ELIZABETHTOWN – Pinch-hitter Mason Brooks delivered a two-run single that gave the East Bladen junior varsity baseball team the lead and Parker Greene capped the seven-run, two-out rally with a triple to left field that drove home the final two scores as the Eagles defeated Whiteville 12-9 on Tuesday in a non-conference game at Russell Priest Field.
The game was halted after four innings because of the time limit.
East Bladen is 5-0 and is scheduled to play at Whiteville on Friday at 4 p.m. The Eagles are 2-0 in Southeastern Athletic Conference play after a pair of wins against West Bladen last week.
East Bladen trailed 9-5 and the first two batters were retired in the final inning against the Wolfpack before the next eight batters reached.
The rally started with Carson Gooden’s single to left. Cole Butler walked and Na’toren Corbettt walked to load the bases. Lee Barnes followed with a walk that forced home courtesy runner Maliki Moore. D.A. Smith reached on an infield single that plated Butler. Caleb Scruggins was hit by a pitch that plated Corbett that pulled East Bladen within 9-8.
That set the stage for Brooks’ clutch hit, a solid single to left field that scored Barnes and Smith and put the Eagles ahead 10-9. Greene followed with a triple that scored Scruggins and Brooks. Greene was thrown out at the plate attempting an inside-the-park home run.
Greene, the Eagles’ catcher, went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs and two triples. Gooden was 2-for-2. Scruggins, Brooks, Kalic Autry, Corbett, Barnes and Smith each had one hit. Barnes drove in three runs. Courtesy runners Chase Butler and Moore along with Scruggins each scored twice.
Gooden was the winning pitcher. He went 2 innings and allowed four runs on three hits with three walks. Starter Jake Futrell pitched the first two innings and allowed five runs on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
East Bladen scored twice in the first. Greene’s first triple of the game drove home Scruggins, who had led off with a single. Chase Butler, running for Greene, scored on a wild pitch.
Whiteville batted around in the second inning and scored five runs on four walks, a three-run double and wild pitch.
The Eagles tied it at 5-all in the third on a run-scoring single by Corbett and two-run single by Barnes.
Whiteville grabbed a 9-5 lead in the top of the fourth, but the Eagles rallied in the bottom of the innings.
Whiteville 050 4 – 9- 7-0
East Bladen 203 7 – 12-11-2
About Author
