The North Stanly baseball team faced a tough challenge Thursday night on the road in last season’s Yadkin Valley Conference regular-season champions, the Uwharrie Charter Eagles.

Freshman Nic Melton put in a solid performance on the mound while the Comets rallied in extra innings to stay undefeated in conference play this season with a 5-2 win.

Melton pitched six innings allowing no earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts but did not figure in the decision.

Carson Lowder picked up the pitching win in relief for North (11-1, 8-0 YVC) with four strikeouts in 1.2 innings thrown. Rhett Lowder threw one pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning and got a groundout to earn the save.

North took a 2-0 lead in the first inning scoring on two wild pitches from the Eagles’ starter, Bryson Hamlet after a Rhett Lowder single and a walk drawn by Carson Lowder.

Uwharrie Charter (7-2, 7-1) got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning with a hit batter, a single and a throwing error on a bunt attempt.

Two fielding errors in the bottom of the seventh led to a tie game when Colby Hammer singled up the middle, scoring Cameron Fordham. Carson Lowder struck out the next two batters to force extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, two errors and a walk loaded the bases for North with no outs. After a strikeout and a fielder’s choice on a bunt attempt, which cut down a runner trying to score, Dylan Eudy’s RBI bases-loaded walk put the Comets ahead. Colby Russell then added two more runs to the North lead with a single to right.

The Comets were scheduled to wrap up the series with the Eagles Friday night.
This week, North takes on South Stanly in Norwood Tuesday and Friday at home.

Sports Editor Charles Curcio can be reached via email at charles.curcio@stanlynews press.com, 704-983-1361 or via Twitter (@charles_curcio).