LAKE WACCAMAW – Freshman Kayleigh Raynor pitched a 2-hitter and batted 3-4 to lead East Bladen to an 8-4 victory over East Columbus in the opening game of a Three Rivers Conference doubleheader Friday night.
The Lady Gators rolled to a 20-4 victory in the second game.
In the opener the Lady Eagles grabbed a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Sophmore Abbie Cross and Raynor beat out bunt singles to start the rally.
Freshman Alyssa Futrell reached base on an error that scored Cross, and sophmore Johanna Parker hammered a double to left-centerfield that scored Raynor and Futrell.
A walk and an error produced an East Columbus run in the third inning that trimmed the Eagle lead to 3-1.
Junior Anna Kate White drew a walk in the East Bladen fourth inning, and sophmore Lorna Mendell smacked a single to right. Raynor slapped a single to the right side that scored White and padded the lead to 4-1.
The Lady Eagles tacked on 4 more runs in the fifth inning. Junior Olivia Hollingsworth laced a single to centerfield. Futrell cracked a single to centerfield. Parker singled to load the bases.
Hollingsworth and Futrell raced home as Kaley Smith reached base on an error. An error on Mendell’s drive to centerfield scored Parker and Smith to push the lead to 8-1.
An error, a bunt single, a walk and a hit batter produced a trio of East Columbus runs in the fifth inning and trimmed the margin to 8-4.
Raynor struck out four, walked two and hit one batter. All four East Columbus runs were unearned. At the plate Raynor drove in a run and scored one.
Mendell batted 2-3 with a double, and Parker also finished 2-3 at the plate with a double and 2 runs batted in. Hollingsworth, Futrell, White and Cross added one hit each to the Lady Eagle attack. Futrell scored 2 runs, and Hollingsworth, Parker, Smith, White and Cross scored one run each.
Arianna Daniels doubled, and GraceAnna Sessions beat out a bunt single for the only East Columbus hits in the first game.
With the split, East Bladen improved to 7-8 in conference play and 8-9 overall. Coach Chase Lancaster’s Lady Eagles will host St. Pauls Monday.
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