By Thomas Grant Jr.
League III in South Carolina American Legion baseball now includes three of its last six state champions.
If Tuesday’s opener between Lexington Post 7 and West Columbia Post 79 is any indication, expect a hard-fought battle among its five teams. The 15-14 win by Post 7 at Lexington High School witnessed the two teams combine for 27 hits, 15 walks and eight pitchers used in the contest.
“It’s definitely important,” said Lexington Post 7 head coach Drew Towery about winning early in league play. “Obviously, obviously our region is one of the toughest and it’s going to be…day in and day out one of the toughest. There’s a lot of good players in our area and it’s tough every day. But I like to tell the guys, you’ve got to show up. You’ve got to play the games. You’ve just go to play the game.”
Lexington scored a run in every inning and had a 10-3 lead through four innings. Weston Grant of Class 5A champion River Bluff went 3-5 with 4 RBI to lead Post 7 at the plate.
The shorthanded West Columbia answered with a nine-run fifth inning. After Mason Turner of Class 2A runner-up Gray Collegiate tied the game with a 3-run double, Logan Busenlehner hit a go-ahead 3-run homer to put Post 79 on top 12-10.
Busenlehner finished 5-5 at the plate for West Columbia.
Lexington answered in the bottom half of the inning with four runs. After loading the bases, Jason Carnahan singled home a run and Nathan Reynolds tied the game with an RBI fielder’s choice.
Whitt Rucker put Post 7 ahead with a two-run single to make it 14-12. A RBI fielder’s choice by Ethan Etheredge in the bottom of the sixth inning provided the margin of victory as West Columbia rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh inning.
With the tying run on second and two outs, Corbin Wright flied out to right field to end the game
The following night saw West Columbia have only nine players available as it was involved in another 1-run affair at Brookland-Cayce High School.
Post 79 fell behind 5-0 to Chapin/Newberry Post 79 through five innings, during which it managed only one hit off starter George Schodowski of Dutch Fork.
Brady Yarborough was responsible for three RBI, including a two-run single in the top of the fifth inning.
West Columbia scored twice in the bottom half of the inning on an error and RBI single by Robert McMillian. After Chapin/Newberry added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, McMillian would play a role in the final comeback.
Post 79 loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning. After Dylan McIntock was struck out by reliever Landon Kahl, Peyton Starkey of Gray Collegiate Academy singled home a run to make it 6-3.
With the bases still full, War Eagle teammate Mason Turner drew a RBI walk. Busenlelner followed with a two-run double to centerfielder to tie the game.
McMillian then lined a RBI single past third baseman Landon Davenport into leftfield to score Turner for the 7-6 walkoff victory.
American Legion Schedule
Chapin/Newberry Post 193/24
June 15 – WEST Columbia Post 79 (at Newberry College) 7 pm
June 19 – at West Columbia Post 79 (at Brookland-Cayce High School) 6:30 pm
June 20 – Richland Post 215 (DH – at Newberry College) 5 pm
June 21 – at Camden Post 17 (at American Legion Field) 7 pm
Lexington Post 7
June 20 – at West Columbia Post 79 (at Brookland-Cayce High School) 6:30 pm
June 21 – WEST Columbia Post 79 (at Lexington High School) 7 pm
West Columbia Post 79
June 15 – at Chapin/Newberry Post 193/24 (Newberry College) 7 pm
June 19 – CHAPIN/Newberry Post 193/24 (at Brookland-Cayce High School) 6:30 pm
June 20 – Lexington Post 7 (at Brookland-Cayce High School) 6:30 pm
June 21 – at Lexington Post 7 (at Lexington High School) 6:30 pm
Feature photo: West Columbia third baseman Robert McMillian with the tag out of Lexington Post 7’s Nathan Reynolds. Photo by Thomas Grant Jr.
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