ROCKY POINT – Sophmore Pierce Melvin pitched a six-hitter and struck out eight batters to lead East Bladen to a 10-1 Four County Conference baseball victory over Heide Trask Wednesday night.
Melvin worked 6.2 innings on the mound before junior Xavier Wooten came on to retire the only batter that he faced and end the game.
Junior Sincere Smith and senior Kyle Tatum started a 2-run Eagle first-inning with singles. Wooten drove in Smith with a sacrifice fly, and Josh McKoy knocked in Kyle Tatum with a single.
Junior Deondre Newkirk cracked a 2-out single in the East Bladen second inning and dashed home when Smith hammered a triple for a 3-0 lead.
Trask trimmed the margin to 3-1 in the home second, but the Eagles pulled away with a 3-run fourth inning. Sophmore Dan Tatum walked, stole second base and Newkirk drove him in with a single.
Newkirk stole third base, and Smith was hit by a pitch and stole second base, before Kyle Tatum delivered a single that scored both runners for a 6-1 lead.
Melvin led off the East Bladen sixth but was retired on Newkirk’s fielder’s choice. Smith smashed a double that sent Newkirk to third, and junior Brooks McGill laced a single that scored Newkirk and Smith to stretch the lead to 8-1.
Junior Quinton Bedsole was hit by a pitch to begin the East seventh inning. Melvin smacked a single, and Newkirk loaded the bases with a single. Smith drove in Bedsole with a single, and McGill launched a sacrifice fly that plated Melvin for a 10-1 lead.
Smith batted 4-4 with a triple, a double, 3 runs scored and 2 runs batted in to lead the Eagle hitters. Kyle Tatum finished 3-4 at the plate with 2 rbi’s and a run scored. Newkirk also batted 3-4 and scored 3 runs.
McKoy finished 2-4 with an rbi, and Melvin also batted 2-4 with a run scored. McGill singled and drove in 3 runs. Wooten had an rbi , and Bedsole and Dan Tatum scored one run each.
Coach Russell Priest’s Eagles improved to 9-2 in Four County play and 11-5 overall. East Bladen will host Wallace-Rose Hill Friday at 7 p.m. for Senior Night.
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