03/19/2024
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With good pitchers on the rosters of both Bladen high school softball teams, 2020 looked to be a banner year for both East Bladen and West Bladen, before the coronavirus ended the season. 

West Bladen
The Lady Knights rolled to victories in 3 of their first 4 games. Freshman Rylee Chadwick pitched a 5-inning no-hitter and struck out 10 batters in an 11-0 victory at Clinton. Chadwick also finished 4-4 at the plate. Senior Tatiana Hunt slammed 2 doubles, batted 3-3 and scored 3 runs.

Sophomore Jessalyn Vendrick slugged a home run and drove in 3 runs with a 2-3 performance. Senior Alara Cashwell knocked in 3 runs with a 2-3 game that included a double. Junior Abigail Madden and freshman Mackenzie Singletary both batted 2-4 with Singletary picking up 2 rbi’s, and Madden one.

A late 2-run homer vaulted Hoke County to a 3-2 victory over West Bladen. Chadwick pitched a 3-hitter but gave up 3 unearned runs. Vendrick walloped a home run, batted 2-4 and drove in 2 runs.

Chadwick recovered from a first-inning Fairmont grand-slam to strike-out 13 batters in a 14-4 victory. Hunt hammered a double, batted 2-3 and scored twice. Sophomore Hannah Pait batted 2-3 with 2 runs scored. Senior Kasee Singletary drove in 2 runs with a 2-3 game.

Madden smashed a double, batted 2-4 and scored 3 runs. Cashwell drilled a double and was 2-4 with 2 rbi’s. Junior Alyssa Suggs batted 2-4 with an rbi, and Chadwick batted 2-5 with a double and 2 rbi’s.

Chadwick slugged a grand-slam home run, pitched a 4-hitter and struck out 10 in a 16-5 victory at Red Springs. Madden belted a double, a triple, and batted 4-5 with 2 rbi’s and 3 runs scored. Hunt ripped 2 doubles and batted 3-5 with 3 rbi’s and 2 runs scored. Kasee Singletary finished 2-3 with a double and 2 runs scored. Mackenzie Singletary also batted 2-3.

Lady Knight seniors who concluded their high school careers included infielder Alara Cashwell and outfielders Tatiana Hunt and Kasee Singletary.

East Bladen
The Lady Eagles dropped 2 narrow decisions to Whiteville and South Columbus who were two of the pre-season favorites in the Three Rivers Conference.

Whiteville defeated East Bladen 3-0 in the opener. Lady Eagle junior Kayleigh Raynor pitched a 2-hitter and struck out 5 batters. Raynor hammered a double and a single, and freshman Laura Davidson smacked a single for the East Bladen hits.

In a 2-0 loss to South Columbus, Davidson struck out 11 batters in 6.1 innings in the circle. Raynor struck out one in her 0.2 innings of relief. Davisson batted 2-3 to lead the Lady Eagle hitters, and freshman Emma Turbeville added a single.

Completing their high school careers at East Bladen were senior utility players Abbie Cross, Lorna Mendell, Shelby Smith and Lexy Guy and infielder Johanna Parker.

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