East Bladen Evan Pait on deck for an at-bat.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
BLADEN COUNTY — West Bladen and East Bladen’s spring teams will make one last push for their places in the conference before the postseason begins. The weather played a huge factor in last week’s game and forced officials to reschedule many games for this week. Both East and West baseball teams appear to be a lock for the state playoffs but will look to finish strong over the next three games. West Bladen’s last three games on the diamond will be against the first-place Midway Raiders twice and the second-place St. Pauls’ Bulldogs. East Bladen will clash with St. Paul’s twice and they’ll host a struggling Red Springs.
East Bladen’s soccer team is locked in for the playoffs after a successful season on the pitch. The Lady Eagles have hardly had to break a sweat in conference play and they currently sit in second place behind Clinton in the SAC 7 standings. East Bladen has a chance to close the season out with eight straight victories as their last three games are very much winnable. They will take on a struggling St. Paul’s team and they will host the last-place Red Springs Lady Red Devils on Wednesday. West Bladen’s girl soccer team still has a chance to sneak into the playoffs if they can grab victories in their last remaining games.
The Lady Knights remained in fourth place in the SAC 7 standings despite their 1-nil defeat to St. Paul’s last Wednesday. They’ll have an opportunity to jump ahead of the Midway Raiders if they can defeat them home and away this week. The East Bladen softball team had a slow start to the season but has been able to scrape some wins in their last three games.
The Lady Eagles bats have come alive over the past three games and they’ve averaged 12 runs a game in their stretch. East Bladen’s matchup with St. Pauls this week will be huge for their season as both teams are tied in the conference standing at 5-4. They will meet the Bulldogs twice and host the last place Red Springs Lady Red Devils. West Bladen’s softball team is locked for the state playoffs and they will most likely host a first-round playoff game.
The Lady Knights have been dominant in conference and they have a chance to secure the title if they win their remaining three games. Their biggest test will be against the first-place Midway Lady Raiders in a home-and-away series starting this Tuesday. West Bladen’s game with St. Pauls was moved to this week but the Lady Knights should like their chances in that one after defeating them 12-1 away from home last Monday.
West and East Bladen track teams prepare for the conference championship this week as well. East Bladen senior sprinter Chace Butler and West Bladen senior sprinter Tydrick Stewart will be amongst the favorites for the 100m and 200m on the boys’ side. East Bladen freshmen hurdler Ariel Cromartie will be amongst the favorites for both hurdle events on the girls’ side. West Bladen junior thrower Harmony Jacobs will be one of the favorites to win in the shot put and discus throw. Both schools’ relay teams have been competing neck-and-neck all season and it will be no different this Thursday at the conference championship.