After four separate delays because of weather and a lighting issue, the Fort Mill and Nation Ford baseball teams finally got in a decisive third game to finish Region 3-5A play for both teams.
Fort Mill swept the season series against the Falcons with a 7-0 win Saturday as they had four pitchers combine for a one-hitter against Nation Ford.
The Jackets finished the regular season at 13-12 overall and 9-6 in the region giving them a third-place finish. They will open the playoffs next week on the road at Byrnes, while Nation Ford finished at 8-7 in the region for fourth place and are now also 13-12 overall on the season. They will travel to Woodmont next week to open the playoffs.
Fort Mill was led by Mikey Terrible, Cannon Herring, Nick Sholl and Jaeger Pankowski on the mound as they combined for the one-hitter as the only hit that Nation Ford coming in the top of the third off the bat of Jacob Pettit, who singled for the Falcons only hit in the game.
Fort Mill started off hot scoring five runs in the top of the first off, the Falcons starter Justin Brink. Eli Craddock doubled to open the offense for the Jackets. Andrew Craddock would then drive in Eli Craddock on a sacrifice fly leading to a two-run home run by Carter Blankinship which also scored Zach Jennings.
That put the game at 3-0 as Nick Krise would single before scoring on an error from Nation Ford. Drew Gaff doubled to knock in Pankowski who reached on the error to continue the inning for Fort Mill.
Fort Mill added runs in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Gaff would drive in a run on a sacrifice fly and another Nation Ford error in the sixth led to the seventh run for the Jackets.
Fort Mill was led by Krise at the plate as he went 2-4 and Blankinship as he went 1-4 with two RBIs.
Terrible got the win pitching just the first inning, but came out of the game with a 5-0 lead. He walked three batters but otherwise had a clean inning. Fort Mill did walk six Nation Ford hitters in the game. Herring had the longest stint on the mound going two and two third innings, allowing the only hit and walking three for Fort Mill.
Sholl pitched two and a third innings and struck out three and Pankowski pitched a perfect top of the seventh for the Jackets.
Nation Ford used five pitchers in the game besides Brink in Killion Bennett, Lane Ross, Jonah Thouchstone, Liam Quinn and Ryan Dyer.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
