LUMBERTON – Fairmont built a 12-4 lead and held on for a 14-8 victory over West Bladen Tuesday in the fifth-place game of the Robeson County Slugfest Softball Tournament.
The Lady Knights broke on top early with 3 first-inning runs. Senior Abby Dawson led off with a single to centerfield, and sophmore Kyla Reed reached base on a passed third strike.
Sophmore Alara Cashwell ripped a single to centerfield that scored Abby Dawson and Reed. Cashwell circled the bases on a stolen base and 2 wild pitches.
Fairmont answered with 8 runs on 6 hits and 2 dropped fly balls. Kiara Page’s 2-run triple and a 3-run home run by Mackenzie Johnson keyed the Tornado inning.
“Too many errors,” said Lady Knight Coach Pam Stephens. “We score 3 runs in the first then make two big errors and instead of being up 3-2 we are down 8-3.”
Abby Dawson reached on an error to begin the West Bladen second and dashed home on Reed’s fielder’s choice to trim the margin to 8-4.
Fairmont padded their lead to 11-4 in the third on 3 hits and an error. Mya Strickland’s 2-run double highlighted the inning. Fairmont pushed their lead to 12-4 in the fourth.
Senior Elizabeth Allbright reached base on an error to begin the Lady Knight fifth inning. Senior Brittney Landreth walked, and senior Madison Collins advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt.
Walks to freshman Natalie Ludlum and Abby Dawson forced home Allbright. Reed’s infield hit plated Landreth, and Cashwell pounded a double to left that scored Collins, and Ludlum to slice the deficit to 12-8.
Fairmont tacked on a pair of unearned insurance runs in their half of the fifth on 2 hits and 2 errors.
Cashwell batted 3-5 with a double, 4 runs batted in and a run scored to lead the West Bladen hitters. Landreth finished 2-3 at the plate with a run scored.
Reed batted 2-4 with 3 runs scored. Reed had a hit, scored a run and drove in 2 runs. Allbright and Ludlum scored one run each.
Freshman Shelby Pharr started in the circle for West Bladen and pitched 0.2 innings, allowing 7 runs – 2 earned – on 5 hits. Collins relieved her and pitched the final 5.1 innings, allowing 7 runs – 3 earned – on 8 hits and 3 walks while striking out five.
Mackenzie Johnson batted 3-4 with a homer, a double and 3 rbi’s for Fairmont. Kiara Page was 3-4 with a triple, and Kaylee McMilan batted 2-4 with 2 rbi’s.
West Bladen, now 7-7, will host Red Springs Tuesday night.
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