TEACHEY – Jacob Teachey and Kaleb Dale combined on a six-hitter and Wallace-Rose Hill took advantage of five West Bladen errors to beat the Knights 5-2 on Friday night in a Four County Conference baseball game.
Chandler Lennon returned the mound for the first time since spraining his ankle in the season opener at St. Pauls and went the distance. The right-handed senior struck out nine, walked three and gave up four hits in six innings. He allowed only one earned run.
Offensively, the Knights managed six hits with three coming in the fifth when they scored both of their runs. Lennon led the way, going 2-for-3 with a double. Ray Jones, Trent West and Scott Bowen each had a hit. Weston Pidgeon and West scored West Bladen’s runs. Seth Britt drove home a run on a fielder’s choice.
But it was five errors in the middle innings — three in the third and two in the fourth — that resulted in four unearned runs and put West Bladen behind 5-0.
In spite of the errors, West Bladen’s defense did turn in some gems. Britt made a pair of diving catches in center field and Jones, the second baseman, made an over-the-shoulder catch on a pop up to right field.
Wallace-Rose Hill scored in the first on a two-out single by Cole Farrior and a double to the fence by Gavin Herring.
West Bladen managed only one baserunner through four innings. Ray Jones had a one-out bloop single to right in the first inning, but he was erased on a double play to end the inning.
The Knights offense finally came to life in the fifth. Singles by West, Chandler and Bowen loaded the bases with two outs. Britt reached on a fielder’s choice on a grounder to second that forced out Bowen, but scored West. Courtesy runner Pidgeon scored on the play when the shortstop’s throw to first in an effort to turn a double play was wild.
West Bladen threatened in the seventh. West was called out on a grounder to short when the umpire ruled the Wallace-Rose Hill first baseman had tagged him after being pulled off the bag. West Bladen coach Kim Cain questioned the call and it was overturned. Wallace-Rose Hill coach Jarret Price then questioned the call and the umpires ruled West was, indeed, out. Lennon followed with a double and Edge ripped a single to put runners on the corners, but the next two batters were retired.
West Bladen, 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the Four County, is scheduled to host Heide Trask on Tuesday and Pender on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Wallace-Rose Hill is 5-3 overall and 2-0 in the Four County.
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