A 7-run, sixth-inning rally carried West Bladen to a 16-6 non-conference jayvee baseball victory over visiting St. Pauls Saturday.
After St. Pauls scored 4 runs in the top of the first inning, the Knights answered with 5 runs in the bottom of the first. Shawn Oxendine and Ian Sykes started the inning with singles. Jonathan Robinson and Trey Storms knocked in Oxendine and Sykes with singles.
Catcher Jalen Drew belted a single that scored Robinson, and Caleb Sholar drew a walk. Cameron Peterson delivered a single that plated Storms and Drew.
Sykes and Dalton Pait drew walks to begin the Knight second inning. Sykes raced home on a passed ball, and Sholar drove in Pait with a single that pushed the Knight lead to 7-4.
The Bulldogs trimmed the margin to 7-5 in the fourth. Sholar walloped a double to lead off the Knight fifth inning. Justin Nickle and David Valenta drew walks, and Oxendine reached base on an error that scored Sholar.
Sykes walked to force home Nickle, and Dalton Pait swatted a single that scored Valenta and Oxendine. Robinson hammered a double that scored Sykes and Pait, then scored the final run of the inning on a passed ball.
St. Pauls whittled the Knight lead to 14-6 in the top of the sixth, but West Bladen ended the game on the mercy rule with 2 runs in the home sixth. Sholar and Nickle walked. Valenta ripped a single that drove in Sholar and Nickle dashed home on a wild pitch with the final run.
Sholar batted 2-2 with 2 runs scored and one run batted in. Peterson also was a perfect 2-2 with 2 rbi’s. Robinson finished 2-4 at the plate with a double, 4 rbi’s, and 2 runs scored. Oxendine was 2-4 with 2 runs scored.
Sykes, Pait, Storms, Drew and Valenta connected for one hit each. Pait had 2 rbi’s, and Sykes, Storms, Drew and Valenta drove in one run each.
Sykes scored 3 runs, and Pait and Nickle scored 2 runs each. Storms, Drew and Valenta scored one run each.
Sykes pitched a complete-game 8-hitter to pick up the win, struck out 8 and walked seven.
The Knights improve to 8-6 on the season and will host Union Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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