PEMBROKE — Many of Robeson County’s best high-school players played a baseball and softball game at Purnell Swett Wednesday, and numbers did illuminate the scoreboard on both of the adjacent fields — but that almost seemed secondary.

The bigger objective at the Robeson County All-Star Games was for the participants to have a good time.

“We came out here to have fun, that’s what I came out here to do,” St. Pauls’ T.J. Parker said. “Before the game we were having fun; the chemistry was already there, having fun with these boys out here.”

The laid-back atmosphere in front of a big crowd provided an enjoyable night for all as the baseball and softball All-Star Games took place for the first time, joining basketball games held since 2019 by Robeson County Parks & Recreation.

All Robeson County seniors were invited, with select underclassmen also chosen to fill out the rosters; on both fields, a team from Lumberton, Fairmont and Red Springs faced a team from Purnell Swett and St. Pauls.

“Sometimes you forget to have fun on the field. I’m glad they gave us an opportunity to just have fun — we want to still be competitive though,” St. Pauls’ Zious Dorley said. “We came out and got that dub. We’ve got a stacked team; I love that team. We’ve been teammates for a little while, but that connection was always there, from the first time hitting in the cage.”

The Purnell Swett/St. Pauls team won the baseball game 9-0, doing so as several players got to play new positions in a low-stress environment. This included Purnell Swett senior Riley Locklear, who made his high school pitching debut by pitching a scoreless first inning.

“Riley had been bugging me for four years to tow the rubber, and the first inning I let him throw,” Purnell Swett coach Jeff Lamb said. “I told him he can always say he was undefeated on the mound.”

Locklear and T.J. Parker had back-to-back RBI doubles in the first to give Purnell Swett/St. Pauls a 2-0 lead. An RBI double by Zious Dorley, and Dorley coming around to score on an error, made it 4-0 in the second; Locklear had a sacrifice fly before Malachi Gales scored on a wild pitch for a 6-0 lead in the third.

Keithyn Hunt reached on an error in the sixth to earn an RBI before a Jacob Chavis RBI double and a Dorley RBI single made it 9-0.

Parker and Dorley each had two hits and two RBIs; Parker was also the winning pitcher and was named the game’s MVP.

“I had to go out on an L in the playoff game against Greene Central,” Parker said. “I got to come out here and have fun, playing the game I love and I grew up playing, and just ball out.”

The Purnell Swett/St. Pauls pitching staff held Lumberton/Fairmont/Red Springs to one hit.

Purnell Swett/St. Pauls also won the softball game, 7-1.

The Purnell Swett/St. Pauls softball team called itself the RamDogs, while the Lumberton/Fairmont/Red Springs team coined the nickname of Red Pirnadoes.

“I like getting back together for our last time in our uniforms, and meeting new girls,” Purnell Swett’s Georgia Locklear said. “We all came together; they were all really nice.”

The RamDogs practiced once earlier in the week, for the purpose of team building; and new friendships were forged between many of the Rams and Bulldogs participating.

“These girls have played against each other in rec ball or middle school or whatever, and I just wanted to take the chance to get them together and take some time,” Purnell Swett coach William Deese said. “They made a statement during practice the other day that ‘we’re making friends.’

Nyla Mitchell opened the scoring for the RamDogs as the Purnell Swett senior homered in the first inning.

“I knew if I could stay level and figure out how to push the ball over the fence, I knew the wind was going, so when I was walking up to bat I was like, don’t try to swing too hard; just trying to find my pitch and drive it,” Mitchell said.

Mia Washington’s three-RBI double, followed by a Bella Finelli RBI single, extended the lead to 5-0 in the third.

“I thought I was going to go up there and strike out, but I didn’t,” said Washington, a St. Pauls senior. “The coaches motivated me, both of them talked to me before I went up there; that timeout helped me, got me motivated. I’m glad there were three of them on base and that motivated me at the plate, I got them in.”

Tomya Hunt and Georgia Locklear had RBI singles in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 7-0 lead; Lumberton’s Cameron Honeycutt scored on a wild pitch in the seventh to put the Red Pirnadoes on the board.

Lumberton’s Tiara Stueck, the United-8 Conference Player of the Year, made her high-school pitching debut during the game.

Georgia Locklear had two hits and an RBI, and was also the winning pitcher, to earn game MVP honors.

“It was very surprising, but I’m really thankful, because I do try to put in a lot of work,” Georgia Locklear said.

After every team in Robeson County ended its season with a loss, the All-Star Games were a fun way to end on a high note, with the seniors playing in front of their hometown community one last time.

“I know other coaches can say the same about their kids, but my girls have always done their best for me,” Deese said. “I’m proud of them and I like watching them play, so I’m glad to see them do good today. Georgia getting the MVP of the first annual softball All-Star Game, it just caps it off for my seniors.”