Junior shortstop Abby Ward batted 3-4 with a double and knocked in 5 runs to lead East Bladen to a 25-1 softball victory at Union Thursday night in the Four County Conference opener for both teams.
Junior Lacey Suggs belted 2 singles and a double and drove in 2 runs for East Bladen. Senior first baseman Abbey Norris slammed a double and 2 singles to drive in 2 runs for the winners.
Senior catcher Lexi Dawson drilled a run-scoring triple to right-field in the fifth inning. Senior Anna Brewer, junior Miller Heustess, sophomore Emily Scott and freshman Kaley Smith added one hit each for East Bladen.
Brewer drove in 2 runs, and Scott knocked in one.
Heustess pitched the first 3 innings to pick up the win, striking out two and allowing an unearned run and one hit. Suggs came on in relief to strike-out 3 in her 2 scoreless innings in the circle. The junior left-hander allowed no hits and one walk.
Dawson reached base on a fielder’s choice in the first inning and her courtesy runner, Kaley Smith, scored on an error.
The Lady Eagles broke the game open with 8 second-inning runs. Union pitchers issued eight walks and hit a batter in the inning. Suggs plated a run with a bunt single, and Ward smacked a 2-run single for the only hits in the inning.
East Bladen capitalized on 4 more walks in the third inning to push their lead to 13-1. Norris and Brewer ripped back-to-back singles in the inning, and Heustess legged out a bunt single.
The Lady Eagles added 6 more runs in the fourth inning as Norris and Suggs slugged doubles, and Ward added a single. Three more walks and 2 Union errors figured in the scoring.
Ward launched the 2-run double over the center-fielder’s head in the fifth inning. Dawson smashed the triple, and Suggs and Smith connected for singles in the inning.
Coach Patty Evers’ Lady Eagles are now 1-0 in the Four County and 3-1 overall. East Bladen will host Midway Tuesday at 6 p.m.
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