SWANSBORO – The West Bladen Knights defeated the Swansboro Pirates for a 4-2 victory in a non-conference clash this Saturday. The Knights out-hit their opponents 9 to 1 in their last outing on the diamond, with sophomore Ashton Davis leading the way on a 3-for-4 day at the plate. Davis also batted in a run, along with junior Tyler Lewis and senior Garrett Dunham as they earned their fifth win of the young season. Swansboro senior John Scott went 2-for-4 on the day and senior Nick Quinones got an RBI on a sacrifice.

The Pirates scrapped their first two runs in the first before going stone cold at the plate. West Bladen tied the game at 2-2 by the third and claimed the lead in the fourth inning to secure the victory. Cade Allen, Hunter Hester, Allister Russ, and Brady Durdan were all responsible for the Knights runs. Durdan and Davis also split time on top of the hill for the visitors as their arms combined for six shutout innings. Swansboro junior Patrick Hollifield did most of the bulk work on the mound for the host, throwing for 8 K’s and he allowed four hits in five innings of work.

The Knights suffered their first defeat of the season a few days prior in a 3-1 defeat against the South Columbus Stallions in a non-conference match up. They’ll have another opportunity to face South Columbus this Wednesday at home for their next game. The Stallions defeated East Bladen as well last week to post an overall record of 4-2. West Bladen is currently the hottest team in the SAC 6 with an overall record of 5-1 with statement wins over Hoggard(3-5), Lumberton(5-2) and East Columbus(5-1). Davis’ batting average has been .476 in the past six games to lead the Knights.

They will also welcome Lumberton for a game at home on Thursday in a non-conference bout before they open up their SAC 6 schedule. The Clinton Darkhorses have a 5-2 record so far this season as the conferences’ second best team in early March. The Darkhorses went on the road to lose a 6-5 contest to Richlands to suffer their second defeat of the season. Clinton’s senior ace Jaxson Smith has three wins on his record and he’s yet to give up a run on the mound.

The Darkhosres is the best defensive team in the SAC 6 with 23 runs allowed and West Bladen claims second with 25 runs allowed in the first couple weeks. Fairmont fell to an overall record of 5-3 after suffering a 8-2 defeat to the Whiteville Wolfpack(4-0) last Friday. Fairmont will cross into Harnett County to take on Overhills for their next game in a non-conference match-up this Wednesday. The Midway Raiders won their third straight with a 7-4 victory over West Johnston(6-2) last Thursday.

The Raiders started the season 1-2 but they’ve slowly found their groove at the plate with 27 runs scored in their last three. The non-conference test only get tougher for the SAC 6 defending champs with a roadtrip to undefeated South Lenoir (6-0) and they will travel to Cape Fear(5-4) to close out the week. The Red Springs Red Devils split a back-to-back with Lakewood(3-5) as their overall record moved to 4-4 on the season.

The Red Devils will face Hoke County at home and then they’ll travel down the road to Fayetteville with a non-conference match-up with Seventy-First. St. Pauls currently sits at 2-4 after a 12-8 defeat to Union Pines last Friday. The Bulldogs will take on West Columbus(3-3) in a non-conference match-up this Tuesday for their next game. West Columbus got two straight wins over Heide Trask in a Waccamaw Conference game last week for a 2-0 start in conference play. St. Pauls will travel to Freedom Christan this Thursday and they’ll conclude the week by hosting West Columbus this Friday.