Dominate pitching and walk-off drama

BLADENBORO - The West Bladen Knights defeated the Red Springs Red Devils in a 1-0 victory on Friday evening in SAC 6 clash. Both teams were entrenched in a pitching duel that lasted for the majority of the game and the Red Devils were the first team to flinch. West Bladen senior Jordan Hester stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning and delivered a walk-off single to claim victory on the final day of the regular-season.

Junior right-hander Garrett Dunham gave the Red Springs line-up nightmares with his command from the mound as he struck out 18-of-26 batters he faced. Dunham pitched a complete game and he scored the winning run in the seventh that decided the stalemate. Red Springs’ relied heavily on the arm-strength of Jayden Hammonds for about six innings of work.

J. Hammonds wiggled free of a 2-out bases loaded jam in the bottom of the second inning after striking out a batter at the plate with a fastball. J. Hammounds dished out four strikes and kept the Knights scoreless for much of the game with the help of outstanding plays in the outfield.

The Knights were able to place runners in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth and sixth but weren’t able to capitalize either time. West Bladen thought they scored the decisive run in the sixth inning after a solid swing off Hunter Hester’s bat but an excellent play at first base concluded the inning with nothing to show. Red Springs grounded out for their first out at the top of the seventh inning and Dunham struck out the next two batters soon thereafter.

The visitors brought in Tim Hammond as relief to start the bottom of the seventh inning as they sought to take the game to extras. Dunham lead-off for the Knights to start the at-bat and he showed discipline at the plate to earn a walk. Freshman Ashton Davis laid down a bunt that moved Dunham to second and his hustle down the first base line earned him a single. Cade Allen was able to advance both runners with a sacrificial bunt and the visitors had to deal with nervy moments.

Jordan Hester took a few pitches below the knees before slicing one down the left-field line to end the game. West Bladen finished the regular-season with an overall record of 11-10 and they finished in second place in the SAC 6 with a conference record of 7-3. The NCHSAA 2A Playoff bracket will be drawn up on Monday and the first round will open up on Tuesday. The Midway Raiders claim the SAC 6 Conference title with a 9-1 record and finish the regular-season with a 17-5 overall record. Clinton claimed third place with a 6-4 record and they concluded their regular-season with a 15-5 record.