RSS Feed
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Richland Post 6 Pathfinders are State Champs!!!
It was about 100º at Winthrop University Monday August 6, but it took a little while for the Richland Post 6 Pathfinders bats to warm up against Gaffney Post 109 in the S.C. American Legion State Championship game. The Pathfinders scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Gaffney 6- 2 and take the title.
In the sixth inning, Gaffney's Michael Hughey got the second of his two hits on the day, and Jolly bunted him to second base. That's when Logan Munson came on in relief for Wilcox. Munson struck out the next two batters and absolutely dominated the Gaffney offense. In 3- 2/3 innings of work, Munson struck out seven of the 11 batters he faced. The other four either harmlessly flied or grounded out. His efforts in the championship game, plus his win against Lancaster Friday, earned him the tournament's James Maude Burnett Outstanding Pitching Award.
With a 2- 1 lead, Gaffney's Jake Watson relieved Byers in the bottom of the eighth inning. It looked like Gaffney was in good shape when Wilcox's bunt failed to advance Alston James to second base to start the inning, but Kyle Strasburger ripped a double down the left field line advancing Wilcox to third base. Mounce then stepped up to the plate and drilled a single to left field that scored Wilcox and knotted the game at 2- 2. It was Mounce's second RBI of the game and 11th for the tournament. That, along with his winning pitching performance against Florence and four home runs, earned him the tournament's John Ratteree American Legion Baseball Most Valuable Player Award.
Once again, Derrick called for the squeeze with two strikes this time on Doug Allen. And once again it worked as Allen's bunt scored Mounce from third. Richland's Christopher Daniels then delivered the death blow with a bases clearing single that scored Sims and Munson making the score 6- 2.
The Pathfinders rushed Munson at the pitcher's mound and dumped the water bucket on Derrick. Next up for the Pathfinders are the Southeast Regionals in Albany, GA August 16.
Due to a slightly bizarre bracket in the S.C. American Legion State Finals at Winthrop University, Sunday August 5, the Richland Post 6 Pathfinders were forced to play Sumter Post 15.
Instead, Post 6 not only drew the defending state champions, the Pathfinders were stuck being the visiting team. They mustered just seven hits and fell 8- 3 to Sumter who had previously lost to Florence. Guaranteed a spot in the finals on Monday, Richland Head Coach Ray Derrick opted to rest his big three pitchers, Robbie Wilcox, Logan Munson, and Richard Mounce, and go with Allen Ress. Mounce, who won against Florence on Saturday, did not return to his customary spot in center field and was given designated hitter duties. Hot hitting catcher Kirk Sims, suffering from a leg injury, was pulled after limping to first base on a single to center field in the fourth inning. Munson did not play.
Sumter struck first in the second inning when Tony Micklon scored on Robert Benenhaley's grounder to Richland second baseman Kyle Strasburger. Strasburger was able to get the force out at second base. The Pathfinders struck back in the third inning when Strasburger knocked in Doug Allen from third base on a single to center field making the score 2- 1. Matt Talley led Sumter going 5- for- 5, three of which were infield hits. He started the three- run fourth for Sumter with one of those infield hits. Sumter scored two runs in the inning when Ress walked Benenhaley with the bases loaded then hit Tyler Cappelman with a pitch allowing Travis Witherspoon to score from third. Greg Lamb's sacrifice fly made the score 5- 1.
The Pathfinders mounted a mini- rally in the ninth inning when Robbie Wilcox scored on a wild pitch. Then Mounce drilled a line drive shot off the left field wall for a double. Three batters later, Alston James's single to left field scored Mounce. Doug Allen's pop up to the pitcher ended the game at 8- 3 and sent Richland to Monday's championship game around 2 pm. Only mercy rule can stop Mounce and the Pathfinders Game 3 • August 4, 7:30
Florence managed to get 11 hits but only generated four runs against Mounce and fell pray to the 10- run mercy rule when its bats could not cut into the seventh inning 15- 4 deficit. Greg Dunston and Kyle Strasburger had stellar nights for Richland. Dunston went 4- for- 5 with two doubles, three RBIs, and a run. Strasburger got two singles and a double. He scored two runs and also drove in three runs. Shortstop Robbie Wilcox went 2- for- 3 and scored four runs. Catcher Kirk Sims continued to hit the ball well getting a single and a double. He scored once and had two RBIs.
With two outs in the fourth inning, Strasburger knocked a single to center field. Wilcox followed that with a single to center field as well. Then Mounce stepped up to the plate and delivered his blast to left field. Sims kept the rally going with yet another single to center field, which was promptly followed with a double to center field by Dunston that scored Sims.
Strasburger then drilled a two- run double into left field on the next pitch. It was that kind of night for Florence. Mounce followed that with a two- run single. Then Sims and Dunston each got run scoring singles. Richland gets past Lancaster with great defense and timely hitting Game 2 • August 3, 1:00 pm
The Richland Post 6 Pathfinders used a spectacular arsenal of defensive prowess to remain in the winners bracket of the S.C. American Legion State Finals at Winthrop University and defeated Lancaster Post 31 4- 2 in the second round Saturday, August 3.
In the fifth inning, Richland first baseman Christopher Daniels leapt in the air to catch a tough throw from third basemen Justin Strauss and tagged Lancaster's Joe Wright on the way down before Wright could reach first base. The defensive gem of the game came in the seventh inning with the Pathfinders still clinging to a 4- 2 lead. Lancaster's Joe Wright walked with two outs, then speedy center fielder Dedric Mingo hit a blast towards the left center field fence. Richland left fielder Doug Allen sprinted to his left and at the last minute dove to snag the ball at the warning track to end the inning. Allen's catch definitely saved one run and more than likely stopped a game tying in- the- park homerun as Mingo was already rounding second when the catch was made.
Richland catcher Kirk Sims went 3- for- 4 from the plate and knocked in the game's first run with a double in the first inning that scored Wilcox from third. Strasburger had a run scoring single and also scored in the second inning when Wilcox drove him in with a triple to the right field wall. Center fielder Richard Mounce, fresh from playing quarterback for Blythewood and throwing a couple of touchdown passes in a scrimmage with Crestwood High School earlier in the day, popped his third home run in two days.
Richard Mounce hit two solo home runs, and Kirk Sims hit a three- run homer to lead the Richland Post 6 Pathfinders past Georgetown 19- 4 in the opening round of the S.C. American Legion State Finals at Winthrop University Friday, August 3.
Robbie Wilcox collected his fifth win pitching six solid innings for Richland. |
for larger version       |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)