Heartbreak for Patriots as Greenfield Rallies to Secure 4-1 Victory

The Arendell Parrott Academy Patriots suffered a 4-1 defeat to the Greenfield Knights on Monday night in Kinston, N.C. The Patriots' only run came in the bottom of the first inning.

Leadoff hitter Jojo Ferebee reached base on an error, and Jaylen Solmon followed with another error on a sacrifice bunt, advancing Ferebee to third. Jarett Mooring then executed a successful sacrifice, moving Solmon to second and bringing Ferebee across the plate.

After a pop-up, Tanner Outlaw stepped up to the plate and hit a solid ball to left field. Solmon rounded third and appeared to be safe under the tag at home, but the home plate umpire called him out, ending the inning. From that point on, the Patriots couldn’t generate any more runs, with their only other hit coming in the bottom of the seventh inning from Cole Watson.

Mooring started on the mound for the Patriots, pitching 4.1 innings, allowing five hits, four runs, two walks, and striking out four. AB Daughtey came in for relief, tossing 2.2 innings of scoreless ball, surrendering four hits and striking out two.

On the other side, Greenfield’s Christopher Tankersley earned the win, pitching a complete game. He allowed just two hits and one run while striking out five Patriots. The game remained tied 1-1 until the fifth inning, when the Knights broke through with three runs.

After a hit-by-pitch and two singles loaded the bases, Clark Johnson lined out to Ferebee in center field. The Knights tagged up, and the play at the plate resulted in a collision. The ball was jarred loose, allowing Greenfield to take a 2-1 lead. The Knights added two more singles and two additional runs in the inning to extend their advantage.

The loss dropped the Patriots’ record to 10-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play. They won’t have long to dwell on the loss, as they’ll travel to Wilson the following day (Tuesday) to face Greenfield again.

Patriot head coach Robert Kravitz shared his thoughts after the game:

“I think we got caught up in the inconsistency of the umpires. We didn’t play our best game and didn’t hit the ball. Tankersley did a great job keeping us off balance. He’s a great pitcher. They’re a well-coached team with a good squad over there. We just have to move on, keep playing, and learn from this experience.”