CLINTON – Sophmore Pierce Melvin pitched a one-hitter and struck out 11 batters to lead East Bladen to a 7-3 Four County Conference jayvee baseball victory over Clinton Tuesday.
The Dark Horses pushed across unearned single runs in the first, second and third innings aided by five Eagle errors. The only Clinton hit came in the fourth inning. Melvin only walked two batters.
The Eagles took a first-inning lead as freshman Gabe Barber smacked a lead-off single, moved up on Jordan Robinson’s sacrifice bunt and sophmore Spencer Scott knocked him in with a single.
East Bladen retook the lead in the second inning. Holden Clark belted a single but was forced at second by Eric Chancy. Chancy stole second base and raced to third on an error. Freshman Jake Evans cracked a single, and Chancy scored to put East up 2-1.
Clinton tied the game in the home second. Melvin was hit by a pitch in the third and dashed home when Josh McKoy walloped a triple for a 3-2 Eagle lead. Clinton knotted the score 3-3 in the home third.
Robinson laced a single in the Eagle fifth and stole second base. Scott hammered a double that drove in Robinson for a 4-3 lead.
East Bladen padded the lead with a 3-run sixth. Davis Alsup and Barber were hit by a pitches, and Evans walked. Robinson and Scott delivered run-scoring singles as Alsup, Evans and Barber scored runs.
Scott batted 3-4 with a double and 3 runs batted in to lead the East Bladen hitters. Robinson finished 2-3 at the plate with an rbi and a run scored. McKoy slugged the rbi triple.
Clark, Barber and Evans connected for one hit each. Barber scored 2 runs, and Melvin, Chancy, Alsup and Evans scored one run each.
The Eagles improve to 7-1 in Four County play and 9-2 overall. East Bladen will host Pender Thursday at 4 p.m.
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