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HOPE MILLS – West Bladen’s Knights pounded out 15 hits and rallied from deficits of 4-1 and 7-2 Monday night to claim a 10-9 non-conference season-opening baseball victory over Grays Creek.

“Our guys just kept battling and fighting back,” said West Bladen Coach Wade Pait. “It was a wild game, but we didn’t quit.”

With the Bears up 7-2, junior Andre Moore drew a 1-out walk in the 5th inning, dashed to 3rd base on an error then darted home on senior Bryce Fuller’s single to right field. Sophomore Cade Allen was hit by a pitch, and freshman Joshua Dawson yanked a single to left that plated Fuller. Sophomore Hezekiah Adams spanked a single to center that scored Allen and sliced the margin to 7-5.

Senior Hunter Smith was hit by pitch and Moore walked to begin the Knight 6th inning. Fuller smacked a single to right and an error on the play scored Smith and Moore with the tying runs. Fuller advanced on senior Aaron Wren’s infield hit and dashed home on a wild pitch. Allen ripped a single through the left side that drove in Wren and put West up 9-7.

Catcher Matthew Perez slugged a solo home run in the Bears half of the sixth to whittle the Knight lead to 9-8.

Junior Will Durden lined a lead-off single to right-center field in the Knight 7th inning and moved up on a passed ball. Smith sent him to 3rd base with a single to right, and Moore cracked a single to center field that scored Durden for a 10-8 West lead.

Two walks, a single and a passed ball produced a Bear run in the home seventh, but sophomore Garrett Dunham struck out the last 2 batters to record the save and preserve the win.

Sophomore Brady Durden picked up the win with 2.2 innings of 3-hit relief allowing a run and striking out three. Senior Garrison Carr started for West and worked 2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk while striking out two. Smith pitched 1.1 innings and allowed 4 unearned runs on a hit and 3 walks.

Smith smashed a double to right-center field in the Knight 3rd inning and scored when junior Jordan Hester laced a double to left field. Senior Kaiden Revels dotted the left field line with a double in the 4th inning and scored when Dunham blasted a triple to center field.

Smith batted 2-for-3 with a double and 2 runs scored for the Knights. Fuller finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a run batted in and 2 runs scored. Dunham was also 2-for-4 with the RBI triple. Hester belted the RBI double. Revels doubled and scored a run.

Adams, Durden, Moore, senior Hunter Elks, Wren, Allen and Dawson all connected for 1 hit each. Moore scored twice, and Durden, Wren and Allen scored 1 run each. Adams, Moore, Wren, Allen and Dawson drove in 1 run each.

Perez batted 2-for-3 with the home run, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored to lead the Bear hitters. Braylon Lepley was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Andrew Mabe batted 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.

Ty Stewart, Mason Barnes, Christopher Tyndall and Lepley all saw time on the mound for the Bears. Tyndall was the losing pitcher.

The Knights will host East Columbus Wednesday at 7 p.m.

West Bladen 001 134 1 — 10-15-3
Grays Creek 301 301 1 — 9- 8-3