West Bladen rallied for six runs in the sixth inning to tie the game, but Midway erupted for eight runs in the eighth Tuesday to beat the Knights 15-10 in a Four County Conference baseball game at West Bladen.
The loss dropped West Bladen to 3-8 overall and 2-3 in league play. Midway also is 3-8 and 2-3.
The game also was an example of West Bladen’s challenging season. The Knights have two catchers sidelined with broken hands, three pitchers have battled injuries, another pitcher — Tuesday’s starter, Jeremy Hunt — was ill and went only three innings before having to go home. An infielder missed two weeks with a twisted ankle after he stepped in a hole before a game. And Ray Jones played four positions Tuesday — second base, pitcher, shortstop and first base — as Coach Kim Cain has had to adjust his lineup throughout the season.
The result Tuesday was that Midway stole 14 bases, while West Bladen was charged with nine wild pitches and three passed balls in a game that took more than 3 1/2 hours and had 371 pitches. The teams combined for 25 runs, 23 hits, 11 errors and 24 runners left on base.
Jarrett Williams went 3-for-4 with two runs scored an a run batted in to lead West Bladen at the plate. Trent West was 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. T.J. Guyton had a two-run double. Chandler Lennon, Donald McCullum, Weston Pidgeon and Jones each had a hit.
Landon Dorman went 4-for-6 with a double and three RBIs to lead Midway.
Hunt allowed five runs on five hits, walked three and struck out three in his three innings on the mound for West Bladen. Jones, who was pitching for the first time this season, gave up a pair of runs on three hits with two walks and a strikeout in three innings. West pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but pitched to only three batters in the eighth inning, all of which scored. Williams finished the final inning, giving up three hits and five runs — three earned.
Midway struck for five runs in the third inning on four hits, a walk and three wild pitches. The Raiders added another run in the top of the fourth for a 6-0 lead.
West Bladen got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth when West ripped a two-out double to right-center, and scored on a throwing error on Williams’ infield single.
Midway made it 7-1 in the fifth before West Bladen rallied to tie it in the sixth.
West reached on an error to begin the rally. Williams followed with a single to right and Jones reached on an error to load the bases. Pidgeon reached on another Midway error that scored West and Williams. After the first out, Guyton blasted a double to left-center that drove hom Jones and Pidgeon. Jonathan Ashworth walked. Seth Britt then laid down a sacrifice bunt and was safe on a throwing error that scored Guyton. After the second out, West walked to load the bases and Williams was hit by a pitch to force home Ashworth with the tying run.
After neither team scored in the seventh, Midway sent 13 batters to the plate and scored eight runs for a 15-7 lead.
West Bladen managed to score three runs in the bottom of the eighth on singles by Lennon, West, Williams and McCullum along with a Midway error.
The Knights are scheduled to play at Clinton on Friday night.
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