After being rained out on Thursday, Fort Mill fell at home against non-league competition Anderson Post 14.
Fort Mill lost 5-1 to fall to 3-4 on the season splitting the season series against Anderson on Friday, June 19. Post 43 starter Anthony Marano put Anderson down in order to open the game in the first inning. Fort Mill also went in order in their half of the first inning.
Post 14 picked up two base runners, one off a single, but defensively held Anderson from scoring in the second inning.
JT Leonhardt led the second inning off with a hit for Post 43, but he was left stranded as both teams went to the third scoreless.
Anderson’s first two hitters reached base off singles. Fort Mill would get some help from a double play, but Post 14 scored first off, another single to go up 1-0.
In the bottom of the inning, Fort Mill got one base runner as TJ McCluney got hit by a pitch, but he would be caught stealing to end the inning.
In the fourth inning, Post 14 got two early base runners, but another double play benefited Fort Mill, but not before Anderson scored another run.
Jack Shelnutt led the bottom of the fourth off with a walk. James Knoll would then double him in to give Post 43 a run.
Anderson started pulling away in the top of the fifth. A one out single and a walk led to a bases clearing double before a pitching change by Fort Mill. Caden Stevens came in to relieve Marano, who went four and a third innings allowing four runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out four.
In the bottom of the sixth, Alex Blanchette and Knoll hit one out singles. Despite the offense, Post 43 failed to push a run across and went into the seventh trailing by three runs.
Daniel McCloskey came in to pitch the seventh inning. Anderson answered with three consecutive singles to start the inning. Post 14 would add another run to give them some insurance heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Fort Mill went down in order in the bottom of the seventh. Knoll went 2-3 and had half of Fort Mill‘s four hits in the game.
Post 43 will participate in the North Carolina-South Carolina Challenge in Shelby, NC on Saturday, June 20.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
