CHARLESTON – Laurens’ third straight trip to the well yielded only an empty bucket as James Island won the first game in the Class 4A state baseball finals, 5-4, on Monday night.
Both victories in the Upstate finals against Easley occurred on Laurens’ final at-bat. This time the Raiders couldn’t pull it off … barely. The game ended with the bases loaded.
The Raiders need a victory on Wednesday at Ed Prescott Field to stave off elimination. Game time is, again, 6:30 p.m.
Infield Jake Amman, who started the game at third base and finished it at first, homered twice, driving in four of the Trojans’ runs.
Center fielder Zay Pulley led off the game with a pop single that the James Island first baseman, Kyle Stock, couldn’t corral. Then second baseman Hunter Nabors reached on a bunt single also directed toward Stock. Asher Goss’s grounder drove in Pulley and, with two out, Coleman Coker’s single to left put the Raiders up, 2-0.
The Trojans quickly responded. Catcher Stow Rogers led off with a double. Trip Ostergard reached on an error by pitcher Jordan Hudson, and after Taj Marchand’s groundout, Amman homered on Hudson’s first pitch, giving James Island the lead, 3-2, after an inning.
This dampened the Raiders’ spirits only briefly. Collin Anderson hit Avery Madden with a pitch, and Owen Pridgen laced a double to left that sent Madden to third base. Pulley’s sacrifice fly tied the score, 3-3, after an inning and a half.
Left fielder Connor Dantzler led off the James Island second with a single to center, but Hudson got out of the jam by fanning Ostergard.
Catcher Bennett Edwards singled to left in the top of the third inning and Anderson hit Ben Willis with a pitch, but nothing came of it.
A second Amman long ball, after a leadoff single by Marchand, put James Island (28-3-1) up again in the bottom of the third, 5-3.
The Raiders left Jireh Brown, who walked and stole second, on base in the fourth. The Trojans also failed to strike in the inning.
Anderson struck out Edwards and Asher Goss and induced a fly ball from Coleman Coker in the LDHS fifth inning. The Raiders managed only a walk in the sixth.
James Island put two runners on in the bottom half on John Vigil’s single, and Coker’s second error of the game put Conley Steed aboard. Joshua Hughes replaced Hudson on the hill and struck out Rogers to end the threat.
Laurens sent the top of its order to the plate for its last chance. Stock came in to pitch for the Trojans. Pulley singled up the middle on a 1-1 count. Nabors took a strike and a ball, then fouled off the third pitch and took another ball before popping out to shortstop Ostergard. Edward singled past Ostergard, advancing Pulley to third base.
Goss coaxed a walk to load the bases with one out. Coker struck out. A wild pitch allowed Pulley to score, and courtesy runner Zee Williams and Goss moved up to second and third. Willis walked to load the bases again, but the game ended on Madden’s fielder’s-choice grounder to second baseman Steed.
Pulley and Edwards each had two hits for Laurens (26-7), which saw its winning streak end at 11 games and its playoff streak end at six.
Hudson (L, 8-1) gave up six hits and four earned runs in 5-2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out six.
Anderson, the winning pitcher, gave up five hits and two walks, also fanning six. Stock earned a save, albeit barely.
Decision time is approaching. What’s next? Do I keep doing it the way I am now? Do I amend this site? Do I continue to concentrate on local sports coverage, or do I change my priorities?
I’m thinking. I’m thinking.
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