Comeback in final game gives Fort Mill sweep over Nation Ford

The Fort Mill baseball team swept its rival, Nation Ford, in a three-game series to end the regular season after a come from behind 8-7 win in game three.

Fort Mill scored four runs on four hits in the sixth inning to take the 8-7 lead in game three of the series after being down 5-1. The Jackets finished the regular season at 19-5 and second in Region IV, while Nation Ford finished at 9-14 and third in the region. Both teams will enter the playoff this week.

“Our approach has been we can’t let our performance this week affect next week,” said Fort Mill head coach Travis Collier. “We put some people in positions for us that hadn’t been there before and they performed. I am very proud of our guys for the way they handled themselves in this series.”

Nation Ford went up 5-1 after two innings after getting to Jackets starter Dylan Helms early, scoring all five of those runs on three hits in the second inning, including an RBI triple from Tyler Causey and a two-run double from Jeffery Maidhof. In the top of the third, the momentum continued in the Falcons' direction as Fort Mill threatened with a man on first and second. Nation Ford got out of the inning with the help of a triple play as Fort Mill’s Justin Kerosetz hit a line drive back to pitcher Evan Lammers, who made the catch and then turned and threw to Causey covering second, who then threw to Hayden Mobbs at first to end the inning.

However, Kerosetz and Fort Mill would use the fifth and sixth innings as their rallying point to get the win. Fort Mill scored three runs in the fifth off five hits, before the four run sixth inning. Fort Mill was led by Bartow Keller, who went 3-3 with an RBI, as well as Kerosetz, Logan Stone and Connor Manco, all of who had two hits. Carson Jones did, too, with a pair of doubles, and Jackson Randall also picked up two hits as Fort Mill totaled 14 for the game. Kerosetz, Stone and Manco also had two RBI each in game as well.

In the second game of the series, Fort Mill earned a 4-0 shutout of the Falcons. The Jackets allowed just three hits on five and two-thirds scoreless innings from Mikey Tepper, who struck out five without allowing a walk.

Fort Mill had just five hits themselves in the win. The Jackets went up 1-0 in the third inning and then added three runs in the fourth inning to get all the insurance they needed. Fort Mill’s Keller and Stone each had a double as the two has the only extra base hits of the game for the Jackets.

Nation Ford was led by Causey, who got two of their three hits going 2-3. Bradley Bott got the other hit for the Falcons with a triple.

In the first game, Fort Mill won 8-2, scattering 10 hits in the game. Stone got the win on the mound for the Jackets going six and two-third innings allowing two runs on seven hits, while striking out four.

Offensively, Keller, Kerosetz and JT Marr each got two hits as Marr went 2-4 with a triple and three RBI. Kerosetz went 2-3 with an RBI and Stone drove in two runs going 1-3 with a triple as well.

For the Falcons, Bott led at the plate going 2-4 as he was the only Nation Ford player to get more than one hit.

First round playoff games were scheduled to begin today, but games around the region have been postponed due to rain, including Fort Mill's game. That one, a home game versus Greenwood, has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday. Nation Ford is still scheduled to go on the road to take on Mauldin today.

Check back for an update on Nation Ford's schedule.

Mac Banks: mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM

This story was originally published April 24, 2018 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Comeback in final game gives Fort Mill sweep over Nation Ford."