INMAN, S.C. – A tough two-game series during Spring Break has seemingly served as a turning point in a number of ways for the Chapman Panthers baseball team, both on and off the field.
A big third inning and a solid outing on the mound helped propel the Panthers past the Emerald Vikings by a final tally of 9-0. A pair of right-handers, Banks Atkins and Jacob Cogdell, combined to throw seven superb innings, striking out eight and yielding only four hits to the Vikings. “We have talked very little about next week,” Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro admitted. “Now that it’s here, we know that next week is going to be a big time series versus an opponent we have a ton of respect for in Clinton. I love our guys and the way they’re playing.” Entering the third inning with a one-run lead, Chapman extended it by sending nine to the plate and scoring five runs. During the frame, Atkins smacked a two-run single to left, which drove in Landon Solesbee and Jarren Metcalf. Ricky Montalvo had an opposite-field single to right, scoring Atkins from third. Jake Murray ripped an RBI double to left-center field, which allowed Montalvo to touch home plate. Drew Settle singled and drove in Murray, which staked the Panthers to a 6-0 lead at that juncture of the contest. “Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been focusing on our approach,” said Murray, the Panthers’ senior third baseman. “Early on, I felt like I was pressing and had to carry the load, but as the season went on, I realized that we’ve got a lot of guys here that can play. If I just lead the way by playing the game how I can play it, then they’ll follow me. This year means a lot more, being with these guys and being that senior leader.” “We thought a lot going into that weekend (after Spring Break) about a bunch of different things,” Fusaro recalled. “I didn’t feel like we were focused on the things that really mattered. We had a great sermon this morning (at team breakfast) called ‘What Matters’.” “It’s no accident that we’re right here where we’re supposed to be. We've refocused our program back on God, the talents He’s given us, how to use them the right way, and who He has created us to be. There’s a lot of love that’s around this team.” Chapman (16-6, 8-0 Region III-3A) will host Clinton on Tuesday evening in Region III-3A play. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 PM. -Justin Mathis GREENWOOD, S.C. – As the season has progressed, Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro has been quite emphatic about one of the strengths for this year’s baseball team and one of those said strengths starts on the mound.
Ricky Montalvo was dominant on the hill and also helped his own cause at the plate, as the Panthers shut out the Emerald Vikings on Tuesday evening, 6-0. Montalvo found the zone early and often, sitting down five of the first seven Emerald batters on strikes. That also included striking out the side in order during the second inning. The junior held the Vikings to two hits and finished with a baker’s dozen (13) strikeouts in seven innings of work. “That’s who we are – pitching and defense,” Fusaro said. “We have a really good baseball team with high character kids. I think we’re starting to understand who we are. If we’ll just go compete and play the game the right way, we’re as good as anyone. It was a lot of fun to come out here and get good pitching, defense, and timely hitting tonight.” The Panthers broke the scoreless tie in the third, sending 11 up to the plate and scoring six runs. Devin Roe and Landon Solesbee led off the frame with a single and walk, respectively. Jarren Metcalf put down a bunt that loaded the bases with none out for Banks Atkins. The next two batters, Atkins and Walt Waddell, each notched a two-run single of their own to left field, giving Chapman a 4-0 lead. Montalvo also smacked a RBI single to left, allowing Waddell to touch home plate. Drew Settle plated a run on a RBI groundout, allowing Johann Rodriguez to score and build a 6-0 advantage. “We’ve had to do a bunch of different things to manufacture runs,” Fusaro stated. “We’ll do whatever we have to do on a given day to win a baseball game. Tonight, we were able execute a few things and then I just let the boys swing the bats. It was a lot of fun to see the guys come through at the plate.” Chapman (14-6, 7-0 Region III-3A) will visit Woodruff on Thursday for a non-region contest (6 PM start), which will be played at Woodruff Middle School. The Panthers will then host Emerald on Friday evening in Region III-3A play. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 PM. -Justin Mathis INMAN, S.C. – As the cold front continued to move through the southeastern United States on Friday night, one player took it upon himself to turn up the heat.
