COLUMBIA – In a game that had a little bit of everything, Fort Mill Post 43 Juniors opened the playoffs with a 6-2 win over Richland Post 215 to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three series.
Post 43 won 6-2 at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in the opening contest, despite not playing their best baseball of the season. Fort Mill managed just four hits, while Richland aided them with six errors in the game.
Fort Mill jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as Richland struggled both at the plate and in the field. Post 43 scored four runs in the opening inning to go up 4-0. The spark of offense was aided by a two-run home run by Chico Moreno in the top of the first inning to put Fort Mill up 2-0.
Post 43’s Luke Keller led the game off with a walk setting up Moreno’s home run. A couple of errors allowed Rylee Ashworth to score and starting pitcher Lane Ross drove in Brennan Helms, who reached on an error in the first as well. Ross and Moreno each went 1-3 with two RBI to lead at the plate.
Fort Mill scored a fifth run in the top of the second inning to go up 5-0, with the help of another error by Richland. Richland was able to score in the bottom of the second on an error by Post 43, but managed only three hits the entire game.
Ross performed well on the mound allowing two runs on three hits, while walking two and striking out 10 Post 215 batters. Ross drove in his second run of the game in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly scoring Helms, who had walked earlier in the inning.
Richland added their second run in the bottom of the fifth off their third base hit of the game, but never really threatened Post 43.
Game two is set for Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Nation Ford High. The winner of the series will have to face the winner of Spartanburg Post 28/ Lexington Post 7 Grays in the second-round next week.
The Post 43 Senior team has three non-conference games this week as the first round of the playoffs get underway. The Senior team has a first-round bye for the playoffs and will be traveling to Hamlet, NC to play Tuesday and then have a home and away set with Inman Post 45 Wednesday and Thursday. Fort Mill will open the second round of the playoffs next Tuesday against the winner of the Lancaster-Union first-round series.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
