AFTON – The Afton Crimson Knights baseball team kicked off its 2024 season on a high note as they took down Harpursville 5-4 on Thursday. Both teams strived to the finish, but Afton got the upper hand to win it in the bottom of the seventh inning at home.

There was no score until the top of the second inning with Harpursville taking the early 2-0 lead and taking advantage of a defensive mishap and then scoring on a one-out groundout in the next at-bat. Afton answered with one run of their own in the bottom of the third as Justin Reeves held the Hornets for the Crimson Knights on the mound. Ryan Wright singled, stole second and third base, putting himself in scoring position. Wright scored on a passed ball during Reeves’ at-bat. Wright came in to pitch in the top of the fourth inning with two outs and kept the Hornets quiet.

Afton tied and scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth inning as Wright picked up his second of three singles and again stole second and third. He would come in to score on another passed ball, tying the game at two. Justin Reeves’ sac-fly put the Crimson Knights up 3-2. However, Harpursville went back up 4-3 in the top of the sixth off a two-run double. The game was tied again as Afton scored on a bases loaded walk.