Senior righthander Alex Coates fired a one-hit shutout Thursday night as East Bladen’s Eagles cemented their hold on first-place in the Four County Conference with a 6-0 victory over second-place Clinton.
Coach Russell Priest’s Eagles improved to 9-0 in league play and 13-3 overall. Clinton drops to 8-2 in the league.
Coates pitched 3.2 innings of no-hit ball before opposing pitcher Jonathan Wright poked a single into right-centerfield with 2-out in the fourth. Coates struck out 5 and walked 3 as he raised his record to 8-1 on the season.
Coates hammered a double to left-centerfield to lead off the East Bladen third inning. Freshman Greyson Heustess knocked him in with a single that put the Eagles ahead 1-0.
The Wright-Coates pitching duel continued until the top of the sixth when the Eagles exploded for 5 runs.
Sophmore Sincere Smith belted a single to right-center field to start the inning. Tatum slammed a one-out double, and senior Nikita Owens walked. Sophmore Ty Watkins blasted a bases-clearing triple that plated Smith, Tatum and Owens.
Coates was hit by a pitch, and Heustess delivered a 2-run single that scored Watkins and Coates and stretched the Eagle lead to 6-0.
Heustess batted 2-3 with 3 runs batted in to lead the Eagle hitters. Watkins slugged the 3-run triple and scored a run.
Coates and Tatum smashed doubles with Coates scoring 2 runs and Tatum scoring once. Smith and sophmore Quinton Bedsole cracked one hit each. Smith and Owens scored one run each.
Wright struck out 8, walked one, hit a batter and gave up 7 hits and 6 runs.
The two teams will play again Monday at East Bladen.
About Author
