Last year marked the first time since 2008 that Beaufort County Post 15 fielded a Junior American Legion baseball team. The Pirates shattered what little expectations there were for the team with a dominant season that resulted in an Area 1 regular-season championship.

They went into Monday’s season opener against Clayton Post 71 with an entirely different mentality. Post 15’s goal is to defend last season’s title and that it would get the best from each opponent.

The Pirates more than rose to the occasion by kicking off the 2016 campaign with a 10-1 rout of Post 71. The win starts them off 1-0 in conference.

“It’s huge to start 1-0. They know the goal is to defend the championship and we know we’ll get everyone’s best shot,” head coach Glenn Marsh said. “We’re not going to surprise anybody this year and that’s the way we want it. We want everybody’s best shot. We think we’ve got a good team. We’re going to work hard. They’re going to play each and every inning and each play hard. I’m excited for the future.”

It seemed the game would be a low-scoring affair halfway through. It was deadlocked at 1-1 entering the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Brock Marsh knocked a double just inside the left-field line. He moved to third on Tanner Alligood’s base hit and came across on Drew Ferguson’s hopper through the right side.

The lead, while marginal, was enough to let the Pirates relax. Settling in and having their chemistry grow throughout the contest allowed them to blow the game wide open in the sixth.

Leading up to that, Post 15 scored again in the fifth to extend its lead to 3-1. The Pirates retired the visitors in order in the top of the sixth before lighting them up for seven runs in the bottom of the stanza.

Post 71 cycled through two pitchers in the inning. Reg Bishop and Parker Boyd drew consecutive walks to start off. Clayton continued to struggle controlling pitches as the duo moved into scoring position on a passed ball. Walks were issued to Matt Black and Austin Roscoe, giftwrapping a run in the process.

Cody Godley, Zach Woolard, Matthew Marslender and Bishop all batted in runs in the inning. Post 15 had already scored the decisive run in the fourth, but the offensive output more than put the game out of Post 71’s reach.

“We had quality at bats,” Marsh said. “I think we finally relaxed a bit after we got the lead. Midway through the game when we went up 2-1, I think everyone took a deep breath and relaxed. Everybody has been away from baseball for a couple of days and they’re getting their feet back under them.

“We finished the game really strong and I was really proud of the effort today. A lot of players contributed. A good team effort and a good team win.”

Post 15 was able to play every player on its roster in the game. That experience is always invaluable but is even more so in the beginning of the season when the team is trying to establish chemistry.

“The same thing happened last year,” Marsh said. “They get to know each other. They realize they’re not playing for their school anymore. They’re playing for their community, they’re playing for their county and they’re representing their school. I think that’s what made us successful last year. They all came together knowing they’re playing for Beaufort County.”

Tripp Barfield pitched the first two innings before handing things over to Cody Godley. Football practice prior to the game had worn down Barfield’s arm. Godley quickly settled in on the mound — and the defense behind him was sharp — to shut down Post 71. He allowed no hits in four innings, striking out five batters and retiring the side in order thrice.

Harrell closed the game for Post 15. He made short work of Post 71 by setting down each of the three batters he faced.

The Pirates hope to continue their strong start to the season Thursday at Edenton. They had lost to Edenton once last year.

“They’re well coached and a good team. I expect a war, no doubt about it,” Marsh said.