The first-year East Burke junior legion baseball team held its home opener on Sunday at EBHS and entertained the home crowd with a pitcher’s duel.
The Cavaliers didn’t, however, gain the win as the visiting South Caldwell “B” team plated three seventh-inning runs for a 4-1 final.
East Burke starting pitcher Jacob Lail threw 3 2/3 innings and allowed only two hits and three walks but was pulled after the EB defense allowed the first run of the game while trying to pick off a SC runner between first and second and allowing a walk.
EB (1-8) left six runners on base, as Lail, Hunter Jeffries, Zach Lowder, Elijah Reese and Tanner Davis each slapped one hit apiece. The home team got its lone run of the game in the sixth, with Jeffries coming home from third on a wild pitch to tie things up briefly.
Jeffries led off the inning with a single, stole second and advanced to third via a wild pitch before scoring the tying run.
South Caldwell clinched the win, in the seventh, with an RBI single from Trent Wakefield and two more unearned runs on a walk and wild pitch.
Lail tossed four strikeouts in his 3 2/3 innings of work on the mound, while Matt Whisnant threw two strikeouts in 3-plus innings. Whisnant allowed one hit and three walks, before being pulled in the seventh, and Jeffries pitched the remainder of the inning allowing one hit and two walks.
Wakefield started for SC and sat down seven EB batters by strikeout in five innings.
East Burke travels to Alexander Central today and to Bunker Hill Wednesday to make up a postponed contest.
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