TABOR CITY — East Bladen built a 7-1 lead then survived a pair of South Columbus rallies to claim a 7-6 Waccamaw Conference baseball victory Friday night.
Coach Grant Pait’s Eagles evened their Waccamaw record at 1-1 and improved to 2-4 overall. The Eagles will travel to Clinton Monday for a 6:30 non-conference game. South Columbus will host West Bladen Monday.
Eagle freshman Jayce Hatcher started on the hill and pitched 4.2 innings allowing 3 runs – 2 earned- on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. Senior Britt Sasser worked 0.1 scoreless innings and allowed 2 hits and a walk. Sophomore Davion Lewis pitched the final 2 innings to pick up the save allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 3.
Lewis batted 2-for-3 with a run batted in and 2 runs scored to lead the Eagles at the plate. Na’Toren Corbett, Hatcher, and seniors Parker Greene, Darius Williamson and Jake Futrell added 1 hit each. Corbett had 1 RBI, and Corbett, senior D. A. Smith, senior Lee Barnes, Hatcher and Greene scored runs.
Lewis lined a single to right field to begin the East 2nd inning and advanced on an error. Corbett smoked a single to center that scored Lewis. Smith and Cole Butler were hit by pitches, and senior Tyler Johnson reached on an error that scored Corbett and Smith for a 3-0 Eagle lead.
Jaheim Dixon singled in the Stallion 2nd inning, advanced on a passed ball and scored on an error to trim the margin to 3-1.
Greene raked a 2-out single to the left side, and Lewis smashed a single to right in the Eagle 5th inning. An error scored Greene, and Hatcher belted a single to left that scored Lewis. Hatcher stole 2nd base and scored on an error. Barnes and Corbett were both hit by pitches, and Barnes dashed home on a passed ball for a 7-1 lead.
South rallied with 2 runs in the home 5th. Cole Edge led off with a single but was forced out by Easton McPherson. Walker Sullivan ripped a triple to left that scored McPherson then scored on Bo Kinlaw’s single to whittle the lead to 7-3.
After 2 were out in the Stallion 7th inning, Rowen Simpson, Ethan Cullipher, Edge and Daquan Cox cracked singles, and Parker Bass walked. Edge’s hit scored Simpson and Cullipher. Cox’s single to left scored Bass, but Greene threw back to 3rd base to Corbett to retire Edge for the final out of the game.
Edge led the South hitters with a 3-for-4 performance that drove in 2 runs. Sullivan batted 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. Cox pitched the 1st 5 innings and gave up 7 runs – 4 earned – on 5 hits and a walk while striking out 7. Tyler Thompson worked 2 innings of scoreless relief for South giving up 2 hits and striking out 4.
East Bladen 030 040 0 — 7- 7-0
South Columbus 010 020 3 — 6-10-5
About Author
