SUMTER – Sometimes you win by the walk-off, sometimes you die by the walk-off.
Florence Post 1 beat Fort Mill Post 43 by a score of 4-3 with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh. The loss pushed Fort Mill to an elimination game on Saturday, July 25 at 4 p.m. against Rock Hill in the American Legion Senior State Tournament held at Riley Park in Sumter. Fort Mill had won 16 of their last 17 games, including 13 in a row before the loss.
Post 43’s TJ McCluney and Jack Shelnutt opened the first inning with consecutive singles. Ethan Solnick walked to load the bases for Fort Mill. A passed ball scored McCluney before Cooper Diehl kept the bases loaded with a walk. Cooper Armstrong would be hit by a pitch scoring another Post 43 run with one out to put Fort Mill up 2-0.
Florence led the bottom of the inning off with a walk. Post 43 starter Carter Powell came back to get out of the inning with three straight outs.
The only Fort Mill offense in the next inning was a double by Shelnutt.
In the bottom of the inning, Florence again started with a walk, before Post 1 got their first hit to put runners on the corners with no outs. Again, Powell would bear down to get three outs without allowing a run.
Armstrong picked up his second hit of the game in the third inning. A stolen base and a throwing error put Armstrong on third with two outs, but Post 43 was unable to drive him in.
Powell remained strong on the mound as he faced the minimum in the bottom of the third.
The top of the fourth saw JT Leonhardt reach on an infield single and steal second, yet again Fort Mill struggled to get another run in the game.
Florence again got a base runner off a free pass to start the bottom of the fourth. A second walk put runners on the corners with one out later in the inning. A sacrifice fly scored a run for Post 1, but they were unable to tie the game as Fort Mill kept the lead at 2-1.
Both Diehl and James Knoll were both hit by pitches in the top of the fifth inning. Armstrong walked to load the bases with one out. Brayden Grogan would then be hit as well to keep the bases loaded but also make it 3-1 in Post 43 favor. Florence changed pitchers and was able to get the next two outs.
Emerson Rhodes took to the mound in the bottom of the fifth inning for Fort Mill. Powell finished with four innings in the book allowing one run on one hit, while walking four and striking out seven.
Florence got consecutive singles with one out in the inning. Two more singles and a sacrifice fly tied the game at three in the fifth before Post 43 could get out of the inning.
Solnick singled with two outs in the top of the sixth, but the Fort Mill offense couldn’t keep things moving.
Rhodes came back in the sixth inning and faced the minimum to keep the game tied.
In the seventh, a single and a walk put two runners on setting up the game winning hit for Florence.
Shelnutt led at the plate going 2-4 as Fort Mill dropped to 16-5 on the season.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
