03/29/2024
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong

LAKE WACCAMAW – East Bladen’s Eagles ran their winning streak to five consecutive games Tuesday night with a 9-4 Three Rivers Conference baseball victory over East Columbus.

Coach Russell Priest’s Eagles, now 5-1 overall, moved into a four-way tie for first place in the Three Rivers with Whiteville, Red Springs and West Columbus – all with identical 4-1 records.

Senior Greyson Heustess led off the game with a walk, stole second base and sprinted home when sophmore Freddy Wooten ripped a single to leftfield. Wooten stole second and third bases while junior Gabe Barber walked then dashed home on sophmore Brady Hollingsworth’s sacrifice fly. Barber scored on an error to put the Eagles ahead 3-0.

J. J. Faulkner led off the Gator second inning with a single and scored on an error to trim the Eagle lead to 3-1.

Senior Josh McKoy cracked a single to begin the Eagle fifth inning and stole second base. Heustess belted a single that scored McKoy. Senior Shy Pone walloped a triple to centerfield that drove in Heustess and padded the lead to 5-1.

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Two walks followed by Faulkner’s 2-run double sliced the East Bladen lead to 5-3 in the home fifth.

Senior Dan Tatum was hit by a pitch to start the Eagle sixth inning and stole second base. McKoy hammered a double that scored Tatum and pushed the lead to 6-3.

J. T. Junious’ single keyed a Gator rally in the sixth that trimmed the margin to 6-4.

Barber and Hollingsworth laced 2-out singles in the Eagle seventh inning. Tatum slapped a single to right that drove in Barber and Hollingsworth. Sophmore Zach Meares smacked a single to centerfield, and McKoy knocked in Tatum with a single to left.

McKoy batted 3-4 with a double, 2 runs batted in and a run scored to lead the Eagle hitters. Pone blasted the rbi triple, and Heustess, Wooten, Barber, Hollingsworth, Tatum and Meares contributed one hit each to East’s 10-hit attack.

Tatum drove in 2 runs, and Hollingsworth, Heustess and Wooten had one rbi each. Tatum, Barber and Heustess scored 2 runs each, and Wooten and Hollingsworth scored one run each.

Starting pitcher Pierce Melvin worked 4.1 innings allowing 3 runs – 2 earned – on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out six. Senior Spencer Scott pitched 1.2 innings of relief allowing a run on 2 hits and a walk while striking out two. Meares pitched a perfect 1-2-3 seventh inning of relief to end the game.

The Eagles will travel to Wallace-Rose Hill for a non-conference game Thursday.

East Bladen       300 021 3 – 9-10-2
East Columbus  010 021 0 – 4- 6 -2

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