SHELBY, N.C. – The Fort Mill Post 43 Seniors used hot hitting and strong pitching to beat Cherryville Post 100 as part of the North Carolina-South Carolina Challenge held at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium, home of the American Legion World Series in Shelby.
Post 43 won 15-10 despite being outhit by Cherryville on Saturday, June 20.
Cooper Armstrong and Jack Shellnut drew walks to open the game. JT Leonhardt reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Cooper Diehl drove in Armstrong giving Fort Mill an early lead. An error by Cherryville scored another Post 43 run. A single by Jackson Carroll drove in two runs pushing Fort Mill’s lead to 4-0.
Post 43 starter Emerson Rhodes walked one Post 100 batter, but was strong in the bottom of the first with two strikeouts.
In the second, Michael Caropreso was hit by a pitch, but later caught stealing. Armstrong and Shelnut singled, but were left stranded in the inning.
Cherryville got a single to open the second inning. The hit was the only base runner they got in the inning as a double play helped Fort Mill get out of the inning.
In the top of the third, James Carlin and Brayden Grogan singled. Lawson Smith drove in Carlin in a single and Caropreso reached in Cherryville’s second error scoring another run for Post 43.
Fort Mill had a big third inning scoring eight runs. Consecutive errors by Post 100 allowed another run by Fort Mill and put runners on second and third with one out. A walk to Shellnut loaded the bases. A bases loaded walk led to a pitching change for Cherryville.
After the pitching change, Diehl drove in Armstrong on a sacrifice fly. Passed balls scored Shelnut and Leonhardt, before Grogan hit an RBI double scoring Carlin and putting Post 43 up 12-0.
Cherryville got on the board in the bottom of the inning scoring a couple of runs off a couple of hits.
In the top of the fourth, Caropreso and Armstrong walked to open the inning. Caropreso would get doubled off and Armstrong would score on a passed ball pushing the score to 13-2.
In the bottom of the inning, a double and two singles gave Post 100 another run. Grogan hit a single in the top of the fifth and put more runners in scoring position, but was unable to get a run in for Post 43.
Zach McMahon would come in for Fort Mill in the bottom of the fifth. Rhodes went four innings and allowed three runs on six hits, while walking one and striking out two.
Cherryville prevented the 10- run rule from being enforced in the fifth inning scoring three runs off three singles and three walks.
In the bottom of the inning, Shellnut doubled and reached third on a passed ball for Fort Mill, but was left stranded.
Zac Young came in to pitch for Post 43 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Cherryville got two hits, but never threatened like they did earlier in the game.
Diehl led the top of the seventh off for Fort Mill with a single. Carlin walked and Grogan doubled scoring Diehl, while Carlin was thrown out trying to add a run to the Post 43 score. Jackson Carroll drove in Grogan on a sacrifice fly giving Fort Mill their second run of the inning and some cushion heading into the bottom of the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Cherryville scored four runs to pull within five, but Fort Mill was able to pull them off and get the win. Post 100 got four runs on five hits.
Grogan led Fort Mill at the plate going 3-5 with three RBI. Carroll went 2-3 with three RBI and both Shelnut and Diehl each got two hits as well in the game. Post 43 improved to 4-4 on the season with the win. They will next play at Nation Ford High School on Wednesday, June 24 against Lancaster Post 31.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
