West Bladen Grinds Out 6-4 Win Over Fairmont, Moves Into Three-Way Tie Atop SAC-6 Standings

West Bladen baseball team photo.

Bladenboro, NC - In a gritty Thursday night showdown, West Bladen used timely hitting, aggressive base running, and a resilient pitching staff to secure a 6-4 victory over Fairmont, climbing into a three-way tie for first place in the Southeastern Athletic Conference (SAC-6).

The win bumps West Bladen to 11-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play, where they now share the top spot with Midway and Clinton. With no SAC-6 conference tournament, the NCHSAA’s RPI system will decide seeding.

As of Friday evening, West Bladen holds the #2 RPI ranking in the 2A East, with Midway sitting at #4 and Clinton at #11 — positioning the Knights as the tiebreak leader for now.

The Knights didn’t waste time responding after falling behind early. Fairmont jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but West Bladen answered immediately.

Cade Allen came through with a line-drive single to right field that scored Hunter Hester, and later scored himself on a Fairmont miscue to tie things up at 2-2.

In the bottom of the second, Jackson Smith reached base and came around to score when Allen drew a bases-loaded walk, giving the Knights a 3-2 edge. Ashton Davis extended the lead in the third, scoring on a passed ball to make it 4-2.

Fairmont wouldn’t go away quietly, plating one run in the fifth and another in the sixth to tie the game at 4-4.

But West Bladen responded again in the bottom of the sixth.

JT Hepler crossed the plate on an error to regain the lead, and Ashton Davis delivered a key insurance run with a double down the left field line, bringing in Hunter Hester to push the score to 6-4.

Davis had a strong day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a single, double, run scored, and an RBI. Allen also had a big night, collecting two doubles, scoring once, driving in two runs, and drawing a walk across four trips to the plate.

Hunter Hester got the start on the mound and battled through five innings, scattering nine hits while giving up just one earned run and striking out five.

JT Hepler came on in relief for an inning and notched two strikeouts. Garrett Dunham took the ball in the seventh and closed the door, allowing no hits and no runs while striking out one.

Offensively, Allister Russ showed patience at the plate, walking twice in three at bats. Aiden Russ reached base three times with two walks and a plate appearance.

Tyler Lewis added a hit and swiped a base. Jackson Smith and JT Hepler both scored crucial runs in the middle innings to keep momentum on West Bladen’s side.

The Knights will now shift focus to the South View Easter Tournament. While these games won’t affect their conference standing, they provide important opportunities to improve RPI.

West Bladen will take on Overhills on Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by a rematch with South Columbus at 4 p.m.—a team they narrowly lost to earlier this season.

They'll close out the tournament with a game against host South View on Monday at 7 p.m.

After Spring Break, West Bladen will return to SAC-6 action with a pivotal two-game series against Red Springs.

With the conference race still wide open, every pitch will matter as the Knights look to control their playoff destiny down the stretch.

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West Bladen Grinds Out 6-4 Win Over Fairmont, Moves Into Three-Way Tie Atop SAC-6 Standings