BURGAW – West Bladen pounded out 17 hits, and Caleb Sholar struck out 11 Patriot batters to lead the Knights to an 18-6 Four County Conference jayvee baseball victory Tuesday.
Sholar pitched a complete game 8-hitter and walked four. The tall junior also batted 4-5 with a double, 3 runs batted in and 3 runs scored. Justin Nickle finished with a perfect 4-4 day at the plate for the Knights that included a triple, 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 3 rbi’s.
Sophmore Trey Storms batted 3-4 with a double, 4 runs scored and 2 rbi’s. Brandon Strange finished 2-4 at the plate with a double, 3 rbi’s and a run scored. Ian Sykes was 2-4 at the plate with 2 rbi’s and 4 runs scored.
Freshman Dalton Pait batted a perfect 2-2 with an rbi and a run scored. Jalen Drew and Shawn Oxendine added a hit, an rbi and a run scored each. Sophmore Jonathan Robinson drove in a run and scored one. Drake Little drove in one run.
After a scoreless first inning, Storms and Nickle slammed back-to-back doubles with Storms scoring on the Nickle hit.
Oxendine started the Knight third with a single, and Strange knocked him with a double. Sykes cracked a single to drive in Strange. Sholar smashed a double, and Robinson’s fielder’s choice plated Sykes. Storms followed with a single that drove in Sholar.
Nickle and Pait belted singles with Pait driving in Storms. Drew and Oxendine drew walks to force home Nickle. A Sykes walk forced home Pait, and Sholar delivered a 2-run single to cap the 6-run inning and put West up 7-0.
West Bladen racked up 7 more runs in the fourth to stretch their lead to 14-2. Storms walked and galloped home when Nickle hammered a triple. Pait walked, and Drew smacked a single that plated Nickle.
Strange laced a single that scored Pait and Drew. Sykes reached base on an error as Strange scored. Sholar knocked in Sykes with a single. After Robinson walked, Storms swatted a single that scored Sholar. Nickle clubbed a double that scored Robinson.
Sykes and Sholar connected for 2-out singles in the fifth. Robinson , Storms and Derrick Long all reached base on errors Sykes, Sholar and Robinson scored. Little’s sacrifice plated Storms with the final Knight run.
Coach Rick Rhoda’s Knights improved to 10-8 and will host Wallace-Rose Hill Wednesday.
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