BLADENBORO – For the 2nd consecutive day, Bladenboro and Emereau Bladen battled to the final play of the game and for the 2nd time Emereau escaped with a 1-run victory 12-11 Tuesday in non-conference middle school softball action.
The Lady Aviators took a 12-9 lead into the final inning, but Bladenboro’s Marly Crabtree scalded a single to center field, and Kali Allen poked a single to right. After a force-out, Kallie Bass drilled a triple into the right field corner that scored both runners and sliced the lead to 12-11.
However Emereau pitcher Jenna Brice stranded the tying run at 3rd base by retiring the next 2 batters on a ground-out and a strike-out. Brice picked up the win with 3.1 innings of relief allowing 7 runs on 6 hits while striking out three. Gracie Clark started in the circle for Emereau and worked 2.2 innings allowing 4 runs on 5 walks and 2 hits while striking out five.
Bass started in the circle for Bladenboro and allowed 4 runs before being relieved by Crabtree who allowed 8 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks, while striking out six.
Emereau grabbed an early 5-0 lead. Taylor Dowless, Mollie Tolar, Martha Simmons, and Clark drew walks, Brice reached on an error, and Aubrei Nixon’s fielder’s choice retired Simmons. Dowless, Tolar, Brice, Clark and Nixon all scored runs. Madison Sullivan’s single drove in Nixon.
Marlie Walters reached base on a fielder’s choice in the Lady Bulldog 1st inning after Leea Wilkins walked. Walters dashed home on a wild pitch to whittle the lead to 5-1.
Dowless beat out an infield hit to start the Emereau 2nd inning, and Simmons knocked her in with a single to left that padded the lead to 6-1.
Sullivan and Laci Bufkin reached base on errors to begin the Lady Aviator 3rd inning, and Dowless and Tolar drew walks. Sullivan, Bufkin and Dowless all scored on wild pitches to stretch the lead to 9-1.
Bladenboro answered with 3 runs in the home third. Walters and Crabtree reached base on passed 3rd strikes, and Holland Davis drove in Walters with a single to center field. Kali Allen beat out an infield hit that scored Davis, but Crabtree was tagged out on the play. Walks to Bass, Gracie Todd and Georgia Hester forced home Allen and sliced the lead to 9-4.
Clark reached on an error, and Nixon belted a single to right that was misplayed and allowed Clark and Nixon to score and boost the Lady Aviator lead to 11-4 in the top of the 4th inning.
Bladenboro answered in the home half as Davis and Crabtree reached base on errors and both of them came around to score and trim the margin to 11-6.
Bass crushed a solo home run to deep right-center field to start the Bladenboro 5th inning. Wilkins beat out an infield hit, and Walters drilled a 2-run home run to left to close the gap to 11-9.
Clark walked and eventually scored a very important run for the Lady Aviators in the top of the 6th inning on a wild pitch.
Dowless singled and scored 3 runs for Emereau. Clark walked twice and scored 3 runs. Nixon singled and scored twice. Brice doubled and scored a run. Simmons drove in a run with a single. Sullivan singled and scored a run. Tolar and Bufkin scored runs.
Bass blasted a triple and a home run, drove in 3 runs and scored a run. Walters smashed the 2-run homer and scored 3 runs. Allen contributed 2 hits and scored twice. Davis, Crabtree, and Wilkins connected for one hit each. Davis scored 2 runs, and Wilkins, Crabtree and Natalie Sykes scored one run each. Davis drove in a run.
Coach Jamie Brice’s Lady Aviators improved to 7-1 with the victory. Bladenboro finished the year with a 2-3 record.
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