After 45 years as a program, Fort Mill Post 43 American Legion baseball finally has a state championship to its name.
Fort Mill beat Lexington Post 7 in the American Legion Juniors State Championship game 8-6 at Fort Mill High School scoring five runs in the sixth inning to rally from down 5-1.
Fort Mill, the eighth seed in the eight-team tournament, won five games in five days and finished the season at 17-5.
Lexington came out strong in the first inning scoring two runs off Post 43 starter Carter Czapla.
Fort Mill was able to get one back in the bottom of the inning. An error allowed Eli Wilson to get on and scored on a Cooper Diehl single.
Lexington kept a hot start going in the top of the third. Post 7 scored three runs on three hits including a two-run home run. In the bottom of the inning, Michael Caropreso singled to get things going for Post 43, but Fort Mill was unable to create any runs.
That changed in the fifth inning as Wilson walked and Brayden Grogan doubled to score him for Post 43’s second run. Diehl then singled in Grogan to make it 5-3 and keep Fort Mill in the game.
Lexington got one run back in the top of the sixth after a couple of Post 43 errors and a catcher’s interference call scored a run for Post 7.
Fort Mill started to make a comeback in the bottom of the sixth.
Matthew Scott doubled to lead the bottom of the inning off. James Carlin singled and then Grey Kneidel doubled driving in both Carlin and courtesy runner Devon Pascarella. Wilson singled tying the game and Caropreso scored to give Post 43 the lead on a wild pitch. Wilson scored on a sacrifice fly to put Fort Mill up 8-6.
Czapla came back to finish the game throwing a complete game. Czapla allowed six runs on eight hits, with no walks and striking out six.
Diehl went 2-3 with two RBIs and Kneidel had two RBIs in going 1-3. Carlin went 2-3. Wilson, Brayden Grogan and Jack Provenzano each had an RBI in the win. Caropreso went 1-3 in the win and was named tournament MVP.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
