Hickory Post 48 salvaged a split with visiting Asheville Post 70 at Henkel-Alley Field on Thursday.
Asheville won the first game 5-1 with Hickory taking the nightcap 6-3.
Post 48 improves to 6-4 in Area IV West American Legion play, while Asheville is now 5-8.
Post 48, playing without a number of players due to the state games and senior beach trips fell behind 3-1 in the second game before responding with five runs in the home half of the third inning to take a 6-3 lead.
With one out, a single by Cody Hines got the rally started. It was followed by consecutive walks to Jacob Hoyle and Jordan Lafone to load the bases. Cameron Beard slapped a double into the left-center scoring Hines and Hoyle. A bunt sacrifice by John Markley scored Lafone and another bunt sacrifice – this one by Derek Hedrick brought in Beard. An error in Asheville first baseman Tyler Shuler allowed Cole McGraw to reach bringing home Markley to make it 6-3.
Hickory's Ryan Kelley, who pitched a complete game eight hitter held Asheville scoreless over the last four innings.
Kelley struck out two and allowed only one walk in earning the victory.
"I had a talk with the guys after Game 1 and we got refocused," said Post 48 coach Fore Rembert. "We had some of our normal starters at state games and some at the beach, but that's still no excuse for the caliber of players we have from our county to come out and not play well in Game 1. A lot of these kids are good enough to be starting for other legion teams, so I told them after the first game if they played like that again, I was sending them to the house. The kids respond to that and we stay positive with that because they listen and learn as they showed in the second game."
Hoyle and Beard had three hits each for Hickory in the second game with Beard adding two RBIs.
Shuler and Michael Moore led Asheville with two hits each as Hunter Bryant suffered the loss.
In the first game, Asheville jumped out to an early lead and Hickory never responded.
William Head led the game off for Asheville by reaching on a wild pitch strikeout and eventually scored on a triple by Matt Justice. A two out single by Ryan Carlton scored Justice for a 2-0 advantage.
Hickory cut the lead in half in the third when Stefan Jordan walked and later scored when Hoyle hit into a fielders choice.
Asheville added a run in the fourth and another in the sixth for a 4-1 lead and got another run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Carlton to score Shuler who had reached on an error by Hickory centerfielder Lafone to lead 5-1.
Head, who came on in relief for Asheville in the sixth, shut down Post 48 in the bottom of the seventh.
Luke Brown picked up the win for Asheville allowing four hits, striking out four and walking one in five innings.
Head finished the game allowing one hit, striking out three and walking one.
Carlton, Bryant and Colton Gentry had two hits each for Asheville, while Hickory had four players with a hit apiece.
Hickory returns to action tonight at Henkel-Alley Field hosting a doubleheader against Sylva beginning at 5 p.m.
"We'll come out and try again," Rembert said. "Then we'll get some of the kids back for the weekend and just see what happens."
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