BLADENBORO – Cody Butler batted 3-4 and drove in 6 runs to lead Elizabethtown to a 13-2 victory over Bladenboro Thursday that clinched the Bladen Five Middle School Conference Championship for the Cougars.Coach Tripp Lancaster’s Cougars finished the season undefeated with a 6-0 league record. Coach Steve Thurman’s Bulldogs claimed second-place with a 4-2 record.
Jordan Robinson slammed a double to left-centerfield to begin the Elizabethtown first inning. Catcher Brady Hollingsworth belted a 2-out single, and Butler and courtesy runner Allen Owens both scored Cougar runs in the inning.
The Bulldogs trimmed the margin to 2-1 in the second inning. Braylon Williamson walloped a double and raced home when Tra Ballard smacked a single.
Drew Sholar and Zach Meares drew walks in the Cougar third inning, and Butler swatted a double to rightfield that scored both runners and padded the lead to 4-1.
Bladenboro answered with a run in the home third. Logan West led off the inning with a walk and darted home on Colby White’s single to whittle their deficit to 4-2.
The Cougars broke the game open with a 6-run fourth inning. Fred Wooten drew a walk and dashed to third base on a throwing error. Ethan Johnson laced a single to left-centerfield as Wooten scored.
Jay McKoy followed with a single, and Sholar cracked a single to right-centerfield as Johnson scored. Robinson knocked in Jay McKoy with a single, and Meares forced Robinson out at second base.
Butler crushed a triple to right-centerfield that scored both Sholar and Meares. Butler later scored to stretch the lead to 10-2.
The Cougars tacked on 3 more runs in the sixth inning. Robinson walked and Meares delivered a single. Butler smashed a double that scored both runners, and Butler later scored on an error.
Robinson finished 2-3 at the plate with a run batted in and 2 runs scored. Meares, Hollingsworth, Johnson, Sholar and Jay McKoy added one hit each to the winners’ ten-hit attack.
Meares scored 3 runs, and Butler and Sholar scored 2 runs each. Owens, Wooten, Johnson, and Jay McKoy scored one run each.
Meares started on the mound for the Cougars and was relieved by Butler. The two Elizabethtown pitchers combined for 11 strike-outs and allowed 4 walks, 5 hits and a hit batter.
Williamson batted 2-2 with a double and a run scored. White and Ballard contributed run-scoring singles, and Noah Deaver added a single. West who started on the mound for the Bulldogs also scored a run.
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