SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. – Thursday marked the fourth game in three days for the Chapman Panthers as they faced the Hillcrest Rams in a game moved up by 24 hours due to forecasted inclement weather on Friday.
After a strong start, one big inning proved to be the difference down the stretch as Hillcrest rallied for a 9-8 victory over Chapman, splitting the two-game series between the clubs. Over the first four innings, Chapman put together a string of solid at-bats. In the opening frame, Hudson Moss and Cason Owens reached on a walk and double, respectively. Kole Brown drove in Moss on a sacrifice fly to right, while Owens scored on a Johann Rodriguez single to right-center field and gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead. Devin Roe smashed a double down the left field line and crossed home plate on a Peyton Hodge sacrifice fly in the second. Chapman plated a pair of runs in the third off a Ram error, while Coleman Gray blasted a three-run double to left in the fourth. “When we were locked in, focused, and playing the game the right way (early), there were tons of good at bats,” said Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro. “There were a lot of times where we lined out tonight. Late in the game, I didn’t think our at bats were terrible, but it’s really hard to turn it on, turn it off, and turn it back on. These guys know that God’s blessed them with awesome abilities, but we’ve got to keep putting that ability on full display.” Hillcrest (5-1) began mounting a rally in their third turn at the dish as Hunter Davis sent a pitch over the right field wall for a two-run shot, which cut the Chapman lead down to three. Two innings later, the Rams offense found a groove. “I felt like we had a good approach early,” remarked Hillcrest head coach Grant Ramsey. “We structured our pregame and batting practice a little bit differently. We talked about attitude and effort, and I got attitude and effort tonight. You put (Chapman) on the schedule because they make you better. Playing against them early lets you see playoff and state championship caliber." The first three Hillcrest batters in the fifth inning reached on two walks and a base hit to load the bases with none out. Alex LaCoste’s RBI walk set things into motion as eleven Rams came up to bat and scored seven runs, keyed by two hits – one apiece by Tyson Moses and Elijah Doll – for a 9-8 Hillcrest lead. “We’ve just got to continue to do what we do,” Fusaro stated. “I felt like we got a little complacent – myself included. In this game, you can’t be complacent. You have to continue to play it with the same intensity every single pitch. We’re going to learn from it and we’re going to be better.” Next up for Chapman (7-3) is a non-region game against Greer on Saturday at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive. The game is slated for a 5:00 PM start. Comments are closed.
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