Hot Bengal bats sear Nation Ford

BLYTHEWOOD – Nations Ford built a 4-1 lead on the Blythewood softball team in the opening game of the District II tournament Thursday, but Hannah Black and Emily Babbitt erased it with two swings of the bat.

Black and Babbitt connected for back-to-back two-out, two-run doubles that gave the Bengals a 5-4 lead. They held off the Falcons and closed out an 8-5 victory in the four-team double-elimination tournament.

Blythewood (11-8-1), seeded second in the tournament, hits the road to play top-seeded Byrnes Saturday at a time to be determined. The Rebels walloped Laurens 21-0 in four innings Thursday night.

Once Blythewood erased the deficit in the fourth, the Falcons tied the game at 5 with a run in the fifth.

The Bengals kept their bats hot though, picking up a run in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the sixth to close out the win.

In the fifth, Blythewood retook the lead on Kailey Shannon’s one-out single that scored Grace Campbell, who led off the frame with a single.

In the sixth, Kendall Parker slugged a 2-out double to centerfield that drove in Babbitt and Kailei Swanier to seal the win.

Blythewood 8, Nations Ford 5

Nations Ford – 0-1-2-1-1-0-0 – 5, 10, 1

Blythewood – 0-0-1-4-1-2-X – 12, 0, 0

 WP: Kendall Parker LP: Madison Arnold

Hitters: Nations Ford – Janelle Ilacqua 2-4, Olivia Southerly 2-4, 2B. Rebecca Kerley 2-4, 2B. Blythewood – Emily Babbitt 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI. Hannah Black 2B Kendall Parker 2B.

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