West Bladen Baseball Claims SAC 6 Co-Championship, Secures School's First Baseball #1 Seed

Austin Smith
May 4
3 min read

Red Springs & Clinton, NC - The West Bladen Knights closed out their regular season and followed it up with a tiebreaker victory that secured their first conference title since 2007-2008, earning co-champion honors in the Southeastern Athletic Conference (SAC 6) alongside Midway.

Even more impressive, the Knights are now projected as the #1 seed in the 2A East, a historic first for the program.

After shutting out Red Springs 10-0 on Friday night, West Bladen returned to action Saturday afternoon in Clinton for a tiebreaker matchup with Midway.

The Knights rallied late to secure an 8-6 win and officially cap off a standout stretch that pushed them to a 17-4 overall record and an 9-2 mark in conference play.

Friday Night Dominance: West Bladen 10, Red Springs 0

In Red Springs, the Knights made quick work of their hosts with a commanding performance both at the plate and on the mound.

Tyler Lewis sparked the offense with a single and a double, scoring twice and driving in three RBIs.

Allister Russ added a pair of singles and two RBIs, while Ryan Dove provided a key moment in a pinch-hit appearance—slapping a double and coming around to score as part of a two-RBI showing.

Garrett Dunham reached base twice via walks and scored a run, while Cade Allen crossed the plate twice and showed patience with two walks of his own.

Ashton Davis stayed hot, collecting two singles, a walk, two runs, and an RBI. Hunter Hester chipped in with a pair of singles and scored twice. Weston Hilburn and Aiden Russ each contributed with hits as well.

On the mound, Hester turned in 4.2 hitless innings, walking three and striking out two. Dunham followed with 1.1 clean frames in relief, allowing no hits and fanning three.

Lewis closed it out with a dominant final inning, striking out the side.

Saturday Showdown: West Bladen 8, Midway 6

With a share of the SAC 6 title and the top seed on the line, West Bladen delivered when it mattered most. Down 5-2 entering the sixth, the Knights exploded for six runs in the top of the inning and then held off a late Midway push.

Hunter Hester had a big day at the plate, going for two singles, a double, two RBIs, and scoring a run. Ashton Davis delivered again with a single and a double, adding a run and an RBI.

JT Hepler got in on the rally with a single and scored once, while Weston Hilburn reached base and also came around to score. Garrett Dunham added an RBI single and crossed the plate, and Aiden Russ chipped in a hit and an RBI of his own.

Cade Allen and Daniel Bryan both scored after being hit by pitches, and Allister Russ showed toughness at the plate with two HBPs, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.

Defensively, Aiden Russ anchored the field with five putouts. Weston Hilburn added four, and Cade Allen secured four of his own. Brady Durden, Hunter Hester, and Garrett Dunham were all reliable in the field as well.

On the mound, Ashton Davis started the game, striking out three but surrendering five runs in 2.2 innings of work. Dunham came in to finish it off, limiting Midway to just one earned run despite some traffic on the bases, helping the Knights survive a tense final frame.

West Bladen didn’t just win—they did it with grit and consistency. The Knights allowed the fewest runs in the entire conference and also boasted the toughest strength of schedule in all of 2A, a testament to their resilience and depth.

As the Knights wait for official bracket confirmation from the NCHSAA on Monday, the focus turns to the playoffs—where they’ll enter as a top contender and, for the first time ever, as the projected No. 1 seed in the 2A East.

West Bladen Claims SAC 6 Co-Championship, Secures Historic #1 Seed