The North Moore baseball team makess a habit of giving fans their money's worth.

Saturday the Mustangs won two of three games they played in their own tournament -- coming from behind to earn one win, and holding on for another.

"I just tell our kids to play hard and keep playing," Mustang head coach Brandon Reynolds said after the tournament. "If we do that something good will happen."

With the wins the Mustangs (7-4) will enter the stretch run of their season with some momentum.

Tyler Wallace's bases loaded, two-run single with one out in the bottom of the eighth gave North Moore a 5-4 win over Eastern Randolph in the final game of the Mustangs' tournament in Robbins.

Wallace's single made a winner out of Dustin Martin in his first varsity pitching performance this year.

Trailing 3-1 after three innings, the Mustangs rallied for single runs in the fifth and sixth to tie the score. Both runs came without the benefit of a hit.

In the fifth, Cody Johnson walked and eventually scored on a throwing error. Lyle Barnett's RBI ground out scored Xavier Scotten with the tying run in the sixth. Scotten reached on an error, advanced to second on a passed ball and went to third on sacrifice bunt.

The runs made sure sophomore pitcher Clint Vaughn wouldn't lose his varsity debut. Vaughn pitched six strong innings, allowing three runs while striking out seven and walking two. Martin, the team's regular starting catcher, relieved Vaughn with two on and no-outs in the seventh.

"We played 19 innings in two days, and that really puts a strain on a pitching staff," Reynolds said. "Tonight -- like we have been all season -- it was pitching by committee."

Vaughn made two mistakes -- both to Wildcat catcher Tucker Coward -- and paid for both. Coward blasted a two-run homer in the first and solo home run in the third to stake the Wildcats to a 3-1 lead.

The Mustangs tied the score at 3 with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Both came without the benefit of a hit.

Matrin allowed a lead-off homer to Dalton Clark in the top of the eighth, but escaped the inning without further damage.

In the eighth, the Mustangs' bats finally came around against reliever Dustin Haithcox.

With one out, Shad Painter came off the bench and provided a pinch-hit single. John Spivey followed with a base hit, and Cody Johnson loaded the bases with a walk.

After falling behind 1-2, Wallace took a conservative approach at the plate.

"I was just trying to choke up (on the bat) and put the ball in play to get a run in," Wallace said.

He lined a two-hop grounder over the first-base bag and into right field, scoring Painter and Spivey for the win.

"They made me look like a genius tonight," North Moore head coach Brandon Reynolds said.

Saturday, it seemed, every move Reynolds made worked.

Whether it was the choice to start Vaughan, or pinch-hit Painter, or any other move in the three games.

The Mustangs split a pair of games with Tazewell (Va.), losing the first, 12-7, and winning the second, 11-7.

The first started Friday night and was completed Saturday after rain halted play in the bottom of the second with the Mustangs trailing 10-5.

In the second game the Mustangs scored four runs in first inning and built a 9-3 lead. The Bulldogs chopped the margin to 9-7 in the sixth, but got no closer.

Johnson provided the offense for the Mustangs against Tazewell. He had five hits in his first five at-bats including two homers, a double, a triple.

Contact Tom Embrey at 693-2477 or by e-mail at tembrey@thepilot.com.