BLADENBORO – West Bladen defeated Clinton 7-5 Tuesday night in the Southeastern Athletic Conference softball opener for both schools.
Coach Kaitlyn Sykes’ Lady Knights built leads of 4-0 and 7-1 then withstood a 6th inning Clinton rally.
The 2 teams are slated to play again Wednesday night in Clinton. West Bladen is now 1-3 overall, while Clinton is 4-7.
West Bladen junior Marlene Crabtree pitched 6.2 innings to pick up the win allowing 5 unearned runs on 8 hits and 4 walks while striking out 2. Senior Gracie Faircloth came on in relief to record the final out allowing 1 hit in 0.1 innings.
Crabtree led off the Lady Knight 2nd inning with a single and stole 2nd base. Sophomore Breanna Hester walked, and junior Holland Davis raked a single to left that scored Crabtree. Freshman Karlee Gause singled off the pitcher to load the bases. Faircloth scorched a single to centerfield that brought home Hester and Davis for a 3-0 West lead.
Junior Kallie Bass walked to begin the West 3rd inning, stole 2nd base, advanced on an infield out and scored on sophomore Natalee Sykes’ fielder’s choice to boost the lead to 4-0.
A 2-out error and singles by Emery Johnson and Zoe Morrisey produced a Clinton run in the 5th inning and whittled the Lady Knight lead to 4-1.
Junior Marlie Walters pounded a triple to deep rightfield to begin the West 5th inning. Bass hammered a triple to right that scored Walters. Crabtree cracked a single off the pitcher that scored Bass. Sykes smacked a single to rightfield, and Hester drove in Crabtree with a single that stretched the lead to 7-1.
An error and 2-out singles by Niah Torres, Gracin Bass, Carmella Carlton and Johnson produced 4 unearned Clinton runs in the 6th inning and sliced the West lead to 7-5.
Faircloth batted 2-for-4 with a double and 2 runs batted in for the Lady Knights. Davis finished 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Crabtree batted 2-for-3 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Walters blasted the triple and was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Bass tripled, scored twice and had an RBI. Sykes, Hester and Gause connected for 1 hit each. Hester and Sykes had 1 RBI each, and Hester scored a run.
Freshman Alivia Capps went the distance in the circle for Clinton allowing 7 runs on 12 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. Johnson batted 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs, and freshman Laila Carter was 2-for-3 with a double. Carlton singled and scored twice.
Clinton 000 014 0 — 5- 9-0
West Bladen 031 030 x — 7-12-3
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