Rock Hill baseball outlasts Nation Ford in 10 innings
An RBI single from senior Zach Carter in the top of the 10th inning allowed the Rock Hill Bearcats to score the game-winning run they needed to improve to 1-1 in Region 3-4A play with a 4-3 win over Nation Ford.
Rock Hill threatened several times in the extra innings, and finally got to relief pitcher Brandon Fite in the 10th. Senior Caleb Hamilton walked to start the inning and then was finally driven in by Carter with two outs.
“It was a great game,” said Rock Hill head coach Dell Corley. “We needed this. We needed to pull through.”
Hamilton would get the win in the bottom of the 10th for Rock Hill getting out of a bases loaded jam. Nation Ford struggled hitting as the game went long, getting just two hits in the last six innings played.
“We couldn’t get the leadoff guy on,” said Falcons head coach Mike Matkovich. “I thought our pitchers did well, but we lived on the edge all night. They executed and we didn’t.”
What started out looking like a slugfest quietly turned into a pitcher’s duel between a couple seniors.
Nation Ford’s Josh Jones and Rock Hill’s Isaac Rodgers got the start for their respective schools and both were a little shaky in the beginning. Jones would go seven innings allowing three runs on four hits, but wouldn’t get the decision. He struck out eight and walked four.
Rodgers would go deep into the game and seemed to get stronger as the game wore on. He allowed seven hits, but only one base runner past the fifth inning as in eight innings on the mound. He struck out six without allowing a walk, but like his peer Jones, didn’t get the decision.
Rodgers threw 104 pitches for the Bearcats; Corley said his pitching was key to the win.
“He was strong,” Corley said. “This is by far his best outing of the year so far.”
Carter led the game off in the top of the first with a single to right off Jones. Carter would then steal second and score on an error by Nation Ford to make it 1-0 to the Bearcats. Nation Ford would get that run back and then some after Fite singled, College of Charleston-bound shortstop Clay Hunt delivered a two-run shot to left-center.
Jones would settle down in the second inning for Nation Ford striking out two of the three batters he faced. In the bottom portion of that inning, Justin Borland would double for Nation Ford on a miss played ball behind third base, however, he would be stranded as Rodgers would work his way out of the inning.
Jones continued to settle into his groove in the top of the third inning with the help of a nice defensive play from first baseman Cole Martin. Jones again would strike out two of the three batters in the inning.
Rodgers’ groove took a little longer to find, but he discovered it in the third inning, getting Nation Ford batters out in order.
In the top of the fourth, Bearcats’ third baseman Conner Edkins would walk for Rock Hill with two outs. Hamilton would then single Edkins to second prompting Matkovich to have a chat with his pitcher. Jones settled down and came back to get a strikeout and end the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, the rain started to pick up intermittently, but Nation Ford continued to threaten. Designated hitter Jordan Helms singled and then stole second to put a Falcons’ runner in scoring position. He scored on a base hit from junior Beau Sluder to extend the score to 3-1.
Things would then start to crack for Nation Ford as the rain started coming down harder.
Rock Hill again put runners on base in the fifth inning with an error by Nation Ford and a walk surrendered by Jones with just one out. Centerfielder and Winthrop signee Bryon Foust put down a near perfect bunt to load the bases for the Bearcats. Rightfielder Will Reid then drove in Rodgers on a sacrifice fly and Brandon Banks loaded the bases again after being hit by a pitch as the conditions continued to worsen with a steady rain fall. Jones then walked Edkins to tie the score at 3-3.
Scoring
Rock Hill 1;0;0; 0;2;0; 0;0;0; 1 - 4;6;2
Nation Ford 2;0;0; 1;0;0; 0;0;0; 0 - ;3;9;5
Isaac Rodgers, Grant Wilson (9), Caleb Hamilton (9) and Brandon Banks (RH); Josh Jones, Brandon Fite (8) and Nick Cash (NF). W – Hamilton, L – Fite. 2B – Justin Borland (NF), Zach Carter (RH). HR – Clay Hunt (NF). LOB: RH 13, NF 8.
Leading hitters: Rock Hill – Zach Carter 4-5 RBI; Nation Ford – Clay Hunt 1-4 HR 2RBI.
Records: Rock Hill 3-3, 1-1 Region III-AAAA; Nation Ford 3-3, 1-1 Region III-AAAA.
This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 11:53 PM with the headline "Rock Hill baseball outlasts Nation Ford in 10 innings."