By Sonny Jones
ELIZABETHTOWN — Jake Futrell didn’t need much help Tuesday night from the East Bladen offense, but the Eagles offense offered plenty of support.
Futrell pitched a five-hit, five-strikeout, five-inning shutout and the East Bladen offense pounded out 13 hits in a 12-0 win against East Columbus in a Waccamaw Conference baseball game at Russell Priest Field.
The Eagles improved to 2-1 in Waccamaw games and 3-5 overall. East Columbus is 1-1, 2-2. The teams are scheduled to meet Thursday at 7 p.m. at East Columbus. The game originally was scheduled Friday, but moved up a day because of potential rain.
Futrell, a senior right-hander, pitched out of a third-inning jam when the Gators’ Mack Freeman and Landon Coyle opened the frame with singles. Futrell struck out two of the next three batters to end the threat.
Futrell didn’t walk a batter and threw only 56 pitches in five innings, 44 for strikes. Gauge Simmons took the loss. He was charged with eight runs, six earned, on 11 hits and two walks in 3.1 innings.
The East Bladen offense, which had scored twice in the bottom of the second, took it from there. The Eagles added three runs in the third and put the game out of reach with seven runs in the fourth.
Jmarius Smith led the East Bladen offense, going 3-for-3 with two runs batted in and a run scored. Futrell and Britt Sasser each had two hits and drove in two runs. Jayce Hatcher and Lee Barnes each had two hits and an RBI. Parker Greene and Davion Lewis each had one hit.
The Eagles took the lead in the second with four consecutive one-out hits. Hatcher singled and scored on a line double to right-center by Sasser. Barnes followed with an infield single. Smith then singled to right to plate Sasser for a 2-0 lead.
Sasser’s second run-scoring double scored Lewis, who had walked, for the first run in the third inning. Barnes’ infield single plated Hatcher, who had reached on an error. Cole Butler’s sacrifice fly to center scored Sasser that gave East Bladen a 5-0 lead.
The Eagles sent 11 batters to the plate in a seven-run fourth inning. Hatcher had a RBI-double, Smith added a run-producing single and Futrell capped the rally with a two-run single to right. East Bladen also used three wild pitches in the inning.
East Columbus 000 00 — 0- 5-1
East Bladen 023 7x — 12-13-1
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