ELIZABETH CITY – A four-run fourth inning lifted Northeastern High School past Bertie here Friday.

The Eagles’ baseball squad topped the visiting Falcons 6-4 in a Northeastern Coastal Conference game.

Bertie opened the scoring in the top of the first when Aaron Hoggard hit a solo homerun to left.

The score stayed that way until the top of the fourth frame when Kyle Hughes added a solo shot of his own to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead.

The Eagles, however, responded with four marks in the home half of the fourth to take a 4-2 advantage.

Northeastern added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and built a 6-2 advantage.

In the top of the sixth stanza, O.J. Dobbin singled with one out and stole second. He went to third when Hoggard singled to right.

After a second out, Hughes was walked intentionally to load the bases and a groundout ended the threat.

Bertie scored a pair of runs in the visitor’s half of the seventh stanza, but it wasn’t enough.

With one out, Dakota Young singled to left. After a second out, Brent Bowen walked. The two came around to score when Dobbin had a double to left-centerfield.

Hoggard was walked intentionally and Jake Dunlow singled to load the bases, but a strikeout ended the game.

Dunlow pitched four and one-third innings allowing four runs on three hits while striking out three. Bowen pitched one and two-thirds innings and allowed two runs on two hits. He struck out four.

Bertie tallied nine hits during the contest, led by Hoggard who was 3-for-3 and Dobbin, who was 2-for-2. Hughes, Young, Bowen and Dunlow had one hit each.

“This was a game we should have won,” Bertie Head Coach Randy Whitaker said. “We made three errors in one inning to give Northeastern the lead.

“Jake pitched a great game,” he continued. “He did everything we asked him to do. We had a chance to win, but left it in the hands of the umpire.”

Bertie is 1-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play. They travel to Pasquotank tonight at 7 p.m.