INMAN, S.C. – The Chapman Panthers closed out Region 3-3A play on Friday with the penultimate regular season home game against Travelers Rest. On this night, it was several key plays in the field that lifted the Panthers to a 4-2 victory over the Devildogs.
The Devildogs appeared poised to score the first run of the game in the first inning on a double to right, but Chapman’s Kole Brown fielded the one-hopper off the wall. Brown fired a frozen rope towards the infield, where Hudson Moss relayed it to catcher Johann Rodriguez for the 9-4-2 putout, thwarting the threat. “I saw that K.B. had a good read on that ball,” Rodriguez recalled. “He got to the ball quickly and we had a good relay. I saw the runner, so I yelled, ‘Four!’ and was able to get the runner out. From there, we just kept battling defensively for (pitcher) Jacob Cogdell and ended up getting the win.” Moss led off the Panther half of the inning with a double to right, followed by a Devin Roe bunt single that put runners on the corners. Brown singled through the right side of the infield, scoring Moss. Next up was Rodriguez, who drilled a two-RBI base hit to right-center, plating Roe and Brown for a 3-0 Chapman lead. After scoring once in the second, the Devildogs added another on a single to left center. On the play, the batter tried turning the base knock into a double, but Roe threw a dart to Moss at second base for the putout. “(Assistant coach) Tim Beach has done an unbelievable job with our outfielders,” said Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro. “We have outstanding players that we try to recognize a ton, but we also have some outstanding coaches, too. We have some of the best coaches in the state (and) I truly believe that.” “Coach Beach has taken over as the outfield coach and has really worked hard with those guys on throwing from the outfield. The two outfield assists were huge and took runs off the board. I’m super proud of him from the coaching side and our outfielders for putting in the work to continue to get better.” Jarren Metcalf fielded a grounder deep in the hole at shortstop and fired it to first for the last out in the fourth. Hank Tolleson also made a nifty play at the hot corner on a chopper along the left side of the infield, erasing a potential base hit. Rodriguez caught a Devildog baserunner attempting to steal second to begin the sixth. Following a one-out walk, Jack Settle started a 3-6-3 double play to end the frame. Peyton Hodge drove a triple to the right-centerfield alley in the third, allowing Wesley Shipman to score from first base and make it a 4-2 Panther advantage. Jacob Cogdell held the Devildogs to two runs on five hits in five innings of work, while striking out three. Hunter Bland closed out the game with two scoreless innings for the save. Bland also earned a win earlier in the week against Chesnee. “I’m super proud of Hank,” Fusaro stated. “He was a young man who was our starting shortstop on a JV team that has only lost one game. When Coleman went down, we were looking through our program for somebody that could play third. We knew that in years past, Hank has played some third, short and second, and that he has the skill set and mental makeup to do it. I’m really proud of how he has handled that.” “It’s awesome,” Rodriguez added about the defense. “If it’s a tough play and they make a great play on it, it is awesome. We want to make sure that our pitchers pound the strike zone and that we always have their back when the ball is put in play. We kept our heads up. Some things didn’t go our way, but we kept battling, focused on the next pitch, and getting an out.” Chapman (16-7, 6-2) returns to action on Tuesday with a road game against Woodruff. The game is slated for a 6:30 PM start. Spring sports scoreboard from Friday, April 21st Softball – Chapman 14, Travelers Rest 3 (six innings) · CHP now 15-4 overall o 8-0 in region · Next game: at Gaffney, April 24th (Varsity only) o 6 PM start Girls’ Soccer – Chapman 2, Travelers Rest 2 · Chapman wins 5-4 on penalty kicks · Lady Panthers improve to 11-3 overall o 7-1 in region · Next match: at Greer, April 24th (Varsity only) o Starts at 6 PM Boys’ Soccer – Chapman 1, Travelers Rest 0 · Panthers improve to 13-0-1 overall o 8-0 in region · Next match: home vs Greer, April 25th o JV at 5:30 PM o Varsity at 7 PM Comments are closed.
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