03/28/2024
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CERRO GORDO – Senior Kristen Meares tripled home the tying run and scored the winning run as West Columbus rallied for 4 runs in the seventh inning to edge East Bladen 8-7 Thursday night in Three Rivers Conference softball action.

An error, junior Leah Floyd’s triple and a sacrifice fly sliced the Lady Eagle lead to 7-6, before freshman Brooke Dyson cracked a 2-out single and scored the tying run on Meares’ triple. Meares scored the game-winner on the throw.

Sophmore pitcher Kayleigh Raynor struck out ten batters and pitched a 7-hitter. Only two of the West Columbus runs were earned. Raynor led the East hitters batting a perfect 4-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs batted in and 2 runs scored.

Sophmore Jordan Kinlaw finished 2-4 at the plate for East. Sophmore Alyssa Futrell drove in a run with a double. Juniors Abbie Cross and Lorna Mendell and freshman Mariah Smith added one hit each.

Raynor led off the game with a single and circled the bases on a couple of errors for an early 1-0 lead.

Smith raked a single to leftfield to begin the second inning. Cross beat out a bunt single, and Raynor hammered a double to left that scored Smith. Senior Erica McKoy’s sacrifice fly scored Cross to boost the East lead to 3-0.

Junior Johanna Parker reached base on an error in the Lady Eagle third inning and raced home as Mendell reached base on an error to pad the lead to 4-0.

Brittany Barnhill walked to begin the West Columbus fourth inning and eventually stole home. Meares reached on a fielder’s choice and also stole home to trim the margin to 4-2. A walk, an error and Dyson’s 2-run double pulled the Lady Vikings even at 4-4 in the fifth inning.

Kinlaw started the Lady Eagle sixth with a single but was retired on Cross’ fielder’s choice. Raynor slammed a double that sent Cross to third base. Cross was retired on McKoy’s fielder’s choice, but Raynor dashed home with the go-ahead run. Futrell smashed a double that scored McKoy for a 6-4 lead.

Mendell smacked a single to centerfield to begin the East Bladen seventh, and Kinlaw cracked a single to left. Raynor knocked in Mendell with a single to center to push the lead to 7-4.

Dyson batted 3-4 with a double and 2 rbi’s to lead the West Columbus hitters. Meares tripled, scored twice and drove in two runs. Floyd tripled, scored twice and drove in a run. Floyd picked up the complete game win, striking out 3 and allowing 5 earned runs.

The Lady Eagles left ten runners on base. East Bladen will host Wallace-Rose Hill Friday night in a non-conference game.

East Bladen         121 002 1 – 7-10-2
West Columbus  000 220 4 – 8 – 7- 5

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