The Pike Patriots scored five runs in the fifth inning and walked away with an easy 11-8 win over the rival Fort Dale on Tuesday.

“Anytime you can get a win in area play you would like to do it,” said Patriots head coach Allen Ponder, who added he was disappointed in the Patriots’ sloppy play. “I wasn’t really pleased with how we played today. We haven’t done a really good as a pitching staff throwing strikes.”

After getting ahead of the leadoff hitter 0-2, Patriots starter Jarrett Jordan had two strikes on the leadoff hitter before throwing four balls. That walk, combined with a sacrifice bunt and two singles, gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

The Patriots quickly rebounded when Hunter Jones singled to right field, scoring Hayes Lee. The Patriots had a chance to tie it up in the bottom of the second inning but stranded Tyler Hussey and Dacoda McConnell on base when Lee struck out.

The Patriots sent seven men to the plate and scored three times in the third to take a 4-3 lead. Hunter Jones got the inning started with a single, followed by a Reed Jinright walk. Adam Grice scored drove in the first run of the game when he laid down a bunt to third, but the throw to first was wild. Cason Murphree reached on a single and Wood Jinright reached on a fielder’s choice to bring the next two runs.

Defensive miscues in the fourth allowed the Eagles to tie the game.

The Patriots blew the lid off the game in the sixth inning by scoring five runs on four hits, including a bases loaded double by Jones which scored, Jinright, Hussey and Bailey Renfroe. Reed Jinright followed that up with a double scoring Jones and giving the Patriots a 10-4 lead.

“We finally woke up,” Ponder said. “We found a couple of barrels and hit a couple balls hard in the inning and got some things rolling. We did a good job running the bases, and we got a couple of big hits.”

The Eagles attempted to come back in the seventh by scoring four runs in the sixth, but it wasn’t enough.

Jordan finished the game going five innings, allowing four runs off seven hits.

“Jared is a bulldog,” Ponder said. “When he comes out and he doesn’t have his best stuff he is always going to go out there and to the best he can. Today he was a little up in the zone, but he is someone I’ll send out because of the effort he gives you.”

The Patriots play this weekend when they host the Jonah McWaters tournament.