West Bladen Rallies in the 7th to Down Fairmont, 6-2

West Bladen baseball team photo.

Bladenboro, NC - Trailing by two runs heading into the sixth inning, West Bladen found its rhythm late and delivered a statement comeback, scoring six unanswered runs in the final two frames to defeat Fairmont 6-2 on the road Wednesday night.

The Knights, now 10-4 overall and 5-2 in Southeastern Athletic Conference play, positioned themselves for a potential three-way tie atop the league standings with Midway and Clinton.

With RPI rankings set to determine the tiebreaker of who will be seeded first from the conference in the absence of a conference tournament in baseball, West Bladen’s current standing at No. 2 in the 2A East gives them the inside track—at least for now.

The breakthrough came in the top of the seventh. Tyler Lewis ignited the momentum with a double, and Allister Russ followed with one of his own to put two runners in scoring position.

That’s when Aiden Russ delivered the biggest swing of the night—a line drive double to left field that brought both runners home and gave West Bladen its first lead of the game at 3-2.

Garrett Dunham kept the momentum going, dropping a pop fly single into right that allowed Aiden Russ to score. Brady Durden, who had already made his mark on the mound, hustled from third to score on a sacrifice fly by JT Hepler. Dunham would later cross the plate on a passed ball to cap the rally and make it 6-2.

Dunham also played a crucial role as the closer. Coming in relief, he slammed the door with 1.2 innings of no-hit work, striking out five of the six batters he faced in dominant fashion.

Starter Brady Durden kept the Knights in the game through the early innings, allowing just one earned run over 5.1 innings, scattering four hits, walking one, and striking out six.

At the plate, Cade Allen had a strong night, collecting two singles and a double while anchoring the lineup.

JT Hepler contributed with a hit, a run scored, and a sacrifice fly RBI during the seventh-inning outburst. Brady Durden added a hit and scored a run in the rally.

Hunter Hester brought in West Bladen’s first run in the sixth, putting pressure on the Fairmont defense and forcing an error that cut the deficit to 2-1.

Aiden Russ had the highlight of the night with his go-ahead double and added two RBIs and a run scored. Allister Russ and Tyler Lewis both added doubles and crossed the plate in the key seventh inning.

Dunham finished with a hit, a run scored, and an RBI—plus his dominant work on the mound. Ashton Davis had four at-bats and stayed active in the field throughout the game.

With the win, West Bladen sets up a critical rematch with Fairmont on Thursday night at home. A victory would move them into a tie for first place and solidify their postseason control heading into the final stretch.

After Spring Break, they’ll take on Red Springs in a series that could determine the SAC 6 crown, playing at home on Tuesday, April 29th and Friday, May 2nd on the road.

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West Bladen Rallies in the 7th to Down Fairmont, 6-2