Jogging around the bases doesn’t require too much effort.

One day removed from an MRI on his ailing knee, Hampton slammed two homers out of Holt-Moffitt Field to give Rowan County an 8-5 victory over Lexington-Davidson in the final game of the American Legion regular season.

“I think he needs to get MRIs more often,”Rowan head coach Jim Gantt joked. “They must have shot him with something.”

Hampton gave Rowan a shot in the arm in one of his rare starts this summer. The West Rowan football and baseball star had just 38 official at-bats entering Wednesday’s game.

His solo bomb leading off the second inning and three-run laser to the scoreboard in the third more than made up for the absence of mainstays Cal Hayes Jr., Drew Davis and Nick Lefko, who missed the game to participate in the State Games, a showcase for top high school talent.

“I’ve been in a bit of a slump all season,”said Hampton, now batting .261 after going 2-for-4 Wednesday. “I’ve hit the ball every now and then, but to get two home runs, it feels good just to help my teammates get a win.”

Hampton said his knee didn’t hurt much Wednesday night and he’ll learn the results of the MRIon Friday. He’s endured lingering pain since the West Rowan football season, and the rigors of catching every day for the Falcons didn’t allow much time for healing.

He still can’t squat down to catch, though, which is why Gantt penciled him in at the DH.

The move paid off immediately. With Rowan trailing 1-0, Hampton drilled a 3-1 pitch from Lexington starter Paul Caulder high and deep over the right-field fence to tie it.

In the third, Bobby Parnell singled and, with two outs, Jimbo Davis beat out an infield chopper to set the table for Hampton again. He rifled Caulder’s first offering on a line toward the scoreboard in right-center. The ball appeared to skim the top of the fence, hit the scoreboard and then settle on the other side.

“Both of them were fastballs that stayed up and out where I like them,”Hampton said. “I was able to get the fat part of the bat on it.”

Added Lexington head coach Matt Griffin, “At the start it was Hampton 4, Lexington 1. He unloaded on both of them.”

Rowan (20-2 overall) looked ready to run away with the non-league game in the fourth. Bubba Morris and Aaron Rimer singled and scored before back-to-back doubles from Parnell and Spencer Steedley made it 7-1.

With Rowan starter Cory Ruff gone after three innings of one-run ball, Gantt turned to a committee of hurlers to finish off Lexington. Tyler Morgan proved effective in the fourth inning, but didn’t get an out in the fifth and yielded a 7-3 lead to Daniel Cauble.

Chris Sotriffer greeted Cauble with a line shot to the hill in left field to bring two more runs home. Lexington loaded the bases for Brett Younts’ second at-bat of the inning, and he delivered a liner that thrilled the home fans —until it landed squarely in Davis’ glove in left.

Jacob Cooper was the next hurler in line and the lefty delivered. He didn’t allow a hit over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to get the win, improving to 3-0 for the season.

“If Cooper doesn’t come in and do the job he did, it’s a whole different situation,”Gantt said. “He’s pitched better every time out.”

Gantt didn’t let Cooper finish, though, after he threw 79 pitches Sunday against King. Instead, ace Brandon Doby came on for an inning of work to get the save, allowing a lone walk in the ninth.

Making his job a bit easier was the insurance run Rowan added in the top of the ninth. After the three-run fourth inning, Caulder, Dustin Hobbs and Thomas Roach held Rowan without a hit through the eighth, retiring 11 straight at one point.

But Rimer singled off Jamie Schrock and Steedley placed a high blooper on the line in left field for a lucky RBI to put Rowan ahead 8-5.

“I didn’t figure eight would win it,”Griffin said. “I thought we might score some more runs than that and they might, too. The relievers all did a good job.”

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NOTES:Rimer stopped a potential rally before it could start in the eighth when he raced to the gap to snag a long liner off Younts’ bat. … Rowan opens a best 4-of-7 playoff series Saturday with a home game against Statesville. … Lexington is 16-8 this year and No. 4 in the Northern Division. It will play host to either Surry County or King.

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