Banks Atkins’ strong outing, along with a multi-run inning, helped Chapman defeat the Broome Centurions 5-1 in Region III-3A action. Atkins was in control on the mound throughout the night and tossed a complete game. He held the Centurions to one run on four hits, while striking out 11 Broome batters. “I wanted to attack early and pound the strike zone,” Atkins said. “I settled in and let the defense make plays behind me. Ricky had a great start on Tuesday night, so I wanted to try and match it. The bats got going tonight and that helped me settle in even more and have confidence on the mound, knowing that there was a little bit of a margin.” “It’s unbelievable,” Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro said, referring to his pitching staff. “I can’t be more proud of Banks, Ricky (Montalvo), and Gavin (Humphries). You can keep going down the list on our staff. We have other really good pitchers that haven’t had a chance to throw over the last three weeks because of how good these starters have been. We are so blessed to have them and as coaches, we’re so blessed to coach them.” After a Dylan Ramirez RBI single staked Broome to an early 1-0 lead, Chapman answered in their third turn at bat when Drew Settle took off in an attempt to steal third base. The throw down to third sailed high, allowing Settle to score and tie the game at one. In the fourth inning, the Panther took their first lead of the contest when Ricky Montalvo hit an opposite-field single to right, which allowed Atkins to score from second base. Another run scored on a double steal when Johan Rodriguez took off for second, which drew a throw from home plate. Montalvo then made a break for home and slid in safely. “When we threw the ball away, they really took the momentum,” Broome head coach Ben Waddle admitted. “You can’t make mistakes against them – you have to play clean. The first game was completely different. Tonight, they took third when we had the guy caught, but we miscued. I tip my hat – I thought (Atkins) kept us off-balance all night. When you draw blood as a boxer, you’ve got to hit it and they did it.” A couple of batters later, Settle put down a sacrifice bunt on the first base side, scoring Rodriguez and giving the Panthers a 4-1 lead. Jarren Metcalf tacked on a run in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly to center, which scored Landon Solesbee. “I just wanted them to settle down,” Fusaro said. “We have high character kids who want to be great, who want to be successful, and to help their teammates. Tonight, I saw them settle down and relax. It was fun to see them fight and make it happen." Chapman (13-6, 6-0 Region III-3A) will make the trip down to Greenwood to face the Emerald Vikings in Region III-3A play. Game time is scheduled for 7 PM. Broome will make the trek over to the Timken Sports Complex on Tuesday evening to face Union County. Game time is slated for 7:30 PM. -Justin Mathis INMAN, S.C. – On a chilly Thursday evening at Mabry Park, a stellar pitching performance and a big inning helped power the Chapman Panthers past the Greer Yellow Jackets by a final tally of 8-1, which split the season series between the two clubs.
Four of the first six Panther batters notched hits to open their half of the fifth inning, sparked by Drew Settle. He advanced to second on a passed ball and moved to third on a balk. Devin Roe smacked a 2-2 offering through the infield, which scored Settle and broke the scoreless deadlock. During the frame, Banks Atkins and Jake Murray knocked in one run apiece on a pair of scorching singles. Walt Waddell notched an RBI after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Ricky Montalvo drilled a two-run single to right-center, allowing Jarren Metcalf and Atkins to touch home plate and stake Chapman to a 7-0 lead. “We just want our guys not to press,” Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro said. “We know that we have some really good baseball players and know they can swing the bat. That (two-run single) was big for Ricky. We’ve just been trying to keep it simple with our guys… we know that they’re going to hit the baseball. It was a lot of fun to see Drew hop up there and get us started, as well as for a couple of other guys to have big at-bats.” Chapman tacked on a run in the sixth on a Waddell sacrifice fly to center, which scored Landon Solesbee and made it an 8-1 score at that juncture of the contest. On the hill, senior right-hander Gavin Humphries posted another stellar outing, holding the Yellow Jackets to one run on four hits, while striking out six in six innings of work. “I’m super excited about Gavin,” Fusaro stated. “It was a lot of fun to see him go out there and compete tonight. That’s been the constant – pitching and defense. If we keep pitching and keep playing defense, we’re going to get those bats going like we did there in the fifth inning. I believe we have a really good baseball team and I’m so proud of our guys.” Chapman (12-6 overall) will be at home again on Friday night, as they host Broome in Region III-3A play at Mabry Park. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 PM. -Justin Mathis SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Tuesday’s Region III-3A clash between Chapman and the Broome Centurions was so puzzling, so odd, that it even caused coaches to search for answers.
