West Bladen Softball Tops East Bladen 10-4, Extends Win Streak to Three

Coaches Josh Allen for West Bladen (left), and Nathan Dowless for East Bladen (right).

Bladenboro, NC - With a strong sense of pride on both sides of the diamond, West Bladen defended home turf Monday night with a 10-4 win over county rival East Bladen.

The Lady Knights used timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and a two-headed pitching effort to stretch their win streak to three games.

Adding another layer of meaning to the matchup were the head coaches—Josh Allen of West Bladen and Nathan Dowless of East Bladen—both of whom played key roles in Bladenboro High School’s back-to-back state championship appearances in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Early on, it was East Bladen that struck first. In the top of the third inning, Taylor Dowless sparked the offense with a leadoff effort and came around to score when Mollie Tolar grounded a single into play.

Tolar then crossed home plate herself moments later on a sharply hit line drive from Tatum Allen, giving the Lady Eagles a 2-0 lead.

But the Lady Knights weren’t down for long. In the bottom half of the third, West Bladen came alive.

Addison Wilcox started the rally and later scored on a ground ball single from Kali Allen. Jahyrah Priest followed with a well-placed hit to bring Allen around, tying the game at two.

With two runners on, Holland Davis delivered a clutch double to left field that brought both Priest and Natalee Sykes home, flipping the score to 4-2.

West Bladen stayed hot in the fourth inning. Addison Wilcox and Marlene Crabtree both crossed the plate after a bunt by Kali Allen. Allen would come around to score again later in the inning thanks to a hard-hit single by Brenna Hester.

By the end of the frame, the Knights had built a 7-2 advantage.

Despite the deficit, East Bladen showed plenty of fight in the fifth. Gabriella Bray singled and later scored on a fly ball into the outfield by Martha Simmons, who also recorded an RBI and stole two bases on the night.

Tolar added her second run of the game after tagging up on a foul ball caught in the outfield, cutting the West Bladen lead to 7-4.

But just as the Eagles chipped away, Wilcox delivered a powerful response in the bottom of the inning. With Ashley Hickman on base, Wilcox launched a fly ball over the center field fence for a two-run home run—the exclamation point on her impressive night.

She finished with two hits, three runs scored, and two RBIs.

West Bladen added one more run in the sixth, as Sykes sprinted home following an East Bladen error.

Sykes had already reached base three times with a hit and a walk, providing steady production in the middle of the order.

On the defensive side, West Bladen leaned on strong outings from two pitchers. Allison Hickman started the game and worked 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on four hits while striking out six. Marlene Crabtree entered in relief and shut the door, giving up just two hits over 2.1 scoreless innings and striking out three.

The Eagles had bright spots throughout the lineup. Tatum Allen collected two RBIs and drew a pair of walks.

Taylor Dowless turned in a multi-hit performance and swiped a base. Tolar reached base twice and scored twice, continuing to be a catalyst at the top of the lineup.

Gracie Edwards and Gracie Clark both contributed with patience at the plate, each drawing a walk, and Edwards added a stolen base. Jenna Brice started in the circle for East Bladen, pitching five innings and working around eight hits, while Edwards came in to finish the game with one inning of relief.

Though the final score tilted in favor of the Knights, both teams walked off the field with plenty to build on.

The players’ energy mirrored that of their coaches—two men forever linked by Bladen County’s championship past, now shaping its future on opposite sides of a beloved rivalry.

Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R

East Bladen - 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 4

West Bladen - 0 0 4 3 2 1 0 10

West Bladen Softball Tops East Bladen 10-4, Extends Win Streak to Three