Gaffney knocks Post 43 out of playoffs
After winning 19 of its first 20 games, third-ranked Fort Mill American Legion Post 43 team couldn’t have picked a worse time to fall into a slump.
After winning the first two games, Fort Mill needed one win to make it to the state tournament this week in Sumter, but dropped three straight to Gaffney Post 109 to finish the season 19-4.
“Unfortunately after the first two games, our bats went silent for the first time all season,” said head coach Tom Skula. “It is disappointing being up two games and not being able to close out the season.
“We had a great overall season,” he said. “We won the league title for the first time in over a decade. …We will continue to grow this program and reach the state tournament soon.”
Post 43 fell 7-4 in game five in the best of five series. Fort Mill had been averaging a dozen hits a game and 10 runs through the first 20 games of the season. Against Gaffney, production at the plate plummeted.
Despite getting 11 hits in game five, Post 43 allowed 14 hits and seven runs. Brandon Fite, who pitched a near dominating relief performance earlier in the week, got the loss.
Gaffney hit a solo shot in the first inning from Chris Clary to get on the board. They added three more in the third inning making it 4-0 before Fort Mill could get on the board.
Infielder Clay Hunt hit a two-run home run in the fifth to give Fort Mill life. However, Gaffney tacked on more runs in the top half.
In the seventh, Post 43’s Justin Borland doubled, and Beau Sluder drove him in with a single. In the eighth, Fort Mill scored a run on two hits with Clay Helvey driving in Justin Tepper to make it 7-4.
In game four, Fort Mill was shut out 8-0 and struggled at the plate with five hits. It was their lowest hitting output of the season and first shutout.
In game three, Gaffney scattered a dozen hits in the 11-3 loss. Post 43 nearly matched them at the plate but struggled on the mound allowing seven walks from three pitchers. Of the 11 runs Gaffney scored, seven were earned.
Game two showed promise for Post 43 in the series as Fort Mill won 9-7. Josh Jones went the distance for Post 43 allowing seven runs on 11 hits, while striking out five and walking two. Jones kept batters guessing, and defensively Fort Mill backed him up. Offensively, it was the last real output for Post 43 on the season. Fite went 4-5 with two RBIs, and Matt Navarro went 2-4 with two RBIs. Jones helped his own cause going 2-5 with a couple RBIs, and Mason Jordan went 1-4 with two RBIs.
Fort Mill won game one 9-2 as Hunt and Fite combined to throw a four-hitter. They had taken a no-hitter into the ninth inning, when Gaffney had two runs off four hits. Helvey went 3-4 in the game with two doubles and two RBIs, while Fite went 2-5 with two doubles and one RBI. Jones added two RBIs with a 1-4 performance.
This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Gaffney knocks Post 43 out of playoffs."