East Bladen Rallies for 9-8 Victory Over East Duplin, Eyes Playoff Positioning

Austin Smith
Apr 30
2 min read

Elizabethtown, NC - With their backs against the wall and postseason positioning on the line, East Bladen Baseball found a way to claw back and secure a 9-8 win over East Duplin Tuesday night for senior night, celebrating Aiden Hargrove and Andrew Musslewhite.

The hard-fought victory pushes the Eagles to an overall record of 11-10 and keeps them steady at 7-5 in Waccamaw Conference play.

Now, the team’s playoff future hinges on the result of the East Columbus vs. West Columbus matchup on Thursday night.

If East Columbus loses, East Bladen secures the top 1A playoff seed from the conference.

If East Columbus wins, a tiebreaker game will be held Friday at 6 p.m., with the site to be determined by RPI rankings.

The game itself was a roller coaster of momentum swings. East Duplin jumped out early with three runs in the first and three more in the second, putting East Bladen in a 6-1 hole after two innings.

But the Eagles never quit. Debo Lewis sparked the offense with a strong performance at the plate, collecting both a single and a double while driving in a run and drawing a walk. Andrew Musslewhite delivered one of the biggest swings of the night, ripping a double and driving in three runs, while also scoring once.

Isaiah Lee was locked in offensively and on the mound. At the plate, he notched a single and a double, adding an RBI to his tally. On the mound, Lee threw 1.1 crucial innings in relief, allowing two hits and one run while striking out one.

Colton Daly added a single to the offensive effort, while Zach Sholar provided a jolt of energy with two hits and two runs scored. His aggressive baserunning and timely hitting helped turn the tide in the Eagles' favor.

Tyler Eason contributed to the scoring with two runs and a walk, staying disciplined in the batter’s box.

Jayce Hatcher played a pivotal dual role—he scored two runs, picked up a hit and a walk, and then slammed the door on East Duplin’s hopes in the final inning with a dominant closing performance: one inning pitched, no hits or walks, and three strikeouts.

Aiden Hargrove showed patience and poise with a walk and drove in two runs, helping fuel the five-run fifth inning that gave East Bladen the lead. Easton Bostic started the game on the mound, pitching 1.1 innings with two strikeouts.

Braylon Cromartie rounded out the scoring with a run, a single and a walk, helping extend key innings for the Eagles during their comeback surge.

On the hill, the pitching unit worked together to navigate through East Duplin’s early barrage. Bostic started things off, Lewis took over in relief with 3.1 solid innings, and Lee bridged the middle. Then Hatcher slammed the door with a shutdown final frame.

East Bladen will now play the waiting game, watching the East Columbus vs. West Columbus result with playoff implications hanging in the balance.

Regardless of how the standings shake out, the Eagles proved Tuesday night that they have the heart—and the depth—to battle with a lot of teams.

East Bladen Rallies for 9-8 Victory Over East Duplin, Eyes Playoff Positioning