Staff report

SALISBURY — Rowan County belted plenty of long fly balls, but only had two hits in a 3-0 loss to Hamlet on Tuesday at Newman Park.

Hamlet pitcher Riley Brown, a rising senior at Richmond Senior High, was the game’s standout. The right-hander went the distance on the mound. He only struck out three, but Rowan never really figured him out, and his teammates made the plays behind him.

Nate Hayworth had a two-out double for Rowan (2-6) in the first inning. Joe Burleyson had a two-out double in the seventh. That was it as far as offense.

Hamlet, which beat Kannapolis 2-0 recently, wasn’t giving Rowan free base runners with walks, errors and hit batsmen, so two hits wasn’t going to go very far.

Brant Graham (0-1) gave Rowan a good start on the mound. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs, both in the fourth inning.

Eli Graham got two outs in the sixth before Hamlet added an insurance run with an infield hit, a hit batsman and two walks.

Burleyson relieved at that point and got a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the top of the sixth. Then he pitched out of a jam in the seventh to keep the deficit at 3-0.

First baseman Drew Burton and catcher Gaige Scruggs made fine defensive plays for Rowan County.

Rowan hosts Randolph County (2-4) on Wednesday.

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Kannapolis won 7-0 against Concord in a rain-shortened league game on Tuesday.

The rain arrived in the sixth inning.

Carson graduate Daxton Savage pitched the shutout for Kannapolis (5-1, 2-0).

Wayne Turner had two hits for Post 115.