Freedom Christian capitalized on 5 West Bladen errors to score 9 unearned runs and capture an 11-7 non-conference softball victory Friday night at West.
A single, a wild pitch and a misjudged 2-out double produced a Freedom run in the first inning. The Lady Patriots tacked on 4 more runs –one earned – in the second on 4 hits, 2 errors and 2 walks.
Sophmore LaChyna Mack cracked a 2-run single, and Haley Nelson belted a 2-run double as the Freedom lead grew to 5-0.
Junior catcher Alanna Ludlum drew a lead-off walk in the West Bladen second and raced home when freshman Carley Dawson hammered a double to right-centerfield to trim the margin to 5-1.
The Lady Patriots added a pair of unearned runs in the third on a hit batter, an error and MaKenzie Mason’s 2-run bloop single to leftfield.
West Bladen rallied with 3 runs in the home third. Junior Kathryn Schultz beat out an infield hit, and junior Kassidy Anderson walked. Junior Sophia Singletary walloped a triple to the left-centerfield gap that scored both runners. Singletary dashed home on a wild pitch to trim the lead to 7-4.
A 2-out infield hit followed by 2 straight singles produced a Freedom run in the fifth and pushed the lead to 8-4.
Freedom padded their lead with 3 unearned runs in the sixth inning on 2 errors, a walk and 2 hits. One run scored on an error, and junior Natalia Weindle belted a 2-run single for an 11-4 lead.
The Lady Knights rallied in their last at-bat. Anderson beat out an infield hit, and Singletary reached base on an error. Junior Laikyn Pait smacked a double down the rightfield line that drove in Anderson.
Ludlum reached base on an error, and Dawson knocked in Singletary with a single. Pait dashed home on a wild pitch to close the gap to 11-7. The next 3 batters were retired in order to end the game.
Weindle batted 4-5 with 2 runs batted in to lead the 14-hit Lady Patriot attack. Mason was 2-4 with 2 rbi’s and 2 runs scored.
Freshman Molly Montgomery turned in a 2-4 game with a double and an rbi, and Nelson, the winning pitcher, knocked in 3 runs with a 2-5 game that included a double. McKoy pitched the final 3 innings and closed out the game.
Dawson batted 2-4 with a double and 2 runs batted in. Singletary drove in 2 runs with the triple and scored one. Pait doubled, scored a run and had an rbi.
Anderson singled and scored 2 runs. Schultz singled and scored a run, and junior Logan Autry had the other Lady Knight hit.
Singletary went the distance in the circle for the Lady Knights, striking out 2 and walking 3.
“Both teams kicked it around a little bit,” said West Bladen Coach Joey Autry. “But the girls battled and hung in there. I am really proud of their effort. We are young, but we are going to enjoy getting better as the season goes along.”
Before the game both teams gathered at home plate to honor and pray for Freedom Christian Coach Eddie Dees who is battling cancer. Coach Dees worked with West Bladen Athletic Director Kim Cain for 11 years at South View in Hope Mills.
West Bladen, now 1-2, will host South Robeson Saturday (today) at 12 noon.
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