LAKE WACCAMAW – Alanna Deal and Rodsalind Harper slugged 2-run home runs during a 9-run sixth inning that carried East Columbus to a 17-7 Three Rivers Conference softball victory over West Bladen Thursday night.
East Columbus took an 8-7 lead into the home sixth then used 8 hits, a walk, a hit batter and an error to end the game on the mercy rule.
The Lady Knights grabbed a 2-0 first-inning lead. Junior Tatianna Hunt led off with a single, and junior Kyla Reed ripped a double to leftfield. Junior Alara Cashwell hammered a double to right-centerfield that scored Hunt and Reed.
The Lady Gators capitalized on 7 West Bladen errors in the first inning to score 6 runs. Deal tripled home a run, and pitcher Arianna Daniels knocked her in with a single.
East Columbus tacked on single runs in the second and fourth innings to pad the lead to 8-2.
Junior Kasee Singletary beat out a bunt single in the West fifth inning, stole second base and darted home on Hunt’s fielder’s choice.
In the Lady Knight sixth, sophmore Alyssa Suggs smacked a single to centerfield, and sophmore Shelby Pharr walked. Freshman Lauren Pait drilled a double to right-centerfield that scored courtesy runner KyLee Ward.
Singletary walked, and Hunt laced a single to center that scored courtesy runner Briley Stanley. Reed belted a single to centerfield that drove in Lauren Pait and Singletary and trimmed the Lady Gator lead to 8-7.
Reed batted 3-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs batted in and a run scored to lead the Lady Knight hitters. Hunt finished 2-4 at the plate with 2 rbi’s and a run scored. Senior Conner Brisson also batted 2-4.
Cashwell doubled home 2 runs, and Lauren Pait doubled home a run and scored a run. Singletary and Suggs added one hit each. Singletary scored twice, and Stanley and Ward scored one run each.
Deal, a sophmore, batted 5-5 with a home run, a triple, 4 rbi’s and 5 runs scored. Daniels finished 2-5 with 2 rbi’s and a run scored. Harper had the 2-run homer.
Deal pitched 5.1 innings to pick up the win, and Daniels worked the final 0.2 innings. Pharr pitched for West Bladen.
The Lady Knights, now 7-4 in league play and 9-4 overall, will travel to South Robeson Tuesday night. East Columbus leads the TRC with a 10-1 record and are 12-1 overall.
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