Rylan Wade’s Four-RBI Night Fuels South Lenoir in Dominant Win Over Southwest Onslow
South Lenoir continues to make noise in the East Central 2A Conference, and Thursday night’s 11-1 win over Southwest Onslow was another statement.
Rylan Wade delivered a commanding performance at the plate, going 4-for-4 with four RBIs, including a three-run triple in the fifth inning to seal the run-rule victory. Wade also added a double and stole two bases, helping lift the Blue Devils to 9-4 overall and 6-1 in conference play — good for a second-place tie with North Lenoir behind East Duplin (8-1).
South Lenoir trailed 1-0 early after a wild pitch allowed Southwest Onslow to plate its only run in the top of the second. From there, it was all Blue Devils.
In the fourth inning, South Lenoir’s bats erupted for six runs. Kylee Weston doubled home the tying run, followed by Wade’s RBI single to give the Blue Devils their first lead. Lily Cole broke the game wide open with a three-run triple, then scored on a tag-up to make it 6-1.
The fifth inning saw five more runs cross the plate. Kellynn Swinson singled in one, Wade tripled in three, and Cole added her fourth RBI of the night with a groundout to end it.
South Lenoir totaled 13 hits, led by Wade’s four-hit night. Cloey Cole, Weston, and Callie Tyndall each had two hits apiece. The Blue Devils also wreaked havoc on the basepaths, swiping six bags — two each from Wade and C. Cole, along with steals by Swinson and A. Jones.
Tyndall (3-1) earned the win in the circle, throwing a complete game five-hitter. She struck out five, walked two, and faced 18 batters on 81 pitches, 51 of which were strikes.
Wade, now hitting .515 with 17 hits and a 1.619 OPS, leads the team in batting average, slugging, RBIs (17), and extra-base hits. Cole (.378 AVG) and Tyndall (.429 AVG, 15 RBIs) continue to serve as key contributors in the heart of the order. As a team, South Lenoir is batting .357 with a .973 OPS and 115 total hits on the season.
Defensively, the Blue Devils were sharp — committing no errors and turning a double play. Wade led all fielders with six chances.
Southwest Onslow (3-8, 3-8) was held to two hits — one each by Grissett and Johnson. Grissett also took the loss in the circle, allowing 13 hits and 11 earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched.
South Lenoir has now won eight of its last nine, including a 22-0 shutout at Kinston, and remains firmly in the mix for a conference title. The Blue Devils will host James Kenan (4-4 ECC) on Monday, followed by a road matchup at James Kenan on Wednesday. Key matchups remain against West Johnston, D.H. Conley, Wallace-Rose Hill, and North Lenoir as the playoff picture sharpens.
