TABOR CITY – Senior Lefredrick Wooten pitched a 6-hitter and struck out 9 batters and East Bladen exploded for 7 runs in the 6th inning to close out a 13-3 Three Rivers Conference baseball victory over South Columbus Tuesday night.
Wooten walked only 1 batter and only one of the Stallion runs was earned.
Junior Ethan Johnson belted a 1-out single in the Eagle 1st inning and raced home when Wooten hammered a double to center field to edge East Bladen in front 1-0. The Stallions used a walk, a wild pitch and an error to tie the game 1-1 in the bottom of the inning.
Senior Drew Sholar walloped a double to begin the Eagle 2nd inning, advanced on a wild pitch and dashed home when senior Tyler Hill launched a sacrifice fly to left field that put East back on top 2-1.
Freshman Domnick Johnson singled, stole a base, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on an error to knot the score again 2-2 in the home second.
Johnson and Wooten drew walks to start the Eagle 3rd inning. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch, before senior Brady Hollingsworth lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Johnson. Jacob Priest smacked a single to right that scored Wooten for a 4-2 East lead.
Senior Zach Meares blasted a 2-out solo home run to left field in the Eagle 4th inning that grew the East Bladen lead to 5-2.
Senior Grayson Clark walked to begin the Eagle 6th inning. Two outs later Meares slugged a triple to right field that scored Clark. Sophomore Evan Pait lined a single to center field that brought home Meares. Wooten walked, and Hollingsworth was hit by a pitch.
Priest raked a single to the left side that scored Pait. Sholar then clobbered a triple to center field that scored Wooten, Hollingsworth and Priest. Sholar dashed home on an error.
Junior Luke Stocks cracked a 2-out double in the home half of the 6th, and freshman Jaheim Dixon drove him in with a single for the final Stallion run.
Meares slammed the home run and the triple, scored 2 runs and had 2 runs batted in for the Eagles. Sholar crushed a triple and a double, scored twice and had 3 RBIs. Priest batted 2-for-4, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. Wooten drilled the run-scoring double and scored twice.
Johnson and Pait connected for 1 hit each. Johnson scored 2 runs, and Pait and Clark scored 1 run each. Pait, Hollingsworth and Hill had 1 RBI each.
Senior Mason Nealy pitched 5.2 innings for the Stallions and was charged with 7 runs. Sophomore John Harvey Gore finished up on the mound for South. Stocks and Gabe Johnson clubbed doubles to lead the Stallion hitters.
Coach Grant Pait’s Eagles improve to 2-0 in TRC play and 5-3 overall and will host Red Springs Friday night.