03/28/2024
Spread the love

East Bladen High SchoolEast Bladen’s Lady Eagles have reached the NCHSAA Class 2-A Softball Play-offs for the second consecutive year and hope to advance past the first round tonight as they entertain Jacksonville Northside. Game time is 7 p.m.

Coach Patty Evers’ Lady Eagles finished second in the Four County Conference behind Heide Trask, but captured the league’s No. 1 Class 2-A seed.

Junior Miller Heustess handles the bulk of the pitching duties for the Lady Eagles. Heustess pitched a 6-hitter Tuesday and struck out four as East Bladen locked up the No. 1 seed with a 5-3 victory over Wallace-Rose Hill.

Junior left-hander Lacey Suggs is the Lady Eagles’ other pitcher and also ignites the offense from her lead-off spot in the order, batting 2-3 and scoring 2 runs in the win over Wallace.

Junior shortstop Abby Ward also batted 2-3 against Wallace. Senior catcher Lexi Dawson belted 3 hits in last week’s 3 games. Senior first-baseman Abbey Norris batted 2-3 against Heide Trask. Senior Anna Brewer slammed a 2-run double against Trask.

Coach Kadie Ondrus’ Lady Monarchs finished fourth in the East Central Conference with a 4-6 league record and 10-9 overall mark.

Senior Hunter Halford has posted a 10-9 record in the circle with a 0.99 Earned Run Average for Northside. Halford has struck out 175 batters in 119.2 innings.

Halford supplies the bulk of the Lady Monarch offense batting a sizzling .706 with 5 home runs, 25 runs batted in and 22 runs scored. Junior Asijah West follows Halford with a .308 average and 18 runs scored.

Freshman Maya Stanley is hitting .255 with 17 stolen bases and 18 runs scored. Junior Daja Simmons is hitting .245, and sophomore Toree Henry is batting .244.

About Author