KENLY – North Johnston used 9 walks and only 2 hits to score 5 runs in their final 2 at-bats and pull out a 9-8 victory over East Bladen in the second round of the NCHSAA Class 2A Baseball Play-offs.
After the Panthers had taken the 9-8 lead in the home sixth, East Bladen’s rally in the top of the seventh was cut short by an interference call. Sophmore Shy Pone drew a lead-off walk and appeared to have stolen second on a 2-strike pitch, but the home plate umpire ruled that the batter interfered with the catcher’s throw that almost got Pone without the help from the ruling.
Senior Kyle Tatum ripped a 2-out single to left, but Panther starter Steven Worley returned to the mound to record the final out. Senior Logan Hayes who had relieved Worley in the second inning had reached the pitch-count limit while facing Tatum.
Pone and junior Sincere Smith drew walks in the East Bladen first inning, but centerfielder Trey Whitley’s diving catch of Kyle Tatum’s liner kept the Eagles scoreless.
Singles by Brandon Barnes, Garrett Littleton and Whitley produced a pair of North Johnston runs in the first inning.
East Bladen sent eleven batters to the plate in a 6-run second inning. Sophmore Greyson Heustess reached base on a bobble by the first baseman, and sophmore Spencer Scott and Pone drew walks.
Smith reached base on an error that scored Heustess, and Kyle Tatum’s fly ball to centerfield was dropped allowing sophmore Josh McKoy, the courtesy runner for Scott, to score. Junior Xavier Wooten drew a bases-loaded walk to force home Pone.
Junior Brooks McGill smacked a single to right that scored Smith and Dan Tatum, the courtesy runner for Kyle Tatum. Heustess swatted a double down the rightfield line that plated Wooten and put the Eagles up 6-2.
East Bladen tacked on a run in the third as Scott raked a single through the left side, and his courtesy runner McKoy sprinted home when Pone hammered a double to right-centerfield for a 7-2 Eagle lead.
Whitley and Hayes started the Panther fourth with singles. After a fielder’s choice, Whitley scored on an error, and Cameron Evans greeted Eagle reliever Xavier Wooten with a single that plated Hayes. A shortstop Smith to secondbaseman Quinton Bedsole to firstbaseman Dan Tatum double-play ended the inning with East Bladen up 7-4.
Dan Tatum hooked a double into the leftfield corner to begin the Eagle fifth. Two outs later Smith rapped a single to centerfield that scored Dan Tatum and padded the lead to 8-4.
The Panthers rallied with 3 runs in the home fifth on 5 walks and Whitley’s infield hit to close the gap to 8-7.
The Eagles loaded the bases on 3 walks in the sixth but failed to score. For the game East Bladen left 11 runners on base – eight in scoring position.
Littleton’s single and four walks produced the tying and eventual winning run in the home half of the sixth. Dylan Radford scored the tying run on a wild pitch, and Littleton dashed home with the go-ahead run on another wild pitch.
The home plate umpire had a tight strike zone and walks were a huge problem in the game as both teams issued ten walks each to their opponent.
With sophmore Pierce Melvin having exceeded the 60 pitch-count Wednesday and unable to pitch on Saturday, the Eagles sent Scott to the mound for his first varsity start. The righthander pitched 3.1 innings and allowed 4 runs – 3 earned, on 5 hits and a walk.
“Spencer started off well and held them down,” said East Bladen Coach Russell Priest. “He did a good job for us.”
Wooten relieved in the fourth and worked out of the inning with the assistance of a double play. However he issued 4 walks in the fifth inning and was relieved by Smith. Wooten pitched 1.1 innings and allowed 3 runs on 2 hits while striking out two.
Smith came on to get the final out of the fifth but didn’t retire a batter in the sixth and was charged with the loss. He only worked 0.1 inning allowing 2 runs on 3 walks and a single. Pone came on to finish the sixth striking out the side in the sixth and gave up no runs on 2 walks and no hits.
Seven different Eagles connected for one hit each. Pone and Heustess both doubled home a run and both scored runs. Dan Tatum doubled and scored twice. McGill delivered the 2-run single.
Scott singled and his courtesy runner, Josh McKoy, scored twice. Kyle Tatum added a single. Smith singled and scored a run. Wooten had a run batted in and scored a run.
Whitley batted 3-3 with an rbi and 2 runs scored. Littleton finished 2-2 at the plate and scored 3 runs. Evans and Hayes added one hit each. Evans and Holden Hales drove in 2 runs each. Colby Hall and Blake McLean had one rbi each.
Worley pitched 2 innings and gave up 6 runs on 5 walks and 2 hits while striking out two. Hayes worked 5 innings of relief and allowed 2 runs on 5 walks and 5 hits while striking out seven to pick up the win.
North Johnston, the No. 3 seed in the East, improves to 21-3 and advances to play Randleman.
East Bladen concludes their season with a 15-7 record. “I hate for it to end like this but it’s been a pretty good year,” said Coach Priest. “We have a lot of juniors and sophmores.”
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