OCEAN ISLE BEACH – Bladen County battled back from a 10-5 deficit with a 6-run 6th-inning and defeated Boger City 14-11 Monday in the Dixie Boys Baseball State Tournament.
Bladen County advances to the tournament semi-finals and will play the loser of Monday’s Columbus County/Brunswick County game at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Bladen trimmed the Boger lead to 10-8 by scoring 3 runs in the 5th inning. Delton Murdock walked and scored when Devan Stanley crushed a double. Jamari Peterson reached base on a throwing error that plated Stanley then scored when Claxton Tatum drilled a single to center field.
Boger upped the count to 11-8 with a 5th inning run, before Bladen answered with their winning rally. Cole Brisson led off with a single, and C. J. McCracken reached base on an error. Brisson scored on Murdock’s fielder’s choice. Omar Powell walked, and Stanley raked a single that scored McCracken.
Peterson reached base on an error that scored Powell with the tying run. Luke Bryant laced a single that scored Stanley with the go-ahead run, before Tatum blasted a triple that plated Peterson and Bryant and pushed the lead to 14-11.
Brisson pitched a scoreless final 2 innings to preserve the win for Bladen County. Noah German, Bryant and Brisson all saw time on the mound for the winners and combined for 5 strikeouts.
Bryant, JaDarius McArthur and McCracken all drew walks in the Bladen 1st inning, and Brisson reached on a passed 3rd strike. Bryant scored, and Jaxon Hair cracked a single that scored McArthur for a 2-0 lead.
Boger tied the score in the home half, but Bladen tacked on a run in the 2nd inning. Bryant sliced a single to rightfield and circled the bases on an error.
Brisson led off the Bladen 3rd with a single, and McCracken walked. Hair reached on a fielder’s choice that retired Brisson. German knocked in McCracken with a single, and Hair later scored to grow the lead to 5-2.
Tatum batted 2-for-3 with a triple and 3 RBIs, and Stanley finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Bryant batted 2-for-4 with 3 runs scored. Brisson finished 2-for-4 at the plate and scored a run.
McCracken hammered a triple and scored twice. German and Hair added a single each. Peterson scored twice. McArthur, Hair, Murdock and Powell scored 1 run each. Hair, Murdock and German had 1 RBI each.
Ayden Lynn batted 2-for-3 to lead Boger City. Bley Phillips doubled and finished 2-for-4. Jacob Thornburg and Derek Thompson were also 2-for-4.
Bladen County 212 036 0 — 14-11-2
Boger City 205 310 0 — 11-11-5
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