SENIOR NIGHT: West Bladen stays in a tight race for Three Rivers supremacy, downing St. Pauls 8-4

BLADENBORO — West Bladen opened a three-game homestand to close the regular season with an 8-4 triumph over St. Pauls on Thursday evening in Three Rivers Conference high school softball.

The Lady Knights celebrated Senior Night, put together back-to-back big innings, and rode the steady pitching of sophomore right-hander Rylee Chadwick past the Lady Bulldogs. Pivotal was, down 1-0, West Bladen scoring five runs after two were out in the third inning.

• Playoffs: One week left, tight as can be. West Bladen has one league loss, same as Whiteville and East Bladen, and behind 6-0 South Columbus. With seven 2-A teams, the league should get two automatic berths. West Bladen finishes with South Columbus and East Bladen and has lost to Whiteville. East Bladen split with South Columbus and Whiteville. Numerous possibilies exist, including more than two teams tied for first or second.

• Seniors: Honored in a poignant ceremony that included their voices in recorded messages were Shelby Pharr, Madison Walters, Alyssa Suggs and Abigail Madden.

• Said it: On her senior class, West Bladen 13th-year head coach Pam Stephens said, “It’s a special group. They missed their junior year; I’m just thankful they got the opportunity to play. They’re four good girls.”

• Pitching: Chadwick improved to 11-3 for her career, and 8-2 this season, with a complete game. She scattered 10 hits, struck out eight, and did not walk a batter.

• Lady Knights: Sophomore Mackenzie Singletary, 3-for-4, RBI; Pharr, 2-for-4, RBI, triple; Chadwick, 1-for-3, 2 RBI, double; junior Jessalyn Vendricks, 1-for-3, 2 RBI; Madden, 2-for-4; freshman Lena Trinidad, 1-for-2, double; Walters, 1-for-2, RBI.

• Third inning: West Bladen rallied ahead 5-1, scoring five with two outs. Vendricks’ single to center plated one, and Singletary’s hard-hit single to right went past the fielder allowing two to score and Singletary to reach third. Pharr slid head-first into third with a triple scoring Singletary, and scored herself when Walters’ bunt failed to produce an out at the dish.

• Fourth inning: Chadwick’s two-run double ripped down the left-field line made it 7-1 and Vendricks scored her with a sacrifice fly.

• Lady Bulldogs: Alicia Monroe, 2-for-4, RBI, double; Diana Carbonell, 2-for-4, RBI; Braxtin Kinlaw, 2-for-4; Yomaris Vasquez, 2-for-4; Jordan Ivey, 1-for-4, RBI.

• On the line: Teams only played two weeks a year ago in the truncated coronavirus season. West Bladen has posted double-digit wins in consecutive seasons dating back to at least 2011.

• Next: West Bladen 5-1 Three Rivers, 9-3 overall, hosts South Columbus on Tuesday; St. Pauls 1-5 Three Rivers, 1-10 overall, hosts Whiteville on Tuesday.