The hits — and the runs — just kept on coming Thursday and when Ethan Johnson crossed home plate it sent East Bladen to the third round of the NCHSAA 2-A baseball playoffs.
The Eagles pounded out 20 hits and sealed a 13-3 rout of North Pitt with a five-run sixth inning in a second-round game at Russell Priest Field.
No. 9 seed East Bladen (11-4) advances to play Saturday at North Lenoir (13-3). The fourth-seeded Hawks defeated Roanoke Rapids 6-4 on Thursday. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
Saturday’s winner will play the winner between No. 6 Kill Devil Hills First Flight and No. 10 Randleman for the Eastern championship Tuesday.
Sophomore Evan Pait went 4-for-4 and drove in three runs. Zach Meares and Raymond Autry each also drove in three for East Bladen. Autry, who had a game-changing triple during a six-run third inning, and Drew Sholar each had three hits as every Eagles starter had at least one hit. Meares, Lefrederick Wooten, Johnson and Rasean McKoy each had two hits. Jacob Priest and Brady Hollingsworth each colleted a hit, but both reached on errors that plated runs.
“The defense made plays and the offense done what they’re supposed to do,” East Bladen coach Grant Pait said. “I just seen a lot of hustle on the base paths. We had so many infield hits.”
Wooten and sophomore Coleman Tatum combined to pitch a five-hitter with six walks and six strikeouts.
Wooten struggled with his control in his four innings, but limited the Panthers to only a pair of first inning runs. The senior right-hander walked five, hit a batter, struck out three and needed 98 pitches to get through his four innings.
“Whoever was at the ball game probably looked at Freddy’s pitching performance and thought it was not good, but he got us four innings,” Pait said. “He got us where we wanted to be. We got a plan before every game and he was on our plan. Then Coleman came in and he did a really good job.”
Tatum allowed a run on a walk, stolen base and single in the fifth, then struck out three of the final four batters he faced. The right-hander needed only seven pitches — all strikes — to retire North Pitt in the sixth inning.
East Bladen scored five in the sixth and the game was stopped because of the 10-run rule.
The Eagles cut the early deficit to 2-1 in the second when Johnson reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on McKoy’s double in the left-center field gap.
“The first inning I come in the dugout to get my stuff and I heard our seniors say ‘We got 21 outs,'” Pait said. “When I heard that I said ‘they’re ready to go.'”
East Bladen sent 10 batters to the plate in the third and opened a 7-2 lead. Autry’s two-run triple to deep right and Meares’ two-run double to left-center highlighted the rally.
The Eagles made it 8-2 in the fourth when Sholar reached on a two-out single, advanced to second on Autry’s single and moved to third on an error on the play, then scored on Pait’s single up the middle..
In the decisive sixth, East Bladen used consecutive singles by Hollingsworth, Sholar, Autry, Pait, Johnson and McKoy that made it 11-3. Meares reached on a fielder’s choice that plated Pait. Priest then reached on an infield error that scored Johnson with the game-ending run.
The Eagles had six hits in each of their two big innings — six in the third and five in the sixth.
“They adjusted and busted,” Pait said.
“I’m glad for these seniors. They get at least one more game. They get to travel together.”
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