03/29/2024
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East Bladen High SchoolEast Bladen senior Matthew Massengill struck out Marquise Humphrey for the final out with the tying run at third base to seal a 5-4 non-conference baseball victory for the Eagles at St. Pauls Wednesday.

Massengill struck out five in 5 innings of relief to pick up the pitching victory for the Eagles. The senior right-hander allowed 4 runs on 5 hits. Freshman Ty Watkins started on the mound for East Bladen and pitched 2 scoreless innings.

The Eagles grabbed a quick 1-0 lead as freshman Sincere Smith led off the game with a walk, stole a base and eventually came around to score the first run.

Senior Farrell Murchison was hit by a pitch to begin the Eagle second inning. Junior Alex Coates walked, and Murchison advanced on junior Nikita Owens’ fielder’s choice then scored as the Bulldogs misplayed Watkins’ ground ball.

Ted McNeill walked and scored for the Bulldogs in the third inning to whittle the Eagle lead to 2-1.

Murchison belted a lead-off single in the East Bladen fourth inning, but was forced out at second on Coates’ grounder. Owens walloped a double to the left-centerfield fence that sent Coates to third base.

After Watkins walked to load the bases, junior Tyquan McMillian lined a single to left-centerfield that drove in Coates and Owens. Smith lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that drove in Watkins and stretched the Eagle lead to 5-1.

McNeill who batted 2-3 to lead the St. Pauls hitters singled in the Bulldog fifth inning and scored on senior Sucona Locklear’s single.

The Eagles carried a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but McNeill led off with a single, and Trenton Jacobs reached on a fielder’s choice.

Locklear doubled to left-centerfield to drive in McNeil, and an infield out brought in Jacobs and sent Locklear to third base, before Massengill’s game-ending strike-out.

Owens’ double led the East Bladen hitters. McMillian cracked the 2-run single, and Murchison and sophomore Kyle Tatum added one single each.

Coach Russell Priest’s Eagles improved to 2-1 with the victory and will open Four County Conference play at Union Thursday night .

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