ELIZABETHTOWN – Freshmen Niyah Wooten and Jenna Brice delivered run-scoring hits to key a 4th inning rally that vaulted East Bladen in front 5-4 and the Lady Eagles went on to pick up a key 9-4 Southeastern Athletic Conference softball victory over St. Pauls.
Coach Chris Davisson’s Lady Eagles moved into sole possession of 3rd place in the SAC-7 with a 6-4 league record and a 10-10 overall mark. St. Pauls dropped to 5-5 in league play and 10-9 overall. East Bladen will host Red Springs Wednesday on Senior Night, while St. Pauls will travel to West Bladen Thursday night.
With St. Pauls leading 4-3, freshman Cabria Baldwin beat out an infield hit and advanced on an error to start the Lady Eagle 4th inning. Wooten ripped a single to leftfield that scored Baldwin with the tying run. Wooten moved up on a wild pitch and raced home with the go-ahead run when Brice hammered a double to right-centerfield.
Senior AnnaGrey Heustess walked to start the East 5th inning, and senior Karli Priest yanked a single to left. Senior Laura Davisson knocked in Heustess with a single to left-centerfield that padded the lead to 6-4.
The Lady Eagles pulled away with 3 runs in the 6th inning. Freshman Gracey Clark reached on an error and eventually darted home on a wild pitch. Sophomores Gabriella Bray and Mollie Tolar drew walks, and Heustess’ fielder’s choice plated Bray. Tolar dashed home on a wild pitch to push the lead to 9-4.
Priest batted 2-for-3 and scored a run to lead the East hitters. Brice also was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI. Davisson finished 2-for-4 at the plate with 3 RBIs and a run scored. Baldwin batted 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored.
Wooten, sophomore Martha Simmons, Bray and Heustess added 1 hit each to the Lady Eagle attack. Wooten, Bray, Tolar, Clark and Heustess scored runs. Wooten drove in 2 runs, and Heustess had an RBI.
Priest pitched a complete game 4-hitter for the Lady Eagles, walked only 1 and struck out 8 batters. Only one of the 4 Lady Bulldog runs was earned.
Sophomore Hailey Ray led off the game with a single and scored on freshman Angel Purcell’s single to centerfield to put St. Pauls ahead 1-0.
Priest was hit by a pitch, and Baldwin reached base on an error to begin the Lady Eagle 1st inning. Davisson laced a single to centerfield that scored Priest and Baldwin. Davisson advanced on an error and scooted home when Wooten lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield for a 3-1 East lead.
The Lady Bulldogs scored 3 unearned runs in the 4th inning on another Purcell single, a walk and 2 errors to edge ahead 4-3.
Purcell batted 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the St. Pauls hitters. Sophomore Kayla Williams pitched the 1st 5 innings and was relieved by junior Yomaris Vasquez in the 6th inning.
St. Pauls 100 300 0 — 4- 4-4
East Bladen 300 213 x — 9-12-2
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