By Lonnie Turner
McLeod Park leads the way in the AAA Sub-District DYB Baseball Tournament at the Kiwanis/Mike Lecholop facility in Dillon.
In Monday’s action Lynches River fell to McLeod, 18-0 and on Tuesday, Lake View forfeited its game with the leaders giving the Florence team a 3-0 record with one day to go. Lynches River bested Francis Marion last night (Tuesday) with a come from behind 15-5 victory to move to 2-1 and Dillon Kiwanis topped Lake View, 5-3 on Monday to improve its record to 2-1. On Wednesday, McLeod will lock horns with Francis Marion (1-2) at 6 and the Lynches River All Stars will face Dillon Kiwanis at 8, which means should McLeod Park win over Francis Marion, the winner will advance to the District Tournament to be played in Mullins.
The two teams with the best overall record will advance and play each other in the District Tourney!
McLeod Park sent 15 batters to the plate in Monday evening’s 6 o’clock game with Lynches River and when the dust cleared, the score was 10-0 and in the second inning, they didn’t let up, scoring 7 more to win 18-0. Peyton Rogers was the hitting hero for McLeod, driving in seven runs with a bases loaded triple and a walk-off grand slam home run over the left field fence. Jack Seward was 2 for 2 with two doubles and one rbi. Camp Keels added a sigle that drove in a run. Rogers was also the winning pitcher, allowing only one hit while striking out seven in two innings of work. The 15-run mercy rule stopped the game after two innings.
The Dillon Kiwanis All Stars rallied from behind to beat Lake View in a close one, 5-3, in the second game. The victory gave Dillon a 2-1 record in the tournament. Bryce Patterson hit an inside the park home run in the bottom of the 4th inning with two runners aboard to take a 3-2 lead over Lake View, which took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with a double off the bat of Slate Lewis and a two-run single by Luke Price. Dillon scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth when Brody Cook led off with a double ans scored on a wild pitch and Dan Graves drove in Luke King, who was hit by a pitched ball to get on base. Kason Herlong drove in Jayden Ford, who had walked, with a ground out in the top of the sixth. Jamison Hargrove was the pitcher of record allowing just two hits while striking out ten and walking two.
Lake View forfeited to McLeod Park on Tuesday and Lynches River broke a close game wide open with Francis Marion scoring 14 runs in the 4th and 5th innings. Francis Marion took and early 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a walk by Conner Lee and a single by R.J. Law and added four more runs in the fourth inning on back to back hits by Pierce Evans, Law and DeShaun Robinson. Robinson’s blow was a double that scored two and he scored when K.K. DuRant grounded out. Robinson, Francis Marion starting pitcher walked Augusta Hayes and Jackson McGregor to start the fourth, and was relieved on the mound by Evans and after Brayden Robinson reached base on a fielder’s choice and Tucker Kirby worked Evans for a walk, clean-up batter, Tremel Echols launched a pitch out of the park for the second grand slam home run of the tournament to pull Lynches River to within a single run of a tie game, 5-4. Gabriel Bennett worked Lynches River starter Jackson McGregor with a one-out walk before McGregor struck out the following batter. Jayden Johnson single to right and in an attempt to score, Bennett was thrown out at the plate to end the threat. The bats of Lynches River broke loose in the bottom of the fifth and when it was all over, Lynches River won by the 10-run rule, 15-5. Jace Weekfall doubled and three of the following players reached base on walks and a fielder’s choice.
With one out showing on the scoreboard, Brayden Robinson singled, Echols doubled and hitting back to back to back singles were Trevor McCutheon Desmond Cockfield and Weekfall. Weekfall’s hit scored the final two runs to end the game. McGregor was the winning pitcher and reliever Pearce Evans was tagged with the loss.
