Junior Alanna Ludlum started in the circle for the first time in her high-school career, pitched a 3-hitter and struck out 5 to lead West Bladen to a 25-3 Four County Conference softball victory over visiting Union Thursday night.
Ludlum who has been a 3-year starter at catcher for the Lady Knights walked 5 and allowed a run in the first inning and 2 more in the third.
The Lady Knights took control of the game with 5 runs in the home first. Junior Kassidy Anderson led off with a single and stole 2 bases, and junior Logan Autry walked and stole a base. Freshman Carley Dawson’s ground ball plated Anderson with the first West Bladen run.
Ludlum reached base on an error as Autry scored, and Pait slugged a triple that brought home Ludlum. Junior Sophia Singletary walloped a double that scored Pait, and junior Jenna Dove’s grounder drove in Singletary and put West up 5-1.
West Bladen tacked on 4 more runs in the second. Anderson drew a lead-off walk and eventually scored on Carley Dawson’s ground ball. Dawson reached on an error, and Ludlum walked. Both scored on errors, and Singletary walked and circled the bases on one stolen base and 2 passed balls.
After Union trimmed the margin to 9-3, West Bladen blew the game open with 11 runs in the home third. Anderson blasted a triple, and Autry drove her in with a single, stole a base and scored on a passed ball.
Carley Dawson and Ludlum drew walks, and Pait cracked a run-scoring single. Dove belted a run-scoring single, and junior Kathryn Schultz hammered a run-scoring double.
Freshman Conner Brisson smacked a single, and Anderson, Autry and sophmore Abby Dawson delivered back-to-back-to back run-scoring singles.
Ludlum reached on an error as a run scored, and Pait’s bases-loaded walk delivered another run. Singletary’s fielder’s choice plated the final run of the inning and upped the count to 20-3.
West Bladen added 5 more runs in the home fourth. Brisson reached on an error, Anderson walked, and Autry was hit by a pitch. Abby Dawson drove in a run with a single, and freshman Maegan Brady was hit by a pitch to force home another run.
Pait clubbed a 2-run double to drive in the final Lady Knight runs and finished 3-4 at the plate with a double, a triple, 5 runs batted in and 2 runs scored.
Anderson batted a perfect 3-3 with a triple, 5 runs scored and one rbi. Autry turned in a 2-3 game with 4 runs scored and 2 rbi’s. Abby Dawson came off the bench to go 2-2 with 2 runs scored and one rbi.
Singletary smashed the double, drove in 2 runs and scored three. Schultz swatted the double, scored a run and drove one in. Brisson and Dove added one hit each. Ludlum scored 4 runs, Carley Dawson scored twice and Brisson, Dove and Schultz scored one run each.
Dove, Ludlum and Carley Dawson drove in 2 runs each, and Brady drove in one run.
Coach Joey Autry’s Lady Knights improve to 5-2 in conference play and 8-7 overall and will host rival East Bladen today (Friday) at 6 p.m.
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