BLADENBORO – Junior Jordan Hester drew a bases-loaded walk to force home senior Hunter Elks with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 8th inning as West Bladen rallied for an 8-7 non-conference baseball victory over South Columbus Tuesday night.
The Stallions had taken a 7-5 lead in the top of the 8th on singles by junior Daquan Cox and senior Carter Lee plus 2 Knight errors.
Sophomores Garrett Dunham and Cade Allen drew walks to start the Knight 8th inning. Both runners advanced on a passed ball, and a balk plated Dunham. Elks yanked a drive down the leftfield line that was dropped allowing Allen to score the tying run.
Elks stole 2nd base, and senior Hunter Smith reached on an error, before sophomore Brady Durden was walked intentionally to load the bases. After an infield fly, Hester drew the game-ending walk.
“We just kept battling and battling,” said Knight Coach Wade Pait. “Our guys never quit.”
Dunham started on the hill for the Knights and pitched 3 innings allowing 4 runs – 0 earned – on 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Durden worked 4.2 innings of relief giving up 3 runs – 2 earned – on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Hester pitched 0.1 innings of relief to pick up the win allowing 1 walk.
Elks and Smith connected for 1 hit each to lead the West hitters. Elks scored twice and had 2 runs batted in. Allen and Dunham scored 2 runs each. Smith and senior Bryce Fuller scored 1 run each. Smith, Durden and Hester had 1 RBI each.
The Stallions scored 3 runs in the 1st inning on singles by John Harvey Gore and Rowen Simpson, 2 errors and a walk.
The Knights answered with 5 runs in the home half of the first. Fuller was hit by a pitch, and Dunham and Allen drew walks. Elks lined a single to left that scored Fuller and Dunham, and Smith smoked a single to right that scored Allen. Elks darted home on a passed ball, and Durden lifted a sacrifice fly to left that plated Smith for a 5-3 West lead.
Cox was hit by a pitch and circled the bases on a pair of passed balls in the 2nd inning to trim the margin to 5-4. Singles by Easton McPherson, Cox and John Harvey Gore produced the tying run in the 4th inning.
Cox batted 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored for the Stallions. John Harvey Gore was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Freshman Briar Johnson pitched the 5-run first for South. Sophomore Tyler Thompson worked 6 innings of hitless 2-run relief allowing 5 walks and striking out 6. Dylan Culipher pitched 0.1 innings and allowed the deciding unearned run on 2 walks.
The Knights improved to 7-2 with the win and will travel to Union Thursday for a 6 p.m. game.
South Columbus 310 100 02 — 7-9-3
West Bladen. 500 000 03 — 8-2-4
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