ELIZABETHTOWN – Cade Allen pitched a 2-hitter and struck out 11 batters to lead Bladenboro to a 13-2 non-conference baseball victory over Emereau Bladen Monday at County Park.
Allen also batted a perfect 3-for-3 with a triple, 3 runs scored and a run batted in to lead the Bulldogs at the plate. Teammate Brady Durden finished 2-for-3 at the plate, slugged a 2-run double and totaled 3 RBIs. Hezekiah Blanks hammered a 2-run triple and scored 2 runs for the winners.
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
Hunter Hester walloped a 3-run double to highlight the Bulldogs’ 6-run, 1st inning and scored a run. Weston Hilburn ripped a single and scored a run. Aiden Russ walked 3 times and scored 3 runs. Jackson Pait laced a single and scored twice, and Jonah Bryan scored a run.
Blanks and Russ drew walks and Hilburn cracked a single to center field to load the bases in the 1st inning. Hester cleaned the bases with his 3-run double. Allen yanked a single to left that scored Hester. Pait belted a single to left-center field, and Durden spanked a 2-run double to right-center field that scored Allen and Pait to boost the lead to 6-0.
The Aviators answered with a run in the home first. David Lewis, Caleb Scruggins and Cameron Byers drew walks, and Lewis darted home with the run.
Russ walked and eventually scooted home on a passed ball for a Bulldog run in the 2nd inning. Allen ripped a single to left field in the 3rd inning and raced home on Durden’s single to pad the lead to 8-1.
Claxton Tatum lined a 1-out single in the Aviator 3rd inning and dashed home on Scruggins’ single to whittle the lead to 8-2.
Russ walked and scored again in the Bladenboro 4th inning to grow the lead to 9-2. Allen drilled a lead-off triple in the 5th and scored as Pait reached base on an error. Bryan reached base on an error, and Blanks crushed a triple to deep right field that brought home Pait and Bryan. Blanks sprinted home on a passed ball with the final run.
Tatum and Scruggins connected for the only 2 Aviator hits. Tatum and Lewis scored runs and Scruggins drove in a run. Scruggins, Lewis and Tatum shared the pitching duties for Emereau.
Coach Tim Benton’s Bulldogs improved to 4-1 with the victory and will host Emereau Bladen Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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