RED SPRINGS – West Bladen pounded Red Springs 18-3 Tuesday night in Southeastern Athletic Conference softball action.
Coach Kaitlyn Sykes’ Lady Knights raised their SAC record to 5-4 and their overall mark to 6-7. West Bladen will host Red Springs in a return match Friday night. The Lady Red Devils drop to 2-7 in the league and 5-11 overall.
Pitchers Marlene Crabtree and Gracie Faircloth combined for 6 hits and drove in 7 runs to lead the Lady Knight attack. Crabtree, a junior, batted 3-for-4 with 5 runs batted in and 2 runs scored. Faircloth, a senior, turned in a 3-for-5 game at the plate with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
Junior Kallie Bass batted a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and 3 runs scored. Sophomore Natalee Sykes finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, an RBI and 4 runs scored. Freshman Emma Fisher batted 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
Sophomore Kali Allen and freshman Cylee Lugenbill slammed doubles, and freshman Karlee Gause, senior Megan Pait and sophomore Brenna Hester added 1 hit each to West Bladen’s 18-hit attack.
Allen knocked in 3 runs, and Lugenbill, Gause and Fisher drove in 1 run each. Allen and Pait scored 2 runs each, and Lugenbill, freshman Carrie Jones and Fisher scored 1 run each.
Crabtree started in the circle for West and pitched 3 innings allowing 3 runs – 1 earned – on 2 hits and a walk while striking out 2. Faircloth worked 1 inning of scoreless, 1-hit relief.
Faircloth rapped a single to center, and junior Holland Davis walked to start the game, but a double play was turned on Sykes’ fielder’s choice. Sykes stole 3rd base and scored when Bass slapped a single to shortstop.
Two errors and Ava Goins’ single produced a Red Springs run in the home 1st that tied the game 1-1.
Walks to Hester, Pait and Jones began the West 2nd inning. Faircloth forced Hester at the plate, but Sykes reached base on a 2-out error that scored Pait. Bass and Allen drew walks to force home Jones and Faircloth for a 4-1 lead. Crabtree laced a single to center field that scored Sykes and Bass and padded the lead to 6-1.
Leeyah Hammond was hit by a pitch, and Nikki Locklear reached base on an error in the Lady Red Devil 2nd inning. Makyla Hunt drove in both runners with a double that sliced the West lead to 6-3.
The Lady Knights exploded for 12 runs in the 4th inning. Sykes walked, and Bass walloped a double to left. Sykes stole home, and Allen walked. Crabtree roped a single to center field that scored Bass and Allen. Pait smacked a single to left, and Fisher ripped a double to left that brought home Crabtree.
Faircloth smoked a single to center that scored Pait and Fisher. Sykes drilled a double to center that scored Faircloth. Bass banged a single off the pitcher, and Allen yanked a double to left that scored Sykes and Bass. Crabtree scorched a single to center that scored Allen.
Lugenbill pounded a double to right that scored Crabtree, and Gause smacked a single to right that scored Lugenbill and pushed the lead to 18-3.
Hunt and Brynia McLean both doubled to lead the Red Springs hitters. Hunt drove in 2 runs, and Goins had the RBI single. Sabria McPhatter went the distance in the circle for the Lady Red Devils.
West Bladen 150 (12) — 18-18-3
Red Springs 120 0 — 3- 3-1
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