NEWPORT- Senior Lefredrick Wooten knocked in 3 runs and pitched 3 innings of shutout relief as East Bladen advanced to the 2nd round of the NCHSAA Class 2A State Baseball Playoffs with a 6-1 victory over Croatan Tuesday night.
The victory for the 9th seeded Eagles coupled with No. 16 seed North Pitt’s 2-1 win at top-seeded McMichael will give East Bladen a home game in the 2nd round against the Panthers.
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
Senior Drew Sholar drew a walk to start a pivotal Eagle 2nd inning. Sophomore Evan Pait smashed a 1-out single to rightfield, and junior Ethan Johnson lined a single to right to load the bases. Sholar dashed home on senior Rasean McKoy’s fielder’s choice that retired Pait.
Senior Zach Meares walked, and senior Jacob Priest reached base on an error that scored Johnson. Wooten blasted a triple to centerfield that cleaned the bases scoring McKoy, Meares and Priest for a 5-0 East lead.
Wooten ripped a single through the middle to begin the Eagle 5th inning, and senior Brady Hollingsworth walked. Sholar lifted a fly ball to right, and Marlin Davis, the pinch-runner for Wooten, tagged up and sprinted to 3rd base after the catch. Davis darted home on a wild pitch to pad the lead to 6-0.
Jamie Register walked to begin the Cougar half of the 5th and circled the bases on an error, Jack Riley’s single and a passed ball to whittle the lead to 6-1.
The Cougars mounted a late threat in the home seventh. After Wooten struck out the 1st two batters, Austin Odom’s single and a pair of walks loaded the bases, before a fly-out to Sholar in right ended the game.
Meares started and pitched 4-plus hitless innings for the Eagles allowing an unearned run while striking out 8 and walking four. Wooten gave up 2 hits and walked 3, while striking out 4 in his 3 innings on the hill.
Wooten batted 3-for-4 with a double and the 3-run triple to lead the Eagle hitters. Pait and Johnson connected for 1 hit each. McKoy drove in a run and scored a run. Johnson, Sholar, Meares, Priest, and Davis scored runs.
Ryan Bellamy gave up 5 runs – 1 earned – on 2 hits in his 2 innings on the hill for the Cougars. Owen Bellamy pitched the final 5 innings and allowed a run on a hit and 2 walks while striking out six. Odom and Riley had the only Croatan hits as the 14-1 Cougars suffered their 1st loss of the season.
In other 1st round action involving Three Rivers Conference teams, Whiteville edged No. 3 2A seed Midway 1-0, East Columbus lost 6-0 to Hobbton, and West Columbus was outscored 8-5 at East Carteret.
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