Fort Mill’s Nic Curtis dives back into first base during Post 43’s game against Lancaster Post 31 Tuesday.

An 11-run sixth inning allowed Fort Mill Post 43 senior team to rally for the second consecutive game to grab a 17-12 win over Lancaster Post 31.

The sixth inning featured a grand slam from Justin Lehman to tie the game at 11-11 and then a three-run home run from Kenan Bowman later in the inning to propel Fort Mill to a 7-0 record.

Fort Mill was outhit by Lancaster Post 14-10, but several errors in the sixth inning to go with the big hits from Bowman and Lehman, as well as five walks from Post 31 was what Post 43 needed.

“Ultimately if you look at the box score Justin and Kenan had the big hits tonight with the two home runs,” said Post 43 head senior coach Tom Skula.  “Truly it was an entire team effort that got us back into the game. We were able to bat around in our lineup in the sixth by working walks and getting timely hits. Up and down our lineup in the sixth we started to click on all cylinders. We grinded and had great at bats that gave those two the opportunity to do what they did tonight.” 

Post 43 struggled all game and played catch-up for the most part until the sixth inning. Fort Mill trailed 11-6 entering the inning.  Lancaster’s pitching walked the first four batters of the sixth before getting an out. Lehman then hit the grand slam to tie the game as his hit was followed by a single from Harrison Wilson, a fielders’ choice from Scott Young and then another walk.

A couple errors from Lancaster would set up a single from Patrick Matthew and then the three-run home run from Bowman. By then the game had gotten out of hand for Lancaster.  Lehman led at the plate going 2-4 with four RBI. Young also went 2-4 and Wilson went 2-3 with and RBI. Bowman was 1-2 with three walks and three RBI as well.

Fort Mill struggled on the mound using five pitchers with Brian Stapleton getting the win going one inning and allowing two hits and one run while striking out two. Lancaster jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning and went up 3-0 in the second before Fort Mill scored. In the bottom of the second, Chase Doughtery singled in Aaron Pendergast who had walked to reach base.

“On the pitching side of things for the most part we never really looked comfortable on the mound,” Skula said.  “Only one time tonight were we able to limit Lancaster from scoring in the top half of the next inning after we scored the bottom half of the previous inning. On the positive note we know what our pitchers are capable of. We will use this as a learning experience and I know these guys will be better during their next outing.”

Lancaster would score four in the fourth to go up 7-2, but Post 43 added two runs on two hits in the bottom of the inning. Young drove in Wilson, who has singled earlier in the inning, as Fort Mill kept within striking distance.

Lancaster added three in the top of the fifth, but Fort Mill came right back in the bottom of the inning as Gabe Simmons would double in Bowman, who walked to start off the bottom of the inning, and Wilson would drive-in Simmons on a sacrifice fly.

Post 31 kept the hot bats going in the top of the sixth and added an 11th run in the game to make it 11-6 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, before Post 43 exploded.

In the seventh, Lehman would come in and close the game out pitching one inning and allowing one run on one hit, while walking one and striking one out.

Post 43 heads down to Lancaster Thursday to finish the series off with Post 31 in game three of the series.

“I told our guys after the game that we can’t be continuing to dig ourselves into these big deficits and then have to claw our way back into games,” Skula said. “It’s a luxury to be able to do that with the lineup that we have but it is a recipe for disaster.  No matter who we are playing we have to be locked in come game time and be ready to compete every single night from the first pitch.”

Juniors rained out in Lancaster

The Fort Mill Post 43 junior team was supposed to travel to Lancaster Tuesday to play game two in their series with Post 31 but was rained out due to a late afternoon shower in Lancaster. The junior team will try to make the game up Wednesday in Lancaster at 7:30 p.m.

Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep

Gabe Simmons chase down a Lancaster base runner who got caught in a run down during Post 43’s game Tuesday evening.