PEMBROKE — The third out is the hardest one to get.

Just ask the Lumberton baseball team during the fourth inning Tuesday.

Purnell Swett scored eight two-out runs as part of a nine-run frame, blowing open a close game en route to a 16-7 win over their Robeson County rivals.

“We finally started putting the bat on the ball, started getting baserunners, drawed some walks and things started happening,” Purnell Swett coach Jeff Lamb said. “We started putting the ball in play. Coming into this game, we had a group really question us, our morale, our character, and the players took it personal and that’s kind of why you saw what you saw.”

Purnell Swett (5-4, 4-1 United-8 Conference) moved into a loss-column tie for first in the United-8 with Tuesday’s win combined with a Gray’s Creek loss to Cape Fear. Lumberton (6-4, 5-2 United-8) and Cape Fear are tied for third.

Lumberton needed four pitchers to get through the fourth, in which Purnell Swett had seven hits in addition to one Pirates error. Eight consecutive Rams hitters extended the inning by reaching base in a two-out plate appearance. Purnell Swett’s 5-4 lead entering the inning became a 14-4 advantage by the rally’s completion.

“The third and the fourth we gave them runs,” Lumberton coach Jeff McLamb said. “You take away those two things, it’s a different ballgame, but it is what it is. I feel like that’s been all year, one bad inning; our four losses, we’ve had one or two bad innings, and we were talking to them, we’ve just got to stop snowballing.”

Jacey Jacobs walked and Easton Oxendine doubled to begin the inning; after a groundout, Jacobs came home on an outfield error that allowed Bladdon Hammonds to reach. A Waydan McMillan fly ball would have been the third out without the error; instead it brought home Easton Oxendine for a 7-4 lead.

“We just kept the bats moving,” Jacobs said. “We got hyped, and whenever we get hyped we keep the bats moving.”

Joseden Oxendine’s RBI single scored Hammonds, and after Gavin Jones was hit by a pitch, Chandon Sanderson singled to drive home Joseden Oxendine. Camden Hunt walked to keep the inning alive, then Jacobs hit again and tripled to drive home Sanderson and Hunt, the sixth and seventh runs of the frame for a 12-4 lead.

“My first at-bat, I was like, well, he struck me out with this one, so I’ve got to see it and I’ve got to adjust to it,” Jacobs said. “My next at-bat, I went up and I adjusted to it, and a line drive, left field.”

“He’s been due,” Lamb said. “He’s been struggling a little bit and that was a big lift for him. He followed it back up with good contact … when he came back up. So hopefully that’s a springboard.”

Jacobs scored on an Easton Oxendine RBI single, and after a Chavis walk, Hammonds’ single plated Easton Oxendine for the ninth run of the inning.

Lumberton scored a fifth-inning run on an RBI single by Brennan Griffen to extend the game, then Caleb Maynor doubled home a pair in the sixth, making it 14-7. Purnell Swett scored a sixth-inning run on an error then added another on a Joseden Oxendine RBI single.

McMillan and Jacobs each had two hits two runs and two RBIs for the Rams and Easton Oxendine had two hits, three runs and one RBI. Joseden Oxendine had a hit, two runs and two RBIs and Jones scored twice.

Griffen led the Pirates with three hits and three RBIs with one run.

“He came up and got the call from JV to be in the DH spot, and he took advantage of it,” McLamb said. “He’s been swinging the bat good for us here lately.”

Damian Robinson had two hits and two RBIs with two runs, Caleb Maynor had one hit with two RBIs and a run, Tashaun Stocks had two hits and two runs and Trevon Moore had one hit and one run for Lumberton.

Jacob Chavis started for Purnell Swett and earned the win after allowing four runs on five hits in four innings with two strikeouts. Gavin Jones, Jaythan Locklear and Chandon Sanderson each threw one inning of relief, including a scoreless seventh from Sanderson.

J.T. Hepler pitched into the fourth for Lumberton, allowing two earned runs on two hits with six strikeouts, and was the losing pitcher.

Lumberton took a 3-0 lead in the second after an RBI single by Griffin and a two-run single by Damian Robinson. The Rams answered with four in the bottom half, three of which came home on Pirates errors, in addition to an RBI single by Hunt, giving Purnell Swett a 4-3 lead after two innings.

The Pirates’ tied the game on a Griffen RBI single in the third; Purnell Swett took a 5-4 lead when McMillan scored on a two-out Pirate error.

Lumberton plays Cape Fear and Purnell Swett faces Gray’s Creek on Wednesday, with both the Pirates and Rams at home in key United-8 matchups.

“We’ll probably see a good-throwing lefty tomorrow so we’ve got to bounce back quick,” McLamb said.

Both teams will then head into the Robeson County Slugfest beginning Saturday at Lumberton; the Rams will face Red Springs in their tournament opener at 4 p.m. and the host Pirates will take on Heide Trask at 7 p.m.