Legion team opens playoffs against Spartanburg
The Fort Mill American Legion Post 43 team will open the playoffs in a best of five series against Spartanburg Post 28 this week after grabbing its first league title since 2004.
Post 43 clinched the League V title with a doubleheader sweep of Rock Hill 5-1 and 15-5. The team also made the most of work against Lancaster Post 31 12-8 and York Post 66 12-5 to finish the regular season 14-1.
“This is an exciting time for Fort Mill Post 43,” said head coach Tom Skula. “This is the first time we have won the League V title in over a decade.
“This is a great group of kids we have this year. They come to the ball park and play hard every day. We have an incredible lineup. It’s great to have secured home field advantage and I look forward to starting the playoffs next week.”
The first game of the doubleheader was resumed after a month, with Fort Mill leading 5-0 in the top of the fourth and up to bat. The game had been suspended due to lighting on May 28.
Fort Mill Post 43 had taken that lead on a two-run home run by Clay Hunt in May in the first inning and then added three more runs in the third inning on a single by catcher Justin Tepper and a two-run double by Mason Jordan.
Fort Mill’s Clay Helvey had initially gotten the start and had pitched three innings at that point, allowing just a hit from Rock Hill Post 34, while walking one and striking out three.
The game resumed last week, with nearly new lineups and Fort Mill batting in the top of the fourth inning. Brandon Fite took over for Helvey on the mound for Fort Mill and Cam Smith took over for Will Reid for Rock Hill.
Fite shut down Rock Hill in the seventh inning, striking out two of the three batters to close out the game. Fite struck out two batters in the four innings of work, while allowing two hits and just one walk.
In the second game, Fort Mill Post 43 used a 13-run fourth inning to rally from 5-1.
Fort Mill took an early 1-0 lead after the top of the first inning by having Tepper sacrifice in Matt Navarro, who singled earlier in the inning to get on.
In the top of the fourth, Fort Mill exploded for 13 runs on six hits and four Rock Hill errors. To start, Fort Mill got two base runners on due to consecutive errors from Rock Hill with just one out.
Fort Mill added a run on a passed ball. Outfielder Tommy Miller singled in both Jordan and Josh Jones. Two more passed balls put Fort Mill ahead and Navarro kept things going with an RBI single.
Tepper singled to drive in a run and Jones hit a bases clearing triple to score two more for Fort Mill. Miller, who singled earlier in the inning, also tripled scoring Jackson Massey later in the inning.
Against Lancaster, Tepper led the charge at the plate going 5-5 with three doubles and six RBI as Braxton Bishop picked up the win on the mound in middle relief of starter Wyatt Baechtold. Jones, Navarro, Fite and Hunter Swanson also all collected two hits in the game.
Against York, Fite led at the plate going 3-5 with two doubles and six RBI. Navarro also had 4 for 4 game scoring four times, while Swanson, Jordan, Miller and Dalton Tassinari each collected two hits in the game. Jones picked up the win on the mound going five innings.
This story was originally published July 3, 2015 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Legion team opens playoffs against Spartanburg."