NORWOOD – Bladen County scored 4 runs in each of the last 3 innings to close out a 12-2 mercy-rule victory over Fairmont Saturday in the opening round of the North Carolina Dixie Youth Baseball Minors (AAA) State Tournament.
Bladen County advances to a 6:30 p.m. winners bracket game Sunday against Leland. Leland defeated Montgomery County Saturday.
Keithan Russ and Will Allen drew walks to begin the Bladen 3rd inning. After Jeremiah Bryan was hit by a pitch, ground balls by Peyton Johnson and Rylan Bordeaux scored Russ and Allen. Sawyer King smacked a single to centerfield that brought home Bryan. After Drake Gause walked, Tyler Thurman’s grounder plated Sawyer King for a 4-0 Bladen lead.
Gauge King, Brooks Carroll, and Keithan Russ drew walks in the Bladen 4th inning. Gauge King and Carroll both stole home as Sawyer King walked. Gause smashed a single to left-centerfield as Russ and Sawyer King scored to push the lead to 8-0.
Fairmont sliced the lead to 8-2 in the top of the 5th inning.
Corben Chadwick laced a single to right-center to begin the Bladen 5th, and Gauge King knocked in Chadwick with a double to left-center. Dalton Ammons and Carroll drew walks, and Gauge King and Ammons both scored. Carroll later scored on Russ’ ground ball to end the game on the run-rule.
Ammons started on the mound for Bladen and pitched 3 scoreless innings allowing only 1 hit. Gauge King, Sawyer King, and Gause all pitched in relief for the winners.
Gauge King doubled home a run and scored twice to lead the Bladen hitters. Sawyer King, Gause, Thurman, and Chadwick connected for 1 hit each. Sawyer King, Gause, Thurman, Gauge King, Russ, Johnson, and Bordeaux drove in 1 run each. Russ, Carroll, and Sawyer King scored 2 runs each. Chadwick, Ammons, Allen, and Bryan scored 1 run each.
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