West Bladen
DEEP RUN — The 13th-seeded South Lenoir Lady Blue Devils defeated the 20th-seeded West Bladen Lady Knights for a 9-0 victory in the first round of the NCHSAA state playoff on Tuesday. South Lenoir junior pitcher Callie Tyndall threw a five-hit shutout to secure the victory for the host. Freshman Makenzie Herring led the Lady Blue Devils in slugging with a 2-for-3 performance and she batted in 2 runs. West Bladen senior Rylee Chadwick went 2-for-3 at the plate and doubled in the game to lead her team in slugging.
South Lenoir travels away to the fourth-seeded Midway Raiders on Friday for their second-round matchup. West Bladen’s season ended with an overall record of 15-8 and they finished in second place in the SAC 7 Conference. They improved a lot this season and they will have ten players returning for next season.
East Bladen
CREEDMOOR — The seventh-seeded South Granville Lady Vikings defeated the 26th-seeded East Bladen Lady Eagles for a 8-1 victory in the first round of NCHSAA state playoffs on Tuesday. South Granville sophomore pitcher Chaleigh Currin threw six strikeouts and allowed two hits in seven innings of work to secure the win. Currin also slapped a homerun in a 2-for-4 hitting display and senior Candace Stormbeck sent one over the fence as well.
South Granville will host the 23rd-seeded Southwest Edgecombe Cougars in the next round of the state playoffs. East Bladen’s season concluded with an overall record of 12-11 and they finished in third place in the SAC 7 conference. The Lady Eagles had a slow start to the season but finished the season strong to get them into the postseason.