Florence Post 1 earned their second state title in three years on Wednesday, July 30, as they defeated Sumter’s Post 15 8-4 in American Legion baseball action.
The state championship team includes Latta’s John Kever Love and Jackson Williams and Dillon’s Weston Bailey and Patrick Herring.
Ke’Shaun Samuel earned the win on the mound for Post 1, pitching 6.3 innings for four runs, three earned runs, one walk, and three outs.
Bailey started off the bottom of the first inning for Post 1 with a single and was scored by a sacrifice fly from Logan McRae. Bailey also fielded a grounder at shortstop in the third inning and started a double play that ended a scoring threat from Sumter.
Florence improved to 2-0 in the bottom of the third with McRae hit by pitch and reaching third on a single from Garrett Bevill. Zach Herndon beat a throw to first to allow McRae to score.
Sumter scored in the fifth when Ian McCaffrey reached on a walk, but Florence took advantage of fielding errors in the sixth to score three unearned runs. Steven Calcutt reached on a single, and Dillon’s Patrick Herring reached on an error, with Bailey hit by a pitch to load the bases. McLean Hartz hit a grounder to shortstop Jacob Watcher but the Watcher missed the ball, scoring Calcutt and Herring. Post 1 scored again on a throwing error for a 5-1 lead.
Post 15 picked up three runs in the seventh, getting three back-to-back singles with one out. Post 1 sent in Kam Dixon to relieve Samuel, who walked another batter. Kemper Patton hit a grounder, but an error allowed Sumter to score two runs to trail 5-4. With two runners on base and one out, Dixon got a pop up and fly to end the threat.
In the eighth, Post 1 loaded the bases with a single, a walk, and a hit by pitch. Florence scored on a wild pitch, and Hopkins hit a two-run single to seal the win at 8-4.
For Florence, Weston Bailey had two hits with three runs scored and two hit by pitches. McLean Hartz, Garrett Bevill, and Clay Martin each had two hits in the win.
Phillip Watcher took the loss on the mound for Sumter, pitching six innings for seven hits, five runs, two earned runs, one walk, and 10 outs.
Watcher was 3-for-4 at bat for Post 15 with one RBI and one run, also reaching on a hit by pitch. Jacob Watcher went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI, and Javon Martin had two hits.
Florence, now 37-3, will advance to the Southeast Regional in Asheboro, North Carolina. The double-elimination tournament will begin on Thursday, August 7, with Post 1 facing Kentucky’s state champ.
