Winning pitcher Trent West slugged the go-ahead home run in the sixth inning as West Bladen’s Knights rallied for a 2-1 victory Saturday night at Edenton Holmes in the NCHSAA Class 2-A Baseball Play-offs.
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The Knights, now 12-8, advance to the third round at No. 3 Eastern seed Croatan Tuesday night. Edenton Holmes, the Northeastern Coastal champion, finishes the season with a 15-6 record.
West and junior Jeremy Hunt combined to pitch a 2-hitter and strike out ten Holmes batters. Hunt struck out the side in the first inning and worked three innings on the mound, allowing one run on one hit and three walks.
West came on in the fourth and pitched for the first time in over a month after being sidelined by an injury. The sophomore right-hander pitched four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, while striking out seven.
There was a walk in the second inning, followed by a hit-and-run grounder that sent the base-runner to third base and a wild pitch plated the Edenton run.
West Bladen tied the game in the fifth as junior Troy Edge belted a single, then stole second base. Sophomore Weston Pidgeon cracked a single to left.
The Holmes left-fielder was playing shallow and had apparently thrown out Edge at the plate, but obstruction was called when Edge became entangled with the Ace third-baseman while turning third base, and Edge was awarded home plate which tied the game.
“I saw the umpire’s arm go out (delayed dead ball signal for obstruction) when the third-baseman got in Troy’s way,” said Knight Coach Kim Cain. “That’s why I waved Troy home. I probably would have held him if I hadn’t seen the obstruction signal.”
In the sixth inning, West walloped a home run over the high scoreboard behind the left field fence to put the Knights on top 2-1.
Pidgeon topped the West Bladen hitters with a 2-3 performance at the plate and the run batted in. West blasted the home run, and teammates Edge, Hunt, and catcher Colby McLean connected for one hit each. Edge scored a run.
Edenton center-fielder William High made two outstanding catches to rob the Knights of scoring chances. With a runner on base in the first, West blasted a rocket to center-field, but High turned his back to the plate and ran the ball down to make the catch.
In the seventh inning, High dove to catch a ball in the gap off the bat of West Bladen freshman Jarrett Williams and robbed Williams of at least a double.
About the formidable task ahead Tuesday at 17-2 Croatan, Coach Cain said, “Not too many people gave us much of a chance at Ayden-Grifton or much of a chance tonight, but we will go up there and give it our best shot.”
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