03/29/2024
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East Bladen’s Eagles travel to Kenly Saturday night to battle North Johnston in a 7:00 second-round NCHSAA Class 2A baseball play-off game.

Coach Russell Priest’s Eagles (15-6) pushed across the winning run without a hit in the home half of the seventh inning to edge First Flight 5-4 in their play-off opener. Junior Xavier Wooten pitched 4 innings of 2-hit relief to earn the victory.

Junior Brooks McGill batted 2-3 to lead the Eagle hitters, and sophmore Josh McKoy slammed a triple.

Wooten is expected to get the start Saturday against North Johnston. Junior Sincere Smith will back him up.

Senior catcher Kyle Tatum who drove in the winning run against First Flight has headlined the Eagle offense all season along with shortstop Smith. Other Eagle leading hitters include Wooten, centerfielder McGill and junior thirdbaseman Deondre Newkirk.

Senior Radford Dylan pitched a complete-game 9-hitter and struck out eight in North Johnston’s 4-2 opening round win over Clinton. Dylan also drove in 2 runs in the Panthers 3-run eighth inning rally that snapped a 1-1 tie.

Dylan leads the Panther offense with a .529 average and 24 runs batted in. Other leading hitters include: senior McLean Blake (.412 average, 19 rbi’s), junior Barnes Brandon (.403 avg., 27 runs scored), junior Whitley Trey (.400 avg.), senior Littleton Garrett (.385 avg., 22 rbi’s), senior Hayes Logan (.364 avg.), senior Martin Daniel (.333 avg.) and senior Hayes Holden (.316 avg.).

Logan with a 6-0 record and 0.68 Earned Run Average and Worley Steven (3-1, 1.67 ERA) are candidates to start on the mound for North Johnston Saturday night.

Coach Brian Ford’s Panthers, the No. 3 Eastern seed with a 20-3 record, have one Bladen County connection. Coach Ford played for West Bladen Coach Kim Cain when Cain coached at South View.

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