MINT HILL, NC – The Independence baseball squad returned to the field on Monday afternoon and dropped a non-conference home game to the Hopewell Titans.

Hopewell’s Billy Baxter went the distance for the Titans giving up one run on four hits.   He struck out six batters and walked two in the seven-inning game to pick up the win.

Indy’s Tyler Spicer pitched four full innings giving up two runs on two hits while striking out three batters and handed out one walk to seventeen Hopewell batters.  Cole Coats faced fifteen batters in three full innings of relief on the mound for the Patriots.  He gave up two runs on five hits and struck out four batters.

The Patriots finished the game with four hits from four different batters.  Joseph Reddish got Indy’s first hit in the fourth inning.  In the fifth inning catcher, PJ Chiles singled to left field. Freshman Brian Crowder came in as a courtesy runner and scored on a Garrett Lawerence single for Indy’s only run.  Thomas Miller led off the bottom of the seventh by beating out a bunt for the Patriots’ last hit of the night.

Hopewell           000 220 0  –  4

Independence   000 010 0  –  1