Broome’s Jeb Dawson accomplished a cherished feat in baseball lore, but Chapman pushed across a late run to pick up a 1-0 victory. “How do you throw a no-hitter and lose?” asked Broome head coach Ben Waddle. To open the final frame, Walt Waddell drew a leadoff walk, reaching base for the third time in the game (hit by a pitch, reached on a Broome error). He took second on a wild pitch and swiped third with one out in the frame. “At Campobello-Gramling School,” Fusaro recalled. “I was on the losing end of our team throwing a no-hitter, losing 1-0 at Jonesville. It’s been 200 baseball games or whatever and here we are. This one felt a whole lot better and I’m so proud of not only Ricky, but our team as they had to battle and fight. Hats off to Jeb – he was big time tonight.” “My catcher did a great job behind the plate,” Dawson remarked. “I had confidence in him and Coach Waddle called a great game. I just went out there, played, and had fun with my teammates. It’s special to do something like this, but it doesn’t feel good tonight.” Next up was Johan Rodriguez, who put down a sacrifice bunt on the first base side of the mound, which allowed Waddell to touch home plate and break the scoreless tie. “Offensively, we had to change something,” stated Rodriguez. “None of us were doing our job (at the plate), so I went up there and told myself, ‘Let’s drive this run in and win this game.’ Coach Fusaro told me to bunt, so I did my job and executed it. It was a good win for us.” Dawson and Chapman’s Ricky Montalvo were locked in from the opening frame. Dawson only allowed one Panther runner (Waddell) to reach base, while striking out 12. Montalvo scattered four Centurion hits to go along with nine strikeouts on his ledger. “We knew Broome was a good team,” Montalvo said. “It was going to be a fight. It was tough because our at-bats weren’t really there, so I felt like I had to dominate on the mound. I didn’t want to lose this game.” “These guys (Dawson and Montalvo) are the two best 3A pitchers in the state,” Waddle exclaimed without hesitation. “Both are very competitive kids. They work off their fastball, challenge the hitters, and they work quick. That was a heck of a ballgame." “I’ve coached David Marchbanks, who went to South Carolina, was an All-SEC selection and was drafted, but Jeb is the best kid I’ve ever had (on a team). He’s a better person than he is a pitcher, so that should tell how good of a kid he is.” Chapman (11-6, 5-0 Region III-3A) will return home on Thursday night to host Greer at Mabry Park. Game time is scheduled for 6 PM. Broome (8-7, 3-4 Region III-3A) will host Chesnee (14-3) on Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM. -Justin Mathis UNION, S.C. – It was a significant Region III-3A contest on Friday night at the Timken Sports Complex as the Chapman Panthers and Union County Yellow Jackets clashed for the second time this week.
A solid showing at the plate by sophomore Johan Rodriguez helped push the Panthers past the Yellow Jackets by a 4-1 tally, sweeping the series. With two strikes against him and two out in the first inning, Rodriguez notched a two-run single, driving in Jacob Murray and Ricky Montalvo and staking the Panthers to an early 2-0 lead. “I’m super excited for our guys,” Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro said. “We’ve spent some time over the past two days trying to identify things that we can improve on. One of those things offensively was cashing runners in when you get them to second and third… Johan comes up with a big two strike, two out hit right there and that set the tone for us from the very beginning.” Rodriguez would finish the game with a team-high three runs batted in. Fellow sophomore Jarren Metcalf also tallied an RBI single, scoring Banks Atkins from third. “Jo started out really hot at the plate,” Fusaro added. “Through the first six games of the year, he was as hot of a hitter as we had. He was leading our team in RBIs and those kind of things. I think that over the last two weeks, he’s tried to do too much. As a tenth grader and a guy that has an extremely bright future, we just need him to stay within himself. Tonight, I saw him stay in the middle of the field with his approach.” On the hill, senior right-hander Banks Atkins posted another strong outing by holding the Yellow Jackets to one run on five hits in the contest, while striking out seven batters. “We had three unbelievable starts by our pitchers this week,” Fusaro remarked. “I’m super proud of our entire (pitching) staff. Gavin had a great outing on Monday, then Ricky turned around and had a great outing on Tuesday. Banks wasn’t going to let the week end without having a great outing, too.” Chapman (10-6, 4-0 Region III-3A) will make the trip over to Centurion Field to face the Broome Centurions (3-3 Region III-3A) on Tuesday evening. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 PM. -Justin Mathis INMAN, S.C. – In the first meeting earlier this season, the Chapman Lady Panthers picked up a one-run win on the road over Clinton. On Friday night in Inman, it was an entirely different tale.
