Union Pines committed five costly errors Thursday evening in Spring Lake on its way to losing a league baseball game 4-2 to the Overhills Jaguars.

The defeat was the first for the Vikings (9-3) this season in the-3-A Cape Fear Valley Conference as the squad's league record moved to 6-1 dropping them in a tie with Gray's Creek (5-1, 11-2 CFVC) for the top spot.

Senior Nic Collins pitched 5 and 2/3 innings allowing two hits, four walks and striking out four batters. Despite not allowing an earned run the Vike captain was saddled with the loss.

Union Pines opened the game by taking a 1-0 lead in the top half of the first frame on a two-out rally capped off by an RBI single from Dylan Kelly.

However the visiting Vikes then allowed a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the inning. Sophomore second baseman Emmit Carden made two errors in the inning, including a muff with two outs that allowed the go-ahead tally to cross the plate.

Overhills starter Todd Matthews used a sinker and changeup to keep the Vikings off balance at the plate from the second through fourth frames as he sat Union Pines down in order in each of the innings.

Matthews was one out away from retiring 12 straight batters in the top of the fifth, but Union Pines junior Jeff Thompson ripped a single to right to spark a two-out game-tying rally. After the hit Thompson stole first and second base before scoring on an RBI by Justin Allred to tie the tilt at 2-all.

In the bottom half of the sixth Union Pines was one out away from preserving its lead when an error on a ball hit down the line in right field allowed the game winning run to score for the Jags.

Just as Vikings' lead-off hitter Mason Collins came up to bat in the top of the final frame, the rain shower that began in the bottom of the fifth turned into a thunderstorm accompanied by a downpour. Eventually after about a 25 minute delay the game was called giving Matthews and Overhills (11-5, 4-4) the win.