BLADENBORO – The West Bladen Knights defeated the Fairmont Golden Tornadoes for a 6-4 victory in a SAC 6 Conference showdown last Thursday. The Knights were deadlocked with their opponents 2-2 after one inning during a cool April day. West Bladen junior pitcher Hunter Hester also displayed coolness on top of the hill with a hungry Golden Tornadoes line-up in front of him to start the second inning. Fairmont’s Jayden Hunt led-off for the visitors but was quickly put away after grounding into a fielder’s choice for the first out of the at-bat. Junior Parker Chavis was next up in the line-up and after a long drawn out battle at the plate, he was able to earn a walk.
Hester got help from his defense for the second out of the at-bat as Fairmont’s Nahemiah Chavis popped-out towards center field. Senior pitcher Mynkoda Smith smacked a single to right-field and Parker Chavis rounded the bases to third to put runners on the corners. Smith was able to steal second during the next at-bat as the visitors had a chance to snatch the lead with a ball in play. Unfortunately, the Golden Tornadoes would leave runners stranded on base after an outstanding play at second base from West Bladen’s Garrett Dunham to conclude the top half of the inning.
West Bladen started their next at-bat with junior Jackson Smith beating a throw to first to put a lead-off runner on first. Senior Allister Russ followed behind Smith after taking a pitch to the body for an unimpeded trip to first base. The Golden Tornadoes claimed their first out of the inning on a pop-up to center field that kept the runners glued to their bases. Fairmont’s Mynkoda Smith attempted to work the inside of the plate and he clipped his second batter of the at-bat to load the bases. The visitors were able to hold firm on the defensive side and they earned their second out on a high-arching pop-up to right field.
West Bladen capitalized on a pitch in the dirt and Russ scored from third to give the Knights a 3-2 lead. Senior Cade Allen showed discipline at the plate to earn a walk as the bases were loaded once more with two outs against the side. Fairmont were able to shake off their mistakes and concluded the second inning with a pop-up towards the outfield. The Knights finished the top of the inning unscathed and they finished their half of the third inning with one more run on their tally.
Nahemiah Chavis singled to right field as the lead-off man for the Golden Tornadoes in the top of the fourth inning. During the next at-bat, Nahemiah Chavis was caught stealing at second to give the visitors the first out of their at-bat. Hester then struck out Mynkoda Smith with a high fastball to give the Knights defense a second out a few moments later. The top of the fourth then abruptly ended with an infield pop-up to give the Knights another opportunity at the plate to extend their lead.
The visitors were able to keep their composure and they sat the side down in four batters to conclude the fourth inning behind 4-2. Fairmont’s Jamarion Brown was able to get on base with a single that dropped in center field and he eventually wheeled his way around to third. The Golden Tornadoes would finally get across home plate due to a wild pitch as they pulled themselves within one of their opponents.
Hester was able to conclude the top half of the inning by striking down Fairmont’s Trent Collins for the final out. Fairmont held firm defensively and were able to get out of the fifth inning without a scratch. They were able to score a run in their half of the sixth but their opponents tacked on two runs in their half of the inning which proved to be decisive in the end. Fairmont fell to third-place in the conference standings at 3-5 after two straight losses to West Bladen last week. The Golden Tornadoes have an overall record 9-10 as of last Friday but they will participate in the Robeson County Slugfest over the Spring Break period.
West Bladen has moved to an overall record of 13-4 and they remain in a three-way tie for first-place in the SAC 6 with a 6-2 record. The Knights got two straight victories over the weekend against Overhills and South Columbus on neutral ground.
They began the weekend with a13-1 win over the Overhills Jaguars, as junior Hunter Hester scored three runs in the blowout victory. Dunham and Tyler Lewis combined arm strength on the mound as they combined for 10 strikeouts in five innings of work. The Knights played the South Columbus Stallions on Saturday evening and they claimed a 9-4 victory.
They’ll return to conference action on April 29th against Red Springs at home as the regular-season comes to a close.