HOPE MILLS — Chase Bryan’s single drove home Tyler Lewis with the deciding run in the seventh inning Tuesday night, lifting West Bladen to a 5-4 win against Cape Fear in the championship game of the Randy Ledford Memorial Easter baseball tournament.
Tournament Most Valuable Player Jared Smith shut out the Colts over the final 3.2 innings to secure the win. Smith allowed only one hit, struck out seven and walked three.
West Bladen (11-6) defeated Overhills and host South View en route to winning the title.
Lewis led off the decisive seventh inning for the Knights with a line single to center and advanced to second on Hunter Hester’s ground out. Bryan followed with his infield single that allowed Lewis to score.
Cape Fear advanced a runner to second base in the bottom of the seventh, but Smith struck out the final Colts batter.
J.T. Hepler pitched the first 3.1 innings for West Bladen and allowed four runs on six hits with two strikeouts and seven walks. He yielded only one run over the first three innings.
Chase Bryan was 3-for-3 with a double and 2 runs batted in. Lewis and Daniel Bryan each had two hits for West Bladen.
The Knights jumped out to a 3-0 lead in their first at-bat, highlighted by Chase Bryan’s two-run double. West Bladen led 4-1 through three innings when Lewis walked and later scored on a wild pitch.
Cape Fear tied it in the bottom of the fourth on two walks, a sacrifice bunt and back-to-back singles that set the stage for a tense final three innings.
Baseball: West Stanly 5, East Bladen 3
In Shallotte, unbeaten West Stanly edged East Bladen in the semifinals of the Beach Diamond Invitational at West Brunswick High School.
The Eagles (7-7) are scheduled to play West Brunswick at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the third-place game. West Stanly (16-0) is matched against Richmond in Wednesday’s championship game.
West Stanly entered Tuesday’s contest having outscored its opponents 147-25, but had to battle to defeat the Eagles.
Easton Bostic pitched into the sixth inning for East Bladen. The right-hander allowed five runs on 10 hits, struck out one and walked three. Cade Rogers recorded the final two outs. The Eagles defense played an errorless game.
Jayce Hatcher’s two-run home run in the third inning gave East Bladen a 3-1 lead. Colton Daly had a pair of singles and Davion Lewis had a hit and scored twice.
A pair of West Stanly errors allowed East Bladen to score in the top of the first. West Stanly tied it at 1-all in the bottom of the second.
Hatcher’s blast to center also scored Lewis, who had singled, and allowed the Eagles to regain the lead.
However, West Stanly used a walk and three singles to plate three runs in the bottom of the third for a 4-3 advantage, then added an insurance run in the sixth.
East Bladen was not able to get a runner on base in the final two innings.
Softball: South Point 16, East Bladen 6
In Shallotte, South Point scored 10 runs in its final two at-bats in beating East Bladen in the consolation bracket of the Beach Diamond Invitational at West Brunswick High School.
The Red Raiders scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game because of the 10-run rule.
East Bladen (5-8) is scheduled to play either North Brunswick or Crest on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the seventh-place game.
Jenna Brice and Niyah Wooten each hit home runs for the Eagles. Brice was 2-for-2 with 3 runs driven in and Wooten was 2-for-3. Taylor Dowless had a pair of singles. Tatum Allen had a single.
Brice’s home run to left in the first also plated Dowless, who reached on a dropped third strike. Wooten’s home run to center in the fifth accounted for the Eagles’ final run.
RECREATION
In Elizabethtown Dixie Youth Baseball games at Leinwand Park, the Cubs defeated the Athletics 15-1 as the Major League teams split their first two games this season. In Coach-Pitch, the Yankees and Mets won to remain undefeated, topping the Diamondbacks and Pirates, respectively.
TUESDAY, APRIL 7
HIGH SCHOOL
Baseball
Beach Diamond Invitational semifinals: West Stanly 5, East Bladen 3
Randy Ledford Memorial Easter tournament championship: West Bladen 5, Cape Fear 4
Softball
Beach Diamond Invitational: South Point 16, East Bladen 6
RECREATION
Co-ed Volleyball
White’s Creek Bapt. vs. Bumpin Buddies
Mission Unblockable vs. Chewblocca
Southern Thunder vs. LF
Spikological Warfare vs. Quik Sets
Elizabethtown DYB Majors
Cubs 15, Athletics 1
Elizabethtown DYB Coach-Pitch
Mets 11, Pirates 4
Yankees 11, Diamondbacks 9
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8
HIGH SCHOOL
Baseball
East Bladen vs. West Brunswick in Beach Diamond Invitational, West Brunswick High School, 2:30 p.m.
Softball
East Bladen vs. North Brunswick or Crest in Beach Diamond Invitational, West Brunswick High School, 11 a.m.
RECREATION
Elizabethtown DYB Minors at Leinwand Park
Tigers vs. Phillies, 6 p.m.
Red Sox vs. Dodgers, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, APRIL 9
RECREATION
Co-ed Volleyball at King Street Gym, Elizabethtown
Spilological Warfare vs. Southern Thunder, 6 p.m.
White’s Creek Bapt. vs. LF, 6:45 p.m.
Mission Unblockable vs. Quik Sets, 7:30 p.m.
Chewblocca vs. Bumpin Buddies, 8:15 p.m.
Elizabethtown DYB Majors at Leinwand Park
Athletic vs. Cubs, 7:30 p.m.
Elizabethtown DYB Coach-Pitch at Leinwand Park
Diamondbacks vs. Mets, 6 p.m.
Pirates vs. Royals, 6 p.m.
Blastball at County Park
Emeralds vs. Tides, 6 p.m.
Rockhounds vs. Storm, 6 p.m.
Bulls vs. Blue Rocks, 6 p.m.
Mudcats vs. Redwings, 6 p.m.
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