WHITEVILLE — Errors are costly in any game, and in a meeting of two of the top baseball teams in the Three Rivers Conference St. Pauls coach Kelly Chavis knows a few mishandled plays on Friday was the difference for his team.
Costly errors in the second and fourth innings led to four Whiteville runs that lifted the Wolfpack at home to a 6-5 win over the Bulldogs.
“We left a couple balls on the field that we should’ve made plays on and truly that was the difference in the ballgame,” Chavis said. “I haven’t looked at the book yet, but it looked like we probably earned ours and we kind of gave them a couple.”
With one out and two on in the second, St. Pauls (6-1, 2-1 TRC) left fielder Dawson Caulder overran and dropped a pop fly to load the bases. Pitcher J.J. Oxendine had a bases-loaded walk in the next at bat to give Whiteville (5-1, 4-0 TRC) a 3-1 lead before a fielder’s choice allowed another run to score to put the Wolfpack up three runs.
Whiteville added two more in the fourth on a Lincoln Ransom two-RBI hit that came the at bat following a dropped third out at first base on a routine groundout. The Wolfpack led 6-3 after four innings.
Each time Whiteville took advantage of St. Pauls errors, St. Pauls answered.
In the top of the third, the Bulldogs cut the lead to 4-3 with two runs coming off two Whiteville errors. Trevan Locklear picked up one hit and scoring a runner in the frame. Two more runs came across in the fifth inning to draw the score back to 6-5 before MacKenzie Gore came in relief to hold St. Pauls hitless in the final two innings.
“They’re able to battle through the adversity,” Chavis said. “We came down here and played one of the best teams in the state with some really good players and we gave them a couple, but they battled back.”
Locklear led St. Pauls with two hits and two RBIs. Ted McNeill and Koda Bullard each had a hit and Aaron Revels had a RBI. Brooks Baldwin had three hits for Whiteville and Ransom had two hits and two RBIs.
“Trevan gives us a true No. 4 hitter in that spot and he’s really an RBI-producer for us,” Chavis said.
Whiteville softball picked up a 13-0 win over St. Pauls as well.
Purnell Swett rallies past Triton
PEMBROKE — The Purnell Swett softball team rallied with seven runs over the final two innings to come from a three-run deficit to defeat Triton 10-6 at home on Friday.
JaiLeana Deese picked up the pitching victory and also went 2-for-3 batting with two runs scored and a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Magan Barton and Desaree Dunham both had two hits and a pair of RBIs each.
Barton and Dunham each had two-run hits in the bottom of the fifth as the Lady Rams went from down 6-3, to up 7-6.
Trinity Locklear had a RBI for the Lady Rams as well.
Hailey Hicks and Ashley Daniel each had three hits for Triton.
Fairmont softball drops close contest with Lady Stallions
TABOR CITY — The South Columbus softball team pushed one run across in the first inning and that was all the scoring needed to defeat Fairmont 1-0 at home on Friday night.
Carson Powell’s RBI single in the bottom of the first inning was one of three hits for the Lady Stallions against Fairmont starter Kaylee McMillian.
Fairmont struggled at the plate and had one hit coming from Mia Strickland against South Coumbus starter Anna Carolina Suggs, who fanned 11 batters.
South Columbus also earned a 9-3 win in baseball over Fairmont.
Lowry fuels Purnell Swett to SEC win
LAURINBURG — The Purnell Swett girls soccer team opened Southeastern Conference play at Scotland with a 2-0 victory to improve to 6-1 on the year.
Abi Lowry scored both goals and set the school record for points in a season with 38 points, after netting her 14th goal of the season.
