03/28/2024
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East Bladen High School Sophmores Sincere Smith and Xavier Wooten hammered triples to lead an eight-hit East Bladen attack that rallied the Eagles to an 8-2 Four County Conference victory over visiting Pender Tuesday night.

Eagle sophmore lefthander Ty Watkins and Pender junior Riley Murray were locked in a pitcher’s duel for the first four innings. Senior Braxton Treto poked a 2-out single to rightfield in the second inning that drove in freshman Tyler Norris for a 1-0 Pender lead.

The Eagles broke through in the home fourth as junior Kyle Tatum belted a lead-off single, stole second and third base and dashed home with the tying run when the throw to third bounced into leftfield.

Senior Alex Coates legged out an infield hit and raced to second base when the throw got away at first. Sophmore Quinton Bedsole lined a single to centerfield that drove in Coates and edged East Bladen in front 2-1.

Treto led off the Pender fifth with a single, moved up on a bunt and scored on an error to tie the game.

Coates relieved Watkins with one out in the inning and struck out the next two batters with the go-ahead run at second base.

Sophmore Nick Collins lined a single to left to begin the Eagle fifth inning. Wooten pinch-ran for Collins and stole second base, before Smith drilled a triple to the fence in right field. Wooten scored on the play, and Smith scampered home when the relay throw got away to put East up 4-2.

The Eagles loaded the bases as Tatum was hit by a pitch, and senior Nikita Owens and Watkins drew walks. Treto relieved Murray for Pender and issued the 2 walks. Coates lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield that brought in Tatum, and Owens scooted home when the throw was mishandled to grow the lead to 6-2.

Secondbaseman Bedsole speared a line drive in the Pender sixth inning and doubled Hayden Kreitzer off of second base. Kreitzer had started the inning with a double.

East Bladen tacked on 2 more runs in the sixth as sophmore Deondre Newkirk beat out a bunt single and stole second base. Wooten walloped a triple to right-centerfield that scored Newkirk, and Smith’s sacrifice fly scored Wooten and upped the count to 8-2.

Tatum batted 2-3 with 2 runs scored. Smith blasted the triple, drove in 2 runs and scored one. Wooten was 1-1 with a triple, 2 runs scored and a run batted in.

Collins, Coates, Bedsole and Newkirk added one hit each. Newkirk, Coates and Owens scored one run each. Coates and Bedsole drove in one run each.

Coates pitched the final 2.2 scoreless innings to pick up the win and raise his record to 4-0. The senior righthander struck out four, walked two and gave up two hits.

Watkins gave up 2 runs – one earned – on 6 hits and a walk while striking out three.

Coach Russell Priest’s Eagles improved to 2-0 in conference play and 4-2 overall. East Bladen will travel to Heide Trask Thursday night.

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