SHALLOTTE – West Bladen broke open a 6-5 game with a 7-run 6th inning then held off a West Brunswick rally to claim a 13-10 non-conference softball victory Monday night.
Coach Pam Stephens’ Lady Knights have won 10 of their last 11 games to raise their record to 11-5. West Bladen will return to Southeastern Athletic Conference play Tuesday night at home against Red Springs.
Senior Kylie Durden beat out an infield hit to start the 6th, junior Gracie Faircloth was hit by a pitch, and freshman Kali Allen advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Durden darted home on a wild pitch, and sophomore Marlene Crabtree’s bunt single plated Faircloth. Freshman Brenna Hester walked.
Senior Kaitlynn Brisson belted a single to left-center field that scored Crabtree. Senior Madison Taylor laced a single to right that plated Hester. Senior Mackenzie Singletary drove in Brisson with a single. Taylor scored on Durden’s fielder’s choice, and Faircloth’s sacrifice bunt brought home Jahyra Priest, the courtesy runner for Singletary, and pushed the lead to 13-5.
Catcher Hailey Woodard drove in 2 runs in the Lady Trojan 6th inning. West Brunswick started the 7th inning with 3 straight hits, but senior Rylee Chadwick returned to the circle and retired the next 3 batters to end the game.
Chadwick batted 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Singletary finished 2-for-4 at the plate with 3 RBIs. Faircloth was also 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Taylor batted 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Hester was 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice.
Durden batted 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Crabtree finished 2-for-5 with a run scored, and Allen, Brisson and junior Megan Pait smacked 1 hit each. Allen, Priest and sophomore Holland Davis scored runs.
Chadwick started and pitched 5.1 innings, but was relieved by Taylor in the 6th. Chadwick then returned to the circle in the 7th and retired the final 3 batters. She gave up 7 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Taylor worked an inning in relief and gave up 3 hits and 3 runs while striking out one.
After Chadwick reached on an error to start the game, Durden scorched a single to center field. Faircloth hammered a double to center field that scored Chadwick, and Allen’s grounder plated Durden. Hester knocked in Faircloth with a single to right that put the Lady Knights up 3-0.
Kaylee Williams doubled home a Lady Trojan run in the 3rd, and Makaylee Sanders slugged a 2-run homer over the right-center field fence to tie the game 3-3. Doubles by Kenzie McDowell and Olivia Brown produced 2 more West Brunswick runs in the 4th inning that vaulted the home team in front 5-3.
Allen swatted a single to left-center field to start the West Bladen 5th, and Hester legged out an infield hit. Taylor cracked a single to center field, and Singletary ripped a single to center that scored Allen and Hester. Chadwick walloped a double to center that scored Davis and edged the Lady Knights ahead 6-5.
Sanders batted 3-for-4 with the 2-run homer and scored twice to lead the Lady Trojan Hitters. McDowell slammed a pair of doubles, scored twice and had an RBI. Brown was 2-for-4 with an RBI double, and Chloe Ward batted 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
West Bladen 300 037 0 — 13-17-2
West Brunswick 003 202 3 — 10-13-3
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