The Fort Mill Post 43 Junior team won the League III title beating Rock Hill Post 34 Thursday at Catawba Ridge to lock up the regular season title.
Post 43 won 10-6 to finish the regular season at 9-3 overall. Fort Mill started strong and took advantage of eight Rock Hill errors in the game. Rock Hill had as many errors as hits.
Fort Mill scored four runs in the second inning to take a strong lead off a couple of hits and a two Rock Hill errors. James Knoll and Justin Brink hit back-to-back singles during the game to get things going for Post 43. Zach Boutwell knocked in Knoll, and Brink would score on an error by Rock Hill. Boutwell would score on a wild pitch, and Alex Smith would later score in the inning on another wild pitch.
Rock Hill cut the lead in half by scoring two runs in the top of the third inning, but Post 43 got those two runs back in the bottom half of the inning with a Rock Hill error which scored both Knoll and Brink.
Rock Hill kept the game competitive as they pulled within one scoring three in the top of the fifth to make it 6-5. Fort Mill again pulled away putting up four in the bottom of the inning.
In the fifth, Kade Balsinger drove in both Brink and Carter Powell and then another Rock Hill error scored two more runs to make it 10-5. All of Post 43’s runs in the fifth were scored with two outs.
Rock Hill added a run in the sixth, but could not ever put a rally together.
Braydon Hampton went 2-4 at the plate, while Balsinger went 1-4 with two RBI during the game to lead Fort Mill. Boutwell went 1-4 with an RBI as well.
Zach Young got the win going four and a third innings, while allowing five runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out two as well. Powell pitched an inning and two-thirds allowing one run and one hit, while striking out two. Braydon Plyler pitched an inning to close the game out and struck out two hitters.
Seniors fall to Rock Hill
The Fort Mill Post 43 seniors fell to Rock Hill 4-0 after only getting two hits in the game. The loss drops Post 43 seniors to 8-5 overall and 5-4 in League IV.
Getting the two hits for Post 43 against Rock Hill was Nico Bartolotti and Sam Czyz, with both hits coming in the first couple innings of play.
Post 43 seniors travel to Lancaster Post 31 Friday, June 30 for another league game.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
