FORT BRAGG – Comfortably in front 6-0 after scoring twice in the top of the sixth inning, the Middletown Mustangs weathered a five-run Fort Bragg uprising in the bottom of the inning to beat the Timberwolves 6-5 in a North Central League I varsity baseball game Thursday in Fort Bragg.
Blaine Amos relieved winning pitcher Kyle Brown with the bases loaded and four runs already in. He sandwiched popups around a run-scoring walk to get out of the jam with the Mustangs still in front 6-5.
After Middletown (2-0 league, 6-5 overall) failed to score in the top of the seventh, Amos retired the Timberwolves in order in the bottom half to notch the save.
“He came in and threw the ball effectively,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said. “Their fans were talking a lot of trash and he was able to ignore it.”
Middletown scored its first two runs in the top of the third and added two more in the fourth for a 4-0 lead.
Logan Smith drove in two of the Mustangs” runs while Jack Hamilton, Luke Humphrey, Reid Carpenter and Graham Brown knocked in Middletown”s other runs.
Brown allowed all seven Fort Bragg hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking four.
Middletown hits the road again today to play St. Helena (2-0) at 4 p.m.
