BLADENBORO – Sophomore Rylee Chadwick pitched a 3-hitter and struck out 4 batters to lead West Bladen to an 11-1 Three Rivers Conference softball victory over East Columbus Thursday night.
The victory avenged an earlier 10-7 non-conference loss to the Lady Gators and moved Coach Pam Stephens’ Lady Knights into a tie for 1st place in the TRC with South Columbus. Both teams own 3-0 league records.
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
Senior Abigail Madden slapped a single to leftfield in the West Bladen 1st inning. Sophomore Madison Taylor beat out an infield hit, and junior Jessalyn Vendrick blasted a home run over the left-centerfield fence that scored Madden and Taylor and gave the Lady Knights a 3-0 lead.
Junior Sanauwa Campbell cracked a one-out single in the East Columbus 4th inning and scored on an error to slice the Lady Knight lead to 3-1.
Vendrick smashed a single to left to begin the West Bladen 4th, and junior Hannah Pait reached base on an error. Sophomore Mackenzie Singletary knocked in Vendrick with a single to left. Sophomore Kylie Durden belted a single that scored Pait, and Madden drove in Singletary with a single that pushed the lead to 6-1.
Durden hammered a double to rightfield to start the West Bladen 6th inning. Freshman Lena Trinidad reached base on an error that scored Durden. Madden singled, and Chadwick slammed a double to left that scored Trinidad and Madden.
Vendrick reached base on an error that scored Chadwick. Pait reached base on an error, and Singletary swatted a single that loaded the bases. Durden’s single drove in Vendrick with the run that ended the game on the 10-run mercy rule.
Singletary batted a perfect 4-4 with a run scored and a run batted in. Madden turned in a 3-for-4 game at the plate with 2 runs scored and a RBI. Vendrick finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run, 3 runs scored and 3 RBIs. Durden batted 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and an RBI.
Senior Shelby Pharr batted 2-for-4 for the Lady Knights. Chadwick doubled home 2 runs and scored one. Taylor singled and scored a run. Trinidad and Pait scored runs.
Chadwick walked only 2 batters and the East Columbus run was unearned. Campbell, pitcher Bailey Padgett and Autumn Webb connected for one hit each for the Lady Gators.
The Lady Knights, now 7-1, will travel to Lumberton for a non-conference game Tuesday night.
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