ELIZABETHTOWN — The Tar Heels faced off with the YardGoats in a doubleheader last Thursday in a Dixie Boys Baseball matchup. The first game ended in an 11-11 tie before the Tar Heels finished the evening with a 10-5 victory. C.J. McCracken helped the Tar Heels seal an undefeated season and the league title with an 8-strikeout performance in game two. The Tar Heels season concluded with a record of 7-0-1 and the YardGoats finished behind their opponents in the standings with a record of 4-3-1.
The YardGoats were in business early with a 5-0 lead to start the first inning and the Tar Heels were able to respond with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. The YardGoats JaDarius McArthur highlighted the first inning with a huge swing that resulted in a bases-clearing triple. Momentum stayed on the side of the YardGoats in the second inning and they were able to tack on five more runs to put pressure on their opponents.
The Tar Heels failed to respond and their opponents took advantage in the third inning with a Stryker Pait run crossing home plate to make the score 11-3. Even though the Tar Heels were down big they didn’t quit inside the batter’s box and began to chip away at their opponent’s lead.
The YardGoats held a lead of 11-3 until their opponents rallied back in the fourth inning with six runs to tie the game. Malkia McCoy was the first Tar Heel to cross the plate on an error before McCracken sent a runner home with a single. Despite the YardGoats having their opponents down two outs they weren’t able to keep their opponents from scoring.
Gunner Lewis, Brady Marlowe, and McArthur finished the first game with 2-for-2 performances at the plate to lead the YardGoats in slugging. Lewis and Rhine Priest split time on the mound for the YardGoats in the first game of the evening. Omar Powell and McCracken both finished the first game with 2-for-2 performances to lead the Tar Heels in slugging. Fox Sutton threw a complete game on the mound for the Tar Heels.
Both teams continued their hot swinging in the next game with the Tar Heels coming out on top with a 10-5 victory. Powell started off the first inning with a single and was followed by two more Tar Heel runners for a positive start to game two. An error from the YardGoats allowed their opponents to get their runners across the plate for a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The YardGoats were able to respond immediately in their half of the first inning with three runs of their own.
The Tar Heels kept their foot on the gas and tacked on two more runs in the second inning to go up 5-3. Pait was able to wheel around the bases to put the YardGoats within one run of their opponents but their opponents kept hitting. Powell scored the lone run for the Tar Heels in the third inning to extend their lead to 6-4. McCracken highlighted a 4-run inning with a two-run home run to solidify the Tar Heels lead at 10-4 in their half of the fourth inning.