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Photos by Kenneth ArmstrongKenneth Armstrong
ELIZABETHTOWN – Senior Pierce Melvin celebrated his Senior Night by pitching a no-hitter and striking out eight batters as East Bladen defeated South Robeson 14-0 in Three Rivers Conference baseball action Tuesday night.
Melvin didn’t issue a walk and only needed 62 pitches to record the victory. He did hit two batters.
Senior Shy Pone cracked a one-out single in the Eagle first inning. Sophmore Brady Hollingsworth walloped a double to centerfield that scored Pone. Senior Spencer Scott ripped a double to left that scored Hollingsworth for a 2-0 lead.
The Eagles pulled away with a 5-run third inning. Pone walked and Hollingsworth lined a single to left. Sophmore Zach Meares walked to load the bases. Melvin smoked a single through the left side that scored Pone and Jay McKoy, the courtesy runner for Hollingsworth.
Senior Dan Tatum smashed a double to left that scored Meares. Senior Greyson Heustess yanked a single to left that scored Gabe Barber, the courtesy runner for Melvin, and Tatum.
The Eagles doubled their lead with a 7-run fourth inning. Pone led off with a single to centerfield, and Hollingsworth laced a single to left. Scott walked and Meares belted a single to centerfield that scored Pone and Jay McKoy, the courtesy runner for Hollingsworth.
Melvin reached base on an error, Tatum lifted a sacrifice fly to left that scored Scott and Meares raced home on the throw. Senior Davis Alsup cracked a single, and sophmore Freddy Wooten knocked in Barber, the courtesy runner for Melvin, with a single. Heustess swatted a single that scored Alsup, and after Pone was hit by a pitch, Scott walked to force home Wooten for a 14-0 lead.
Hollingsworth batted 3-4 with a double, a run batted in and a run scored. Pone was a perfect 2-2 at the plate with 3 runs scored. Heustess batted 2-4 with 3 rbi’s. Tatum doubled, scored a run and drove in 3 runs.
Scott doubled, drove in 2 runs and scored one. Meares, Melvin, Alsup, senior Josh McKoy and Wooten connected for one hit each. Melvin and Meares had 2 rbi’s each. Wooten had one rbi. Meares, Barber and Jay McKoy scored 2 runs each. Alsup and Wooten scored one run each.
Coach Russell Priest’s Eagles improved to 12-3 in league play and 15-5 overall with the victory and clinched a tie for the league’s No. 2 Class 2A play-off berth. The Eagles will host Whiteville Thursday at 7 p.m.
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