Corbin Hales. Photo Credit: Sean Meyers

Staff report

KANNAPOLIS — Concord Post 51 showed up for the rematch, but Rowan County American Legion pitchers got big outs in big situations.

Awful in Monday’s 12-1, five-inning loss at Newman Park, Concord had a chance until the last out on Tuesday in a much tougher game before Rowan left A.L. Brown High with a 5-1 victory.

Rowan (11-4, 5-1) isn’t hitting homers and isn’t scaring future opponents, but Rowan has won five in a row, mostly with pitching and defense.

The key stat on Tuesday was Concord stranding 10 base runners despite putting the lead-off man on base in six of seven innings.

Rowan starter Brant Graham needed 56 pitches to get through three innings. He walked two, hit two and allowed two doubles — but no runs.

Connor Park (2-1) pitched the fourth and fifth and allowed a run in the fifth on a double, an infield out and a wild pitch.

Chase Fisher had a breezy sixth against the bottom of the Concord lineup, although things got a bit antsy when Post 51 began the seventh with a double and a walk to put the tying run in the on-deck circle.

Fisher got the next three batters out for his second save.

Maddox Harwood and Trey Watts had two doubles each for Concord. Kyle Scollo, a tall right-hander from Hickory Ridge, pitched into the fourth inning, and Reed Martin went the rest of the way.

Rowan didn’t muster a lot of offense, scoring two runs on errors and getting one on a wild pitch. Carter singled home a run in the first inning to put Rowan ahead to stay. Drew Pegram had a two-out RBI single in the seventh that provided an insurance run.

Rowan’s only extra-base hit was a double by Cole Blevins in the second.

Durant and Pegram had two singles each.

Blevins and Luke Poncka scored two runs each.

Rowan will be off Wednesday and will practice on Thursday.

Rowan will play at Newman Park against teams from Maryland and West Virginia this weekend.