Prior to the game, Abbe Miller was honored during Senior Night festivities for her time in the Chapman softball program. On this night, Miller and the Panthers scored early and often, cruising to a 13-1 over the Red Devils in five innings. In the opening frame, Rylan Snead plated a run on a sacrifice bunt, allowing Sarah Byrd to cross home plate. Abby Gossett drilled a double to left-center, which drove in Abbe Miller. In the next frame, Dixie Frady blasted an 0-1 offering out to straightaway center for a two-run homer, which staked Chapman to a 4-0 lead. “We practiced a lot on what they threw us the first time,” Chapman head coach Chelsie Skinner said. “Our girls came out here more confident, ready to hit, and ready to play. I think we were just a little slow to start in the first game. I challenged them and they responded.” Later on in the third inning, the Chapman offense exploded by sending 10 batters up to the plate and six of them came around to score, which built a 10-0 advantage at that juncture of the contest. “I felt like we actually were able to see the ball,” Skinner added when describing the inning. “That was the same pitcher that threw to us the first time. I think with seeing her a second time around, we were more prepared. I’ve been really impressed with the bottom of our order the last few games because they’ve been responding. We actually had a shift in the order tonight because of how some have been performing.” With the win, Chapman (9-4 overall, 5-1 in Region III-3A) will host Union County on Tuesday, April 20th. Game time is scheduled for 7 PM. -Justin Mathis INMAN, S.C. – Runs were tough to come by during the Region III-3A showdown between the Union County Yellow Jackets and Chapman Panthers on Tuesday evening.
It was a battle of wills as Chapman’s Ricky Montalvo and Union County’s Connor Goings faced off in an old fashioned pitcher’s duel. Late in the game, Chapman scratched across a run and emerged with a 1-0 victory over Union County. In the sixth inning, Chapman’s Walt Waddell drew a leadoff walk on four pitches, and then Landon Solesbee was summoned off the bench to pinch run. Ricky Montalvo put down a sacrifice bunt, moving Solesbee over to second. With two out, Solesbee took off in an attempt to swipe third base as part of a double steal. The throw down to third sailed high, allowing Solesbee to touch home plate and give Chapman a 1-0 lead. “Landon just got released (to play) yesterday,” Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro said. “He’s a guy that plays the game at a high level. We have missed him all year. We knew that he would give us the same thing that Walt could on the bases. We subbed for Walt so he could get loose (to pitch) for the seventh inning if needed. After the timeout, we gave (Solesbee) the green light. He saw something he liked and made it happen. There’s a bunch of guys on this team that can play and we’re truly blessed to be part of it.” “I like running the bases,” Solesbee stated. “It’s my favorite part of the game because there’s a lot of action involved. I’m glad that Coach Fusaro had confidence in me as a pinch runner. While being out injured, I've helped keep the pitching chart. It helped me stay focused, not only for myself, but for my teammates as well.” On the mound, Montalvo found a groove and was locked in. The junior right-hander went the distance, tossing seven shutout innings, scattering six hits while striking out 10. “I wanted this win tonight really bad,” Montalvo remarked. “What I was able to do tonight, that comes from Coach Settle. We were able to establish in some areas of the strike zone and my curveball really helped me a lot. I feel like we have a great pitching staff. If I don’t have my best outing, we have other pitchers that can back me up like Jacob Cogdell and everyone else.” Fusaro also pointed to something that he believes has helped the team refocus. “We had to take a real hard look at ourselves in the mirror after playing them the first time (in the Sanders Tournament),” Fusaro recalled. “We refocused ourselves at practice and have pinpointed some things. On Easter, I was sitting in church. During that whole weekend, I was trying to figure out what this team is missing. I was sitting there and the first song came on, talking about how love conquers all. I realized that these dudes need to know we (the coaches) love them.” “The other thing in the song was that it said that Jesus made everything better. We needed to refocus ourselves around a couple of those things, too. We had to make sure these guys understood why we play the game. It was a lot of fun seeing them play the game in a way to glorify God, but also in an unselfish and loving way. It was fun to see them love each other tonight.” Chapman (9-6, 3-0 Region III-3A) will make the trip over to the Timken Sports Complex to face the Yellow Jackets (2-2 Region III-3A) on Friday evening. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 PM. -Justin Mathis INMAN, S.C. – It was Senior Night on Monday evening as Jacob Murray, Gavin Humphries, and Banks Atkins were honored during a pregame ceremony prior to Chapman’s home game against the Blacksburg Wildcats.
