West Bladen’s bats cranked out 8 runs and 9 hits in their final two innings to rally past East Bladen 11-6 on Senior Night at West Thursday night.
The Eagles had capitalized on two walks and three West Bladen errors to score 4 runs in the fifth inning and take a 5-3 lead. Freshman Sincere Smith drew a walk to start the inning, and one out later raced home on a Knight throwing error.
Sophmore Kyle Tatum reached second base on the error, stole third base and darted home when senior Matthew Massengill raked a single through the left side to tie the score 3-3. Massengill was forced at second on junior Alex Coates’ fielder’s choice.
After junior Nikita Owens walked, a throwing error on freshman McKinley Raynor’s ground ball scored both Coates and Owens and put the Eagles on top 5-3.
West Bladen answered in the bottom of the fifth as junior Jeremy Hunt walked, and senior Trevor Lesane rapped a single to centerfield. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch then sprinted home when senior Colby McLean laced a single to left field to tie the score.
McLean’s single greeted Eagle freshman Xavier Wooten who had relieved Smith on the mound. Sophmore Trent West smacked a single to centerfield that sent McLean to third. After West stole second, freshman Scott Bowen raked a single to left that scored McLean and West and put the Knights on top 7-5.
With two out in the East Bladen sixth, senior Colby Hester scooted all the way to second base on a dropped pop-up. Hester stole third base and scampered home on an errant pick-off attempt to close the gap to 7-6.
Junior Troy Edge swatted a single to right-centerfield to start the West Bladen sixth. Sophmore Weston Pidgeon crushed a triple to deep right-centerfield that drove in Edge. Hunt knocked in Pidgeon with a single to right field.
Lesane beat out an infield hit, and Donald McCullom, the courtesy runner for Hunt, dashed home on a wild pitch. West launched a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Lesane and stretched the Knight lead to 11-6.
Hunt relieved Bowen on the mound to begin the seventh inning and retired the side in order to end the game.
Knight starter Chandler Lennon had left the game with an injury in the second inning, and Bowen had come on to pitch 4.1 innings of relief, allowing only one earned run on 3 hits and 6 walks, to pick up the victory. Bowen struck out two.
Coates started on the hill for East, but was relieved early in the game by Smith. Wooten relieved Smith in the fifth inning.
The Eagles drew three walks in the first inning, but failed to score. Hunt walloped a triple to lead off the Knight first. Lesane cracked a single that plated Hunt, and later scored on West’s sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.
Britt walked and Edge belted a single to start the West Bladen second inning. Pridgen’s sacrifice bunt brought in Britt to put the Knights up 3-0.
Hester reached base on an error leading off the East Bladen third. After Tatum drew a walk, Massingill’s bunt-single plated Hester with the first Eagle run.
Massengill batted a perfect 2-2 with an rbi to lead the Eagles. Raynor added a single. The Eagles took advantage of ten Knight walks and 5 Knight errors.
Lesane batted 3-4 with an rbi to lead the 14-hit Knight attack. Hunt blasted the triple and finished 2-3 with an rbi. Senior Michael Pastore was 2-4 with a double, and Edge was 2-3 at the plate.
Pidgeon hammered the triple and drove in 2 runs. Bowen and McLean cracked 2-run singles. West and Lennon added singles, and West drove in a run.
West Bladen seniors Malcolm Vaught, Trevor Lesane, Michael Pastore, Joseph Miller and Colby McLean were honored in pre-game ceremonies.
Coach Kim Cain’s Knights clinched third place in the Four County Conference with a 7-6 record and are 10-8 overall. The Eagles are now 6-8 in the conference and 10-12 overall.
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