PEMBROKE — The purpose of the Robeson County All-Star Games for baseball and softball is for the players to enjoy a laid-back environment playing one more game alongside their peers and, simply, to have fun.

Well, walkoffs are fun.

The seniors beat the underclassmen in the bottom of the seventh of both games, with the softball seniors winning 4-3 and the baseball seniors winning 7-6 at Tuesday’s event held at Purnell Swett.

“I think the girls had a great time,” said Lumberton softball coach Mackie Register, who coached the seniors softball team. “That’s what this is all about, getting to play with the girls from the other schools, and see them in a different light when they’re on your team and stuff. I think both sides had a good time, and there were moments of good softball, and we had a lot of fun.”

Softball

The softball seniors’ walkoff came on a sacrifice fly by Lumberton’s Tiara Stueck to plate the winning run.

“I just knew going into that at bat, I had a runner on third and first, and I always come in clutch — I don’t know how, but I always come in clutch getting a walkoff,” said Stueck, a UNC Pembroke signee. “That was good, I’m glad I can walk it off and win it for our seniors. … It was a great experience, for the last time putting my Lumberton High School jersey on, No. 12.”

Stueck also had an RBI double in the first inning. The underclassmen, though, held the lead for most of the game after a two-RBI single by St. Pauls’ Angel Purcell and an RBI fielder’s choice by St. Pauls’ Kayla Williams.

Lumberton’s Alona Hanna tied the game with a two-run home run in the fifth. She was named the game’s MVP.

“It was good to have (a home run),” said Hanna, a UNC Pembroke signee. “Especially on the Ram field, it was good to have one last home run. This is one of my last games, but my ‘last game’ will always be with my Pirate girls.”

Even beyond her home run, Hanna may have most exemplified the fun spirit of the night. The Pirates’ outfielder pitched one inning, through rocking deliveries and throwing flip pitches for strikes, and later hit left-handed for one at bat, the trip before she homered.

“I just came here to have fun. I didn’t want to be too serious, because we’ve been serious all year,” Hanna said. “They threw me up on the mound, and I knew I had to get the crowd going, so I was just trying to make everybody laugh, because it’s the last game, have fun.”

Stueck and Lumberton’s Alyssa Stone also each pitched an inning, and Stone also played some catcher; much of the seniors team played a different position from the norm for at least some of the game.

“That was fun,” Stueck said. “I pitched in middle school, but I came back out of retirement and got a strikeout.”

“We talked about coming in, we just wanted to have a good time,” Register said. “I told them before the game, if y’all want to hit left-handed you can; if you want to steal a base, steal a base; and all of them pitched when they were younger, so we thought let’s get them one more time in the circle.”

Baseball

The game on the adjacent baseball field was a back-and-forth affair throughout, culminating in a bases-loaded, two-out situation in the bottom of the seventh. A hard-hit ball off the bat of Lumberton’s Tashaun Stocks resulted in an error, allowing Lumberton’s Damian Robinson to score the winning run.

“Two outs, just looking to put the ball in play for the team and get out of here. I got the job done so it was a good feeling,” Stocks said. “I had a lot of fun, getting to play with everybody one last time, the younger boys, even the seniors, so it was a good experience.”

“People that actually know baseball, they know that Robeson County is one of the most talented counties when it comes to baseball, and tonight showed that,” said Red Springs baseball coach Matt Strickland, who coached the seniors baseball team. “Classic seven-inning game, down to the wire, last inning, bases loaded, two outs — it was everything we expected and it was a great game all around.”

Purnell Swett senior Bladdon Hammonds earned MVP honors after a two-hit night.

“I had a blast. To get to play another game, different people, different teams, got to come together and have fun. It was a good game,” Hammonds said. “Being able to talk to the boys on the other team, when you’ve played with them you can get in their heads, get over on them a little bit. It’s fun.”

The underclassmen led 3-1 in the fourth, with each of the first four runs scoring on wild pitches or errors; Austin Locklear pulled the seniors to a 3-2 deficit with an RBI single in the fourth. After another underclassman run on an error in the fifth, Lumberton’s Caleb Maynor stole home for the seniors, an RBI walk by Red Springs’ Kenlon Mitchell tied the game and an RBI hit by pitch by Purnell Swett’s Evert Pinto gave the seniors a 5-4 lead.

The teams exchanged sixth-inning runs, with an RBI single by Fairmont’s Nehemiah Chavis for the underclassmen and an RBI double by Purnell Swett’s Waydan McMillan for the seniors, making it 6-5. The underclassmen tied the game in the top of the seventh on an error.

“It was a privilege to see these seniors suit back up one more time with their school colors on and get out here and play one more game of baseball,” Strickland said. “They didn’t sell themselves short, and the juniors didn’t either; it was a great game back and forth. … These guys came together from different teams and they fed off each other, they kept everybody up, and we got the timely hits along with great performances on the mound and great defense.”