For Humphries, it turned out to be a game he will remember for a long time by tossing a complete game, as the Panthers pulled away and picked up a 10-1 victory over the Wildcats. It was a tough start to the game for Humphries, as Blacksburg scored in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. From that point forward, the right-hander settled in and didn’t look back, scattering four hits over his seven innings of work. “With Spring Break being here (last week) and not being able to have that tune-up bullpen for tonight, we figured it’d take him a bit to get that command,” Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro explained. “He has thrown a lot of big innings for us. He started dialing in during the second inning and from then on, he was big time (on the mound).” “I had to calm down a little bit at first,” Humphries admitted. “I was able to get my nerves together and finish the rest of the game. It was big knowing that with the defense I had behind me, all I had to do was throw, let them hit it, and know that my defense would make the plays.” In their half of the first inning, Chapman answered by sending 10 up to bat and scoring five runs to take a 5-1 lead at that juncture of the contest. In the frame, Ricky Montalvo drove home a run on a RBI groundout. Johan Rodriguez knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly to left, which drove in Walt Waddell. Humphries smacked an RBI single, which allowed Banks Atkins to cross home plate. Chapman (8-6) will have a quick turnaround, as they will resume Region 3-3A play on Tuesday against the Union County Yellow Jackets at Mabry Park. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 PM. -Justin Mathis DUNCAN, S.C. – Following a tough series against rival Chesnee last week, Chapman aimed to complete a two-week stretch of non-region games with a strong finish against the Byrnes Rebels.
A superb performance on the mound by a senior helped power the Panthers past Byrnes 10-0 in six innings on Tuesday evening to deal the Rebels (11-1) their first loss of the season. Right-hander Banks Atkins set the tone early on by sitting down four of the first seven Rebels he faced on strikes. That also included striking out the side in order in the second inning. Atkins tossed a gem, holding Byrnes to just two hits on the night while tallying nine strikeouts. “(It was a credit to) the whole team,” Atkins was quick to point out. “We went through a learning experience last week and it helped prepare us for this game tonight. It was just a fun time out there for me. I’ve been away (from baseball) for two years. To be able to get back out here, go at them every pitch, and hit spots was fun.” “I have goosebumps thinking about Banks and how important he’s been to our baseball team,” Fusaro said, pointing to his arm. “Honestly, I counted last week (at Chesnee last Tuesday) on us. We probably left him in there for two batters too long because we wanted something good to happen for him & he deserves that. Tonight, it was nice to see him come back and finish the deal.” Chapman drew first blood in the second when Gavin Humphries laid a bunt single down the third base side, scoring Ricky Montalvo. The Panthers broke the game open in the fourth inning, where they sent 11 up to bat and plated six runs. In the midst of that flurry, Cason Owens and Drew Settle each drove in a run on sacrifice flies. Banks Atkins and Jarren Metcalf knocked in one run apiece, while Jacob Murray drilled a single to center, driving in two more, making it a 7-0 advantage at that juncture of the contest. This makes the second victory this week for the Panthers, following a road win at Blacksburg on Monday. Chapman (7-6) will have a break until Monday evening, when they host Blacksburg on Senior Night at Mabry Park. Game time is set for 7:30 PM, with the Senior Night ceremony taking place prior to the contest. -Justin Mathis |
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