FAIRMONT –Freshman Freddie Wooten pitched 5 innings of one-run relief as East Bladen rallied for a 12-10 Three Rivers Conference baseball victory over Fairmont.
Freddie Wooten allowed 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out five to pick up the victory. Junior Pierce Melvin worked the first 2 innings on the mound for the Eagles but was plagued by 7 walks and 4 hits.
Two infield hits and Randy Floyd’s single loaded the bases in the Tornado sixth inning. Wooten struck out the next batter, but a wild pitch scored a run and sliced the Eagle lead to 12-10.
After a walk reloaded the bases, freshman secondbaseman Zach Meares started a double play with a flip to shortstop Sincere Smith who fired to firstbaseman Xavier Wooten to end the inning.
An infield hit and a bloop double put the tying runs in scoring position with one out in the Tornado seventh, but Freddie Wooten snared a one-hopper to the mound for the second out and a ground ball to Meares ended the game.
The Eagles exploded for 8 runs in the first inning. Smith was hit by a pitch and circled the bases on an error, a wild pitch and a stolen base. Xavier Wooten walked and scored when Brady Hollingsworth smacked a single to right-centerfield.
Junior Shy Pone beat out an infield hit, and junior Pierce Melvin walked to load the bases. Dan Tatum, the courtesy runner for Hollingsworth, and Pone both scored on a throwing error on Meares’ grounder.
Freddie Wooten clobbered a double to deep right-centerfield that scored Melvin and Meares. Smith knocked in Freddie Wooten with a single to left. Smith stole third base then stole home.
Fairmont bounced back with 7 runs in the second inning on 5 walks and singles by Floyd and Michael Richardson.
Two walks and Seth Thorndyke’s infield hit produced a pair of Fairmont runs in the second and a 9-8 Tornado lead.
East Bladen rallied to take the lead with a 4-run fourth inning. Freddie Wooten drew a lead-off walk, and Smith drilled a triple into the leftfield corner that scored Freddie Wooten. Junior Greyson Heustess smashed a double down the leftfield line that plated Smith.
Xavier Wooten blasted a triple off the right-centerfield fence that scored Heustess. After Gabe Barber walked, Hollingsworth’s ground-out to second base plated Xavier Wooten and boosted the Eagle lead to 12-9.
Smith batted 3-3 with a triple, 2 runs batted in and 3 runs scored to lead the East Bladen hitters. Xavier Wooten tripled, drove in a run and scored twice. Freddie Wooten cracked the 2-run double and scored a run.
Heustess had the rbi double and a run scored. Hollingsworth and Pone added one hit each. Hollingsworth drove in 2 runs. Pone, Tatum, Melvin and Meares scored one run each.
Floyd batted 3-3 to lead the Tornado hitters. Richardson was 2-4 with 2 rbi’s. Halon Oxendine added a double. Andrew Smith pitched 6.1 innings of relief for Fairmont and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out three.
Coach Russell Priest’s Eagles improved to 6-7 in league play and 7-9 overall with the victory. East Bladen will host St. Pauls Tuesday night.
About Author
