By John Clark
BLADENBORO- Senior Noah Parker pitched a 3-hitter and struck out 9 batters to lead Fairmont to a 6-1 Southeastern Athletic Conference baseball victory over West Bladen Wednesday night.
Parker rapped a single through the middle and advanced on a fielder’s choice that would have been a double play had Parker not been running on the play. Senior Stanley Scott plated Parker with a single, and senior Josiah Williams drove in Scott with a single for a 2-0 lead.
Sophomore Kenley Callahan reached on an error in the Tornado 3rd inning, advanced on Scott’s single and scored on Williams’ bad-hop single that ricocheted off Knight 2nd baseman Andre Moore.
The Knights answered in the home third. Senior Hunter Smith crushed a triple to deep right-center field then scored on sophomore Garrett Dunham’s fielder’s choice to trim the margin to 3-1.
Sophomore Roderick Deese and senior Nate Jones blasted 2-out back-to-back triples in the Fairmont 4th inning. Deese scored on Jones’ triple, and Parker drove in Jones with a single to boost the lead to 5-1.
Singles by Scott, Mynkoda Smith and Chayton Oxendine produced the final Fairmont run in the 5th inning.
Scott batted 3-for-4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored, and Williams was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs to lead the Tornado hitters. Parker finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Jones was 2-for-4 with an RBI triple and a run scored. Deese tripled and scored a run, and Nehemiah Chavis doubled.
Sophomore Cade Allen batted 2-for-3 to lead the Knight hitters. Smith tripled and scored a run, and Dunham had an RBI.
Sophomore Brady Durden started and pitched 3.2 innings allowing 5 runs – 4 earned – on 9 hits while striking out 3. Senior Garrison Carr worked 3.1 innings of 1-run, 6-hit relief striking out 2 and walking one.
The Knights, now 3-3 in SAC-7 play and 10-5 overall, will host Red Springs on April 18th in their next game.
Fairmont 201 210 0 — 6-15-1
West Bladen 001 000 0 — 1- 3-2