DUBLIN - The West Columbus Vikings rallied from deficits of 3-0 and 5-3 to post an 8-6 Southeastern 1A-2A Conference baseball win over the host West Bladen Knight Tuesday.

The result left the two teams tied for first place in the conference race with one loss apiece.

Coach Ricky Young’s Vikings claimed their fourth straight victory and their 10th win in their last 12 games.

The Vikings, now 5-1 in conference and 12-6 for the season, got a gutty pitching performance from senior righthander Stephen Nealey. Nealey allowed 11 hits while recording seven strikeouts.

West Columbus, the defending Southeastern Conference champion and Eastern N.C. 1A Regional champion, rapped out 14 hits, including four by third baseman Bradley Cutrell.

Kenyarta Smith had three hits, including a key fourth-inning triple that brought home two runs.
Timothy Brown, Nathan Long and Truman Vereen each had two hits for the Vikings. Brown and Aaron Lowery had doubles and Cory Duncan added a run-scoring single.

The Vikings scored three runs in the third inning, three in the fourth and added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

“We put the bat on the ball tonight,” Young said. “They threw three pitchers and we hit all of them pretty well.”

Jonathan Benson hit a double and a triple for West Bladen, which suffered its third straight loss. Davis had a triple for the Knights.

West Columbus traveled to Boiling Spring Lakes Wednesday to play South Brunswick in a non-conference game. The Vikings will resume Southeastern Conference play Friday when they travel to take on Red Springs in a 7 p.m., contest.

Nealy and Duncan; Yandle, Locklear (4), Sykes (6) and Davis.