CLINTON — Kyle Tatum went off Tuesday.
The East Bladen catcher smoked four doubles and drove in six runs to lead the Eagles past Clinton 17-3 for a Four County Conference win.
In the first inning, Sincere Smith was hit by a pitch, swiped second and scored on Tatum’s first double. The Eagles scored two more runs on a Dark Horses error and sacrifice fly by Ty Watkins for a 3-0 edge.
Clinton got one run back in the home half of the first, but East Bladen scored four runs in the top of the second behind an RBI single from Shy Pone, an RBI double by Deondre Newkirk and Tatum’s second double that plated two for a 7-1 lead.
After a scoreless third inning, the Eagles extended the lead to 8-1 with a run in the fourth when Pone singled, stole second and came home on Tatum’s third double of the game.
The East Bladen lead ballooned to 9-1 in the sixth when Newkirk was walked and scored on a series of passed balls and an error.
The Eagles blew the game wide open in the top of the seventh, scoring eight runs behind a two-run single by Greyson Heustess, RBI single by Pone, RBI single by Smith, two run double by Tatum, run-scoring double by Josh McKoy and RBI single by Newkirk.
The Dark Horses plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Tatum was 4-for-5 at the plate with the four double and six ribbies for East Bladen. Smith finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI; Pone was 3-for-6 with two RBI; Heustess was 2-for-4 with two RBI; and Newkirk was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Watkins earned the win on the hill for the Eagles, working six innings and giving up one run on six hits and five strikeouts. Xavier Wooten finished up, giving up two runs on two hits.
East Bladen, now 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the conference, were scheduled to host Pender County on Thursday.
***
Softball
***
— In Teachey on Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs muscled four home runs and handed visiting West Bladen a 12-10 Four County Conference loss.
The Lady Knights are now 10-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference.
West Bladen got a run in the top of the first when Alanna Ludlum smacked a solo home run, but Wallace-Rose Hill responded with six runs in the home half behind a home run and two West Bladen errors.
The Lady Knights cut into the deficit with three runs in the second behind a three-run double from Kyle Reed. In the top of the third, Laikyn Pait mashed a solo home run to cut the deficit to 6-5.
The Lady Bulldogs extended the lead to 10-5 with a solo home run in the third and three runs in the fourth behind another home run.
In the top of the fifth, Conner Brisson ripped a two-out, bases-loaded triple and pulled West Bladen to within 10-8.
Wallace-Rose Hill tacked on a run in the bottom of the inning, but West Bladen came back with two runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Logan Autry and a sacrifice fly by Ludlum to get within 11-10.
But the Lady Bulldogs belted another solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to finish the scoring.
“This will make us stronger moving forward,” West Bladen coach Joey Autrey said. “Adversity will fortify these ladies.”
Reed was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and three RBI, while Brisson was 2-for-4 with the triple and three RBI. Pait was 2-for-4 with the home run and RBI and Ludlum was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
The Lady Knights will host Heidi Trask on Friday at 6 p.m. in a conference game.
— In Clinton on Tuesday, a slew of errors by East Bladen helped give the Lady Dark Horses a 10-9 Four County Conference win.
The Lady Eagles are now 3-7 overall and 2-6 in the conference.
“We had 10 errors … ” said east Bladen coach Patty Evers. “No excuses for this young team. Routine ground balls were misplayed and you can’t do that in softball.”
Doubles by Johanna Parker and Kaley Smith gave East Bladen a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, and the Lady Eagles added two runs in the second behind a bases-loaded single by Faith Johnson and sacrifice fly by Smith for a 3-0 lead.
But Clinton plated four runs in the bottom of the second, thanks in part to a pair of East Bladen errors.
The Lady Eagles regained the lead in the top of the fourth when Izzy Smith stroked a two-run single, a Clinton error brought home a third run and Lorna Mendell laced an RBI double to put the Lady Eagles up, 7-4.
Two East Bladen errors in the home half of the fourth helped give the Lady Dark Horses a pair of runs, but East Bladen answered with two runs in the fifth behind RBI singles from Smith and Emily Scott for a 9-6 advantage.
Clinton scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to climb within 9-8, then took advantage of three East Bladen errors in the seventh to pull out the win.
Parker led the Lady Eagles at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two doubles. Smith was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI, while Mendell had two doubles and an RBI. Majesti Corbett was 2-for-4.
The Lady Eagles were scheduled to host Pender County in a conference game Thursday.
***
Baseball
***
In Teachey on Tuesday, the Knights of West Bladen erupted for nine runs in the eighth inning and captured a 13-4 Four County Conference win over Wallace-Rose Hill.
The win improved the Knights to 8-5 overall and 6-1 in the conference.
West Bladen went up 2-0 in the top of the first behind a double from Weston Pidgeon, RBI single by Jarrett Williams and a fielder’s choice scored the second run.
In the second, the Knights scored on a bases-loaded passed ball and an error brought home a second run for a 4-0 edge.
The Bulldogs cut the deficit in half with two runs in the third, added a run in the fifth and knotted the game at 4-4 in the sixth.
West Bladen had to hold off a bases-loaded Wallace-Rose Hill uprising in the seventh, then sent nine runners across the plate in the top of the eighth behind a pair of RBI singles by Williams, run-scoring single by Scott Bowen, two-run double by Logan West, RBI single by Hunter Pait, RBI single by Pidgeon, bases-loaded walk by Trent West and RBI fielder’s choice by Bowen.
The Bulldogs went down in order to end the game.
Bowen worked the final 2.1 innings in relief for West Bladen and earned the win after giving up no hits or walks and striking out two. Trent West worked the first 3.1 innings and Trey Storms worked 2.1 innings.
At the plate, Williams was 3-for-5 with three RBI; Caleb Sholar was 2-for-3; Pidgeon was 2-for-5 with a double and RBI; Logan West had a double and two RBI; and Bowen had two RBI.
The Knights will host Heide Trask in a conference game on Friday at 7 p.m.