Fort Mill’s Brynn Bartolini slaps a hit during the Jackets’ playoff opener against Dorman Friday evening.

Fielding errors and one bad inning for the Fort Mill softball team has put them with their back against the wall as they fell to the Dorman Cavaliers in their District playoff opener.

Fort Mill lost 6-4 as Dorman used a four run fourth inning to take the lead over the Jackets and was able to hold them off later in the game. The Jackets made three errors in the game and despite getting an early lead struggled after falling behind.

“We beat ourselves,” said Fort Mill head coach Chuck Stegall. “They got a good team, but we helped them realize they could score.”

Fort Mill went up 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning on a Maddie Drerup two-run home run. The Jackets added to their lead in the second inning as Brynn Bartolini singled and then scored on an Ava Balsinger single to make it 3-0.

In the top of the third, Dorman cracked the score board and started gaining some confidence against Drerup, who gave up six runs in the game on 12 hits, while striking out five. Dorman scored two runs on three hits and got back into the game.

Then in the fourth inning, Dorman scored four runs on six straight hits to take the lead at 6-3. The air went out of the Jackets’ sails after the inning and despite scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI triple from Bartolini, Fort Mill could never fully recover. Drerup recovered after the bad innings and allowed just two hits over the next three innings.

Fort Mill was led by Bartolini and Drerup, who both went 2-4 at the plate. With the loss, Fort Mill drops to 13-4 on the season and now falls to the consolation bracket in the double-elimination District playoffs. Fort Mill will host Spring Valley Monday with the loser being knocked out of the playoffs.

Stegall said he is confident his team will bounce back Monday and said the one thing his team needs is that confidence.

“We just have to shake it off and come back with confidence,” he said.

Falcons baseball falls to Dorman as well in playoff opener

Nation Ford opened the playoffs on the road at Dorman and lost 10-1. The Falcons managed just six hits in the game and went silent after scoring their lone run in the top of the first inning.

Dorman rattled off 11 hits and put up six runs in the fourth inning to blow the game open. Aaron Pendergast went 3-3 and got half of the Falcons’ hits in the game. Jacob Boyna got the loss on the mound going three innings and allowing six runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four.

Nation Ford now falls to the consolation bracket and will take on Blythewood Monday on the road in an elimination game needing to win to stay alive. The Falcons are now 18-9 overall on the season.

Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep