Trey Storms pitched into the fifth inning and Dalton Pait had a two-run single that drove home the deciding runs Wednesday afternoon as the West Bladen junior varsity team edged Wallace-Rose Hill 6-5 in a baseball game that was called after 4 1/2 innings due to the time limit.
Storms allowed five hits and five runs — two earned — struck out six, walked three and hit a batter in 4 2/3 innings. Ian Sykes struck out the final two batters with the bases loaded to preserve the win as West Bladen improved its record to 12-8.
Justin Nickle and Shawn Oxendine also had base hits for the Knights, who took advantage of five walks, a hit batter and a pair of Wallace-Rose Hill errors to score their runs. Nickle scored twice while Brandon Strange, Jonathan Robinson, Cameron Peterson and Oxendine each scored a run. Sykes had a run batted in.
After spotting Wallace-Rose Hill a run in the top of the first, West Bladen tied it in the bottom of the first and scored three in the second for a 4-1 lead.
In the first, Strange reached on an error, moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on Sykes’ ground out and scored on a wild pitch.
In the second, Nickle opened with a single up the middle. Oxendine reached on a bunt single. After an out, Peterson walked to load the bases. After the second out, Sykes was hit by a pitch that forced home Nickle. Oxendine then scored on a passed ball and Peterson scored on a wild pitch.
Wallace-Rose Hill made it 3-2 with a run in the top of the third on a single, stolen base and two errors..
West Bladen went ahead 6-2 in the third. Robinson reached on an error. Nickle and Oxendine drew one-out walks to load the bases. Pait followed with his two-run single to right.
Wallace-Rose Hill rallied in the fifth to pull within a run. A single, walk and infield error loaded the bases with no outs. The next Bulldogs batter ripped a two-run double down the left field line. After the first out and a walk, West Bladen’s Sykes came on to pitch. The first batter reached on an error that plated a run that made it 6-5. However, Sykes struck out the next two batters to end the game.
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