ST PAULS – St. Pauls scored the winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning to defeat West Bladen 10-9 Tuesday night in a marathon non-conference baseball opener for the Knights.
The Bulldogs turned a hit batter, an errant pick-off attempt and a bloop single into the winning run in the bottom of the tenth. The game went so long that the lights on the field were shut down by a timer right after the winning run scored.
St. Pauls used a misplayed fly ball, a fielder’s choice, a wild pitch and a walk to scored 2 runs in the first inning. The Bulldogs drew 4 walks in the second inning and scored 3 runs without the benefit of a hit.
The Knights trimmed the margin to 5-1 in the third inning. Senior Hunter Pait reached base on an error and came around to score on a wild pitch.
West Bladen took the lead with 6 runs in the fourth inning. Senior Caleb Sholar led off the inning with a single, and junior Trey Storms drew a walk. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, before senior T. J. Guyton drove them both in with a single.
Pait was hit by a pitch, and senior Weston Pidgeon and freshman Logan West drew walks that forced home Guyton. Senior Jarrett Williams reached on an error as Pait scored, and senior Trent West knocked in Pidgeon with a single that padded the Knight lead to 7-5.
Storms smacked a single to start the Knight fifth inning, advanced on Guyton’s sacrifice bunt and scored when Pidgeon delivered a run-scoring single.
The Knights appeared to be out of trouble in the St. Pauls fifth when senior Ian Sykes picked a runner off of first base, but a balk was called and the Bulldogs rallied to tie the game 8-8.
Williams crushed a triple into the rightfield corner in the West Bladen sixth inning and scored on a wild pitch to edge the Knights ahead 9-8.
The Bulldogs had two on and two out in the bottom of the inning when an infield hit tied the game again 9-9.
Williams started on the mound for the Knights. Sykes relieved him in the second. Trent West took the mound in the sixth inning, and Storms relieved him in the eighth inning.
The Knights will travel to South Robeson Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game.
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