Falcons battle back in playoffs, but shutout by Easley

The road finally caught up to the Nation Ford Falcons baseball team as they lost to Easley 5-0 in the District II championship last week.

After getting must win against Mauldin and Blythewood, both on the road, Nation Ford wasn’t able win the first game of a potential doubleheader against Easley. The Falcons finished the season 15-11.

The Green Wave scored all their runs in the sixth inning.

Getting to the game was an accomplishment for Nation Ford, which came into the playoffs as the four seed. Nation Ford beat Mauldin 5-1 and Blythewood 6-1 just to match up with Easley again, having already lost to them 5-4.

Against Blythewood, the Falcons’ Joseph Wyatt pitched a complete game, striking out seven for the win. Down 1-0 in the fifth, Cole Martin got things started for Nation Ford with a single and then scored on a couple of wild pitches later to tie the game.

In the sixth inning, Nick Hoffman doubled to push the Falcons’ offense into gear. Both Hoffman and Jordan Helms scored on wild pitches to give Nation Ford a 3-1 lead. The Falcons added three more in the sixth inning as Alex Stennett knocked in two runs with a single in the inning.

Against Mauldin, Nation Ford started fast offensively, but stalled after two innings. On the mound, Evan Lammers pitched a four-hitter through six innings of work. The Falcons scored two in the top of the first with the help of a double from Greg Izzo and a sacrifice from Drake Durham.

Nation Ford added three runs in the second, two of which came off a double by Hoffman.

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 7:29 PM with the headline "Falcons battle back in playoffs, but shutout by Easley."