Joe Hubbard’s Trojans (7-10, 5-8 South Piedmont Conference) stunned flat East (16-2, 11-2) with a six-run third inning, then spent the rest of the night hanging on by a fingernail for a 9-8 shocker.

“We came out excited and really ready to play,” said Hubbard. We played perfect defense, swung the sticks the best we have all year and beat a great team.”

Northwest did all those things — and more — but East coach Jeff Safrit would be the first to tell you that his team was its own worst enemy. The Mustangs made an uncharacteristic six errors, after committing five in their previous seven games combined. East also lost a couple of potential runs on base-running mishaps. One Mustang was picked off. Two more were caught stealing.

“Some of our guys weren’t mentally ready to play,” said Safrit. “I was very disappointed in how we started. It was like our guys thought they’d just walk out there and beat Northwest. But it’s like I keep telling them, ‘Guys, we just aren’t good enough to do that.’”

East wasn’t good enough to do “that” last night mostly because Trojan pitcher/slugger J.D. Richardson turned into a force of nature.

Hubbard wasn’t sure exactly what the “J.D.” stands for but last night it may as well have been “Just Deadly.” Or maybe “Jury Duty,” since he sentenced East to a bitter loss. Richardson did it all. He hammered a grand slam to the deepest part of Staton in the third, then took the mound to muffle the Mustangs over the final four frames.

“He’s a big strong kid,” said Safrit. “He hit one where you don’t see many hit.”

Northwest showed immediately that it had come to play when the game’s first batter, Reid Wilkinson, battled East starter Jeremy Teague for several minutes before bouncing out. Then in the bottom of the first, right fielder Dustin Wyatt made a circus catch in foul territory to retire East’s Drew Davis.

Northwest got on the board in the second with the aid of a passed ball, then tagged Jeremy Teague, who had allowed only 14 earned runs all season, with that massive third. Teague nearly escaped with just two runs scoring, but with two outs, Richardson pounded an 0-1 pitch into the trees to make it 7-0.

That blast silenced the crowd. Safrit was stunned and the Mustangs bummed. And the Trojans, who have lost more than their share of close ones this season, were nothing less than delirious.

East wasted little time in battling back. The Mustangs scored five in the third, knocking out Trojan starter Justin Bonds and knocking around reliever Jeremy Sherrill. Brian Hatley singled in the first East run. A wild pitch made it 7-2. Then with two outs, Jeremy Alderman and Bobby Clester delivered clutch hits to cut the gap to 7-5.

It seemed only a matter of time before East would complete its comeback, especially when Cal Hayes Jr. scorched a line-drive homer off Sherrill to start the fourth to make it 7-6. Davis then doubled, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. Unfortunately for East, Davis’ hit also brought Richardson to the hill.

That’s when the tide swung back to Northwest. First, Wyatt chased down Brian Hatley’s booming blast to right-center. Then, catcher Craig Waller gunned down Brett Peiffer, who tried to steal second with runners at first and third and one out.

Waller’s missile re-energized the Trojans, who scored twice in the sixth for a 9-6 lead. Both runs came on a double by Ryan Leister, who got to the plate because of a two-out error. It was the first damage done against Mustang reliever Drew Lyerly, who relieved Teague after Richardson’s grand slam and blew away eight Trojans.

“Lyerly did a great job, gave us a chance to get back in it,” said Safrit.

East still wasn’t done. It got the two runs back in its half of the sixth. Walks to Adam Cornelius and Davis set the table. Hatley doubled in a run with a shot to left that missed being a homer by two feet. Peiffer’s sacrifice fly to deep center made it 9-8. But Hatley, the tying run, died at second.

“We got some timely hits,” said Safrit. “But we couldn’t get the timely hit. We could get there, but we couldn’t get over.”

Hatley took the mound in the seventh and kept the Trojans from adding insurance.

Now, it was up to the right-handed Richardson to get three lefty-hitting Mustangs in the seventh to preserve the win. He did. Jonathan Heyer fanned for the first out. Clester rapped a Sunday hopper to first for the second. Finally, pinch-swinger Julian Sides struck out swinging to end the game.

East still has a two-game conference lead over Central Cabarrus,which beat Sun Valley in extra innings last night. Both teams have three games to play.