By John Clark
BLADENBORO – Senior Jordan Hester lined a walk-off single down the left field line that scored junior Garrett Dunham with the winning run Friday night as West Bladen’s Knights clinched 2nd place in the Southeastern Athletic Conference with a 1-0 victory over Red Springs.
Coach Wade Pait’s Knights finished regular season play with a 7-3 SAC record and improved to 11-10 overall. West Bladen will now wait for the Class 2A playoff brackets to be released Monday to find out where they will open the playoffs Tuesday night.
Dunham drew a walk to begin the home 7th, and freshman Ashton Davis pushed a bunt single past the pitcher. Junior Cade Allen’s sacrifice bunt advanced both runners, before Jordan Hester laced an opposite field single over 3rd base on a 1-1 pitch for the game-winner.
“I gave him the bunt sign to start with,” chuckled Pait. “But it was Senior Night you do what you got to do.”
Dunham pitched a 4-hit shutout, struck out 18 batters and walked none. He struck out at least 2 batters in every inning, struck out the side in the 1st and 2nd innings and struck out 4 batters in the 5th inning (1 batter reached on a passed 3rd strike).
Big right-hander Jayden Hammonds started on the hill and pitched 6 scoreless innings for the Red Devils allowing 6 hits and 4 walks while striking out 3. Tim Hammonds relieved in the 7th and allowed a run on 2 hits and a walk in 0.1 innings of relief.
Junior Brady Durden batted 2-for-3 to lead the Knight hitters. Jordan Hester finished 2-for-4 with a run batted in. Davis also batted 2-for-4. Dunham and catcher Josh Dawson belted singles, and Dunham scored the game’s only run.
Brady Durden drilled a single to center field in the 6th inning, and junior Aiden Russ walked. Both runners moved up on a passed ball, and Durden appeared to have scored when a high throw to 1st on Hunter Hester’s grounder pulled the leaping Tim Hammonds off the bag. However the umpires met and decided that Hammonds had tagged Hester in time.
The Knights mounted a threat in the 5th when Dunham and Davis beat out bunt singles. Dunham sprinted to 3rd base on Allen’s fly out, but a force-out ended the inning.
Jordan Hester led off the 4th with a single, and Dawson drew a 2-out walk. Hester advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch, but a pop-up ended the inning.
In the Knight 2nd inning, Brady Durden raked a single to left, and Dawson banged a single off the 3rd baseman. Aiden Russ walked to load the bases, but a strike-out ended the inning.
Xzavier Sinclair doubled to deep center field in the 1st inning, and Jayden Hammonds hammered a double to right-center field in the 6th to lead the Red Devil hitters. Nazir Blackmon and Jayden Blue cracked singles for the visitors.
A passed 3rd strike and Blackmon’s single put 2 Red Devils on base with 2 out in the 5th, but a strikeout ended the threat.
Defensive highlights for the Knights included right fielder’s Allister Russ’ running catch near the foul line to end the 5th inning; Will Durden snagging a hard shot at 3rd base and firing to 1stbaseman Jordan Hester to end the 6th inning; and Davis’ outstanding play charging a swinging bunt and firing to 1st to retire Isaiah Locklear to start the 7th inning.
Red Springs 000 000 0 — 0-4-1
West Bladen 000 000 1 — 1-8-0
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