CONTRIBUTED

The Bladenboro Lady Bulldogs accomplished something Thursday afternoon that no team has done in more than four years.

The Lady Bulldogs managed to stop a 29-game winning streak by the Clarkton School of Discovery Lady Blue Devils’ softball team.

Bladenboro pulled from behind their arch rival Lady Blue Devils after two innings of play for a 15-5 win in the Bladen Five Middle School Conference contest played at Clarkton Thursday afternoon.

Bladenboro committed five errors in the early going and a repeat of an earlier game against Clarkton seemed imminent. In that matchup, the Lady Bulldogs made four quick errors and dug themselves a six-run hole in the first frame.

Bladenboro was never able to recover and eventually lost 16-12.

However, the Lady Bulldogs were in for an unexpected shock as they came off the field down by two runs in the bottom of the second inning. They were met by Bladenboro Coach Pam Stephens who told them in no uncertain terms to play softball or get on the bus.

From that point on, Bladenboro committed only one error and went on a 12-hit rampage, outscoring the Lady Blue Devils 13-1 over the remaiing innings of the game. The contest was stopped after five innings because of the 10-run rule.

Hayley Baxley again handled the pitching duties for Bladenboro. She gave up only two hits, walked three and struck out five. Baxley’s teammate gave her excellent support in the field following Stephens’ pep talk.

Clarkton’s Emily Ward went the distance on the mound for the Lady Blue Devils. She gave up 17 hits, walked five and struck out two.

Ward was also Clarkton’s leading hitter, getting a double and single. The Lady Blue Devils were charged with three miscues.

Third baseman Tiffany Hester again led Bladenboro at the plate. She batted 4-for-4 with a double. Hester leads all Bladenboro hitters for the season with a .765 average.

Catcher Leah Deaver continued to hit well for the Lady Bulldogs. She batted 3-for-4 with a double. Erin Willoughby also batted 3-for-4, Holly Britt and Jenna Hathcock added two hits each. Alley Gunter had a triple and Autumn Benson and Megan Smith had one hit each for Bladenboro.

The Lady Bulldogs are averaging 12 hits and 15 runs per game.

Bladenboro and Clarkton are tied for first place in the league standings, both with 4-1 records.

Bladenboro is scheduled to play at Elizabethtown today, and Clarkton will travel to Tar Heel today.