DUBLIN –Trent West pitched six stellar innings for West Bladen, but it took his seventh-inning RBI single to give the Knights a 5-4 win over visiting Whiteville in the Dixie Youth Pre-Majors summer league.
The win improved West Bladen to 6-4-2 overall and 6-4-1 in the league.
The Knights got out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Logan West walked, Scott Bowen singled and an error loaded the bases. Jonathan Robinson then stroked a two-run single.
The Wolfpack knotted the score in the third inning, but West Bladen answered with a pair of runs in the fourth highlighted by a bases-loaded plunking of Ian Sykes to give the Knights a 4-2 edge.
Whiteville trimmed the deficit to 4-3 with a run in the top of the fifth, then knotted the game again with a run in the seventh.
West Bladen got its winning rally started when Weston Pidgeon opened things with a walk and was moved to second by a sacrifice bunt from Logan West. Moments later, Trent West bounced the game-winning single through the infield.
Trent West allowed just two Whiteville hits through his six innings on the mound and struck out nine. Trey Storms came on in relief, pitching the seventh and earning the win.
West Bladen was scheduled to host St. Pauls in a double-header on Wednesday in the regular-season finale. The first game starts at 6 p.m.
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Eagles finished
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The East Bladen team was scheduled to play a double-header at South Columbus on Tuesday in the Dixie Youth Pre-Majors summer league, but didn’t have enough players.
The Eagles, because of football and soccer camps gearing up, also won’t compete any further in the league, according to coach Russell Priest.
East Bladen finishes at 4-2-2.