Late inning small ball led to Rock Hill Post 43 beating Fort Mill Post 43 juniors, who fell 4-3 in the regular season finale.
Rock Hill scored a run in the top of the seventh inning on a sacrifice bunt that was placed down perfectly the first base line. Fort Mill got one on in the bottom of the seventh, but couldn’t push the run across.
Post 43 finished the season at 8-4 overall and will be the second seed coming out of League V behind Buford. Both teams finished at 8-4 atop of the league, but Buford had the tie breaker over Fort Mill winning two of three games.
Rock Hill scored first in the top of the second inning, but Fort Mill tied the game in the bottom of the third as Bradyn Deaton drove in Mitchell Ladamus on a sacrifice fly. Post 43 then grabbed a 3-1 lead scoring two runs in the fourth as Aiden Cattarin led the inning off with a double. He was followed by a double from Brody Owens and Killion Bennett then knocked in Owens on a single to give Post 43 the two-run lead.
The lead was short lived as Rock Hill tied the game up at 3-3 in the top of the fifth after a hit batter, a walk and a single given up by Fort Mill pitching.
Fort Mill’s Carter Cox got the start for Post 43 and went six innings and allowed three runs on three hits while walking four and striking out eight. He didn’t factor into the decision, as it was Deaton that got the loss on the mound allowing one run on one hit in pitching the seventh inning.
At the plate, Post 43 was led by Deaton who went 1-2 with an RBI and both Bennett and Owens, went 1-3 with an RBI. Fort Mill had eight hits and only gave up four hits, but struggled walking people and hit four Rock Hill batters.
“Carter had a good start,” said Post 43 head coach Michael Lewis. “We didn’t execute. We have got to execute better. We will just have to regroup and try to make a run.”
Post 43 juniors open up the playoffs the week of July 11 against a team to be determined.
Walk-off downs Post 43 Seniors
A walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning by Rock Hill Post 34 beat Fort Mill Post 43 Seniors 4-3 at Rock Hill High.
Fort Mill fell to 5-9-1 overall on the season and finished League V play at 5-7 and in third place. Post 43 played better at the plate getting eight hits as Seth Hanson and Cooper Wilson each went 2-3. Dusty Sanderlin went 1-3 with three RBI tying the game up in the top of the seventh at 3-3 with a double.
Post 43 has one more scheduled regular season game for Wednesday, July 6 at home at Catawba Ridge.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
