INMAN, S.C. – A spot in the 3A District II championship game hung in the balance on Monday night when Chapman collided with the West Oak Warriors at Mabry Park.
A rally in the late innings came up short, as West Oak held off Chapman by a final margin of 6-4. In the sixth inning, West Oak broke a tie with a three-run homer to left field, taking a 6-3 lead at that juncture of the contest. In their final turn at bat, the Panthers looked to come up with another late charge. Walt Waddell smoked a 1-1 pitch over the right field wall for a solo home run, cutting the deficit to two. The next three batters – Kole Brown, Johann Rodriguez, and Jake Murray – reached on a walk, error, and a base hit, respectively, to load the bases with one out. “That home run (by West Oak) really changed the complexion of the game,” said Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro. “Right there at the end, we had a chance with the bases loaded, one out, down by two. I’ll take that every time that we get it. Today, the line drive just didn’t go our way.” West Oak managed to escape the jam in the last frame, recording the final two outs of the game by way of a strikeout and fly out to left field. Chapman (18-8) will host Blue Ridge (18-9) in an elimination game on Wednesday evening, where the winner will travel to West Oak on Friday for the District II Championship. Game time is scheduled for 6 PM. “The last one (against Blue Ridge) was a marathon,” Fusaro stated. “I don’t expect anything different. I expect our guys to be ready to compete. I’m eager to see our guys show up here on Wednesday and see how they respond.” -Justin Mathis Comments are closed.
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