washington travels to Wilson today to take on conference foe Beddingfield (2-4, 0-2 EPC).

The Pam Pack will participate in the Pitt County Class Tournament in Greenville, beginning with West Craven on Saturday (4 p.m.), followed by Southern Alamance on Monday (2:30 p.m.) and Greene Central on Tuesday (noon).