Clinton sweeps Goldsboro

The Clinton High School baseball team continued their season on Wednesday with a home tilt against the Goldsboro Cougars. Behind a strong, three run fourth inning, the Dark Horses picked up the win over Goldsboro, 4-2, and ended their losing streak.

On the bright Wednesday evening, a quick strikeout got the Horses off to a good start before trouble arose on a dropped strike three and hit by pitch put two aboard with just the one opening out. There would be no scoring, however, as a 4-6-3 double play ended the first half of the opening frame.

While it looked like the visitors would get out front early, it was the Dark Horses who struck first following Jeffrey Arnette’s single, who made it all the way home, after a pickoff attempt went wrong and a passed ball. The 1-0 advantage for Clinton was all that the Horses would be able to get across.

Across the second and third innings, Clinton and Goldsboro, while getting men abroad, each left a handful of them stranded, preserving the Horses tenuous one run advantage.

It felt as though eventually one side or the other was going to capitalize on an error or two to get runners home. Sure enough, the visiting Cougars did just that, utilizing a single, aided by a Clinton error, to bring two men home in the top of the fourth. The two runs vaulted Goldboro ahead 2-1 and it that’s where it stayed until the Clinton half of the fifth.

With one aboard via a walk and one out, Payson King stepped up to the batter’s box and sent a pitch to right field that dropped to put two runners in scoring position for Clinton. That would just be the start for the Dark Horses as Arnette again made contact for a tw0-run RBI double.

Arnette scored once more when Carter King singled to center, concluding a three-run fifth inning that gave Clinton the lead back at 4-2.

Looking to foreclose any Goldsboro comeback, Alex Evans got the ball to begin the sixth for the Horses. He did his job across the sixth and seventh innings, shutting out the Cougars from scoring and preserving the victory, 4-2.

Dawson Smith got the win, going for 5.1 innings and striking out eight batters. Carter and Payson King each had two hits for Clinton and Smith, Arnette, Alex and Asa Evans, and Adam Daw all had one hit.

Wednesday’s win lifted Clinton to a 5-3 record amongst the East Central 2A conference, with Midway and East Duplin being just ahead of them.

As is normal during this COVID-impacted season, Clinton met up with the Cougars once more this week, this time at Goldsboro on Thursday. In that game, the Dark Horses surged ahead for a 20-8 victory. With that, Clinton is now 6-3 both overall and in league-play. They’ll be back on the field next week against Spring Creek, hosting the Gators on Tuesday and traveling on Friday.