Rock Hill on top! Post 34 wins first American Legion baseball state championship

Rock Hill Post 34 capped an exciting week by winning its first American Legion Baseball state championship in program history.

The team’s 6-3 win over Camden Post 17 in Columbia on Saturday afternoon advanced Rock Hill to the Regionals in Asheboro, North Carolina, which begin next week. The team now boasts an overall mark of 24-4.

Saturday’s win was particularly impressive because it came against Camden — a team Rock Hill had lost to earlier in the week.

“I cannot say enough about the way this team bounced back after losing on Friday night,” Rock Hill head coach Jeremy McCoy told The Herald on Saturday. “We have now accomplished the second goal that we set at the beginning of the season.”

Rock Hill got on the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the top of the third. John Wimmer’s home run down the left field line leading off the frame got the scoring started. With one out Michael Gibson tripled and scored the second run on a sacrifice fly by Jack Killelea.

Camden countered with a run in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Gibbs. Post 34 countered in a hurry. They erupted for three runs in the top of the fourth.

Jack Burton walked to open the inning, and Ethan Wilson, who was named the tournament’s MVP, followed with a two-run home run. Kyle Wimmer walked and Ben Rehkow singled before Camden turned a double play. Maddox Mobley followed with a run-scoring single to complete the rally.

Rock Hill tacked on an insurance run in the top of the sixth. John Wimmer’s one-out double drove in the run, and Post 34 led 6-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth.

Camden did not go away quietly. A Rock Hill error gave Camden a runner to begin the inning, and Kevin Steelman followed with a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 6-3.

Rock Hill did not score in the top of the seventh. Camden rallied in the bottom of the inning, but could not score. A hit batter and two Post 34 errors loaded the bases with two outs. Roman Edwards, who was the fourth Rock Hill pitcher, got the final out.

Post 34 used four pitchers during the game, and that was by design. Landon Sexton started, and Denis Drinkwater, Gibson, and Edwards, who was named the Most Valuable Pitcher in the tournament, also spent some time on the mound.

“We have a lot of talent on our pitching staff,” added McCoy. “We planned to use multiple pitchers today. That gave us a fresh arm on the mound, and it did not allow Camden to zone in on our pitchers.”

Rock Hill’s win was also punctuated by excellent defense. A perfectly turned double play snuffed out a scoring threat in the second inning. Mobley, who patrolled centerfield, made a perfect throw to home to hold a runner at third and keep another possible run from scoring in the fourth. Killilea, the Post 34 catcher, effectively blocked the plate and applied the tag in the fifth inning to prevent another run from crossing the plate.

“This entire tournament was a total team effort,” said McCoy. “We never felt like we were out of any game. We battled in some close games in the first two rounds, and we bounced back today.”

Rock Hill opened the tournament at home on Monday with a 3-2 win over Greenwood, and followed on Tuesday with a home field 3-2 decision over Lexington. Edwards got both wins in relief.

When Thursday rolled around, Rock Hill pounded out a dozen hits and blasted Florence 10-2 at Segra Park. The 8-6 loss to Camden followed on Friday night, before they claimed history.

Fort Mill performs well in junior tournament

In the junior division, Fort Mill Post 43 opened play in the state tournament in Greenwood with a 7-2 loss to Greer. Fort Mill led 2-1 going to the bottom of the fifth, but Greer scored three times in both the fifth and sixth innings to put the game away.

Fort Mill managed only four hits in the game. Bradyn Deaton drove in one of Fort Mill’s runs, and Killion Bennett scored the other run on a balk.

The loss dropped Fort Mill to the loser’s bracket, and they responded with an 11-5 victory over Mid-Carolina.

Fort Mill trailed 4-0 after one inning, but they fought back. An eight-run rally in the fifth inning keyed the comeback. Reid Kazmierczak and Aiden Cattarin each had a pair of hits to lead Fort Mill.

Post 43 was eliminated in the third round with an 8-7 loss to South Florence. Fort Mill trailed 6-3 after three innings, but they battled back. They scored twice in the fifth and added two more in the top of the seventh to tie the contest at 7-7. South Florence won it with a run in the bottom of the seventh.

Fort Mill managed only five hits in the contest. Cattarin led the way with two hits and 3 RBI. Both Alex Smith and Bennett added a hit and drove in a run, while Deaton contributed a hit.

Fort Mill finished the season with an overall record of 13-7.

This story was originally published July 31, 2022 at 8:00 AM.