Hurricanes Hold on Over Lenior

LOUISBURG -- What looked to be an easy victory at first didn't turn out that way Tuesday for the Louisburg College baseball team.

After roaring to an early six-run lead, the Hurricanes had to hold off a late Lenoir Community College threat to secure an 8-7 triumph over the Lancers in non-region action at historic  Frazier Field on the LC campus.

With the victory, the Hurricanes improved to 24-18 overall and 12-2 in their last 14 outings.

LC took charge with a five-spot in the bottom of the first stanza of action as Sergio Burgos led off with a double and Derek Neal followed with a walk.

One out later, Drew Camp was hit by a pitch, and Charles Lee got the Hurricanes on the board with a run-scoring base knock.

Phillip Boykin drove in another run with a bases-loaded walk before Joshua Pittman finished off the uprising with a bases-loaded triple that plated a trio of teammates.

LC added another marker in the bottom of the second off Neal's RBI single, but the Hurricanes wouldn't score again until the bottom of the eighth.

Lenoir tied up the score in stunning fashion with six runs in the top of the eighth, but LC had an answer in the bottom of the frame, beginning with a clutch bunt single from Pittman.

Burgos drove in Pittman with a double and later scored off a Lancers' error.

Ahead 8-6, Louisburg had to survive the top of the ninth as Lenoir plated one run before pitcher Jordan Gay was able to finish off the game.

"I think we got a little too confident with our offense,'' said LC head coach Blake Herring. "Our back-end pitchers also started having trouble throwing strikes.''

It was the final regular season game for the Hurricanes, who will be the third seed for this weekend's Region X Tournament.

The annual event will be held at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium, which is located in Lexington, S.C. (just outside of Columbia).

LC's first game in the seven-team, double-elimination format will be Friday at 1 p.m.  versus USC-Union.

"I feel good about how we are playing heading into the tournament,'' Herring said. "We are playing our best baseball. One of the biggest things is that we are getting contributions from guys who aren't necessarily our frontline players."