INMAN, S.C. – On the heels of a matchup in the previous 24 hours, the Chesnee Eagles and Chapman Panthers baseball clubs closed out their respective regular seasons with the return match of a home-and-home series.
On this night, a big inning and strong showing on the mound were the difference as Chesnee claimed an 8-1 victory over Chapman. Each side plated a run in the first inning as Chesnee’s Kaden Orr singled to left and later scored on an error. Kole Brown led off the bottom of the frame for Chapman with a double to right field and tagged up on a Colt McPeters sacrifice fly, tying the game at one. The Eagles took the lead in the third as Daniel Wease’s two-run double to center plated Orr and Tucker Johnson, while a Zaiden Hammett single to left scored Aiden Greene. Wease scored from third on a Dawson Pruitt sacrifice bunt and Jaden Hill (courtesy runner for Hammett) sprinted home on a Kyle Martin base hit, creating a 6-1 lead. “Our guys were patient at the plate,” said Chesnee head coach Scott Wease. “And then, we got some fastballs in the zone. We attacked them, put the ball in play, and had a great at bat. We barreled up some balls (Tuesday) but didn’t have a lot of them fall. Tonight, we had some of those fall, got some base runners, and good things happen when you can do that.” Tucker Johnson – who recently committed to play collegiately Spartanburg Methodist College – smacked a two-run shot to right in the fourth, extending the Chesnee lead to seven. Chesnee hurler Brycen Sprinkle announced his presence with authority on the mound. The right-hander was highly effective with his pitch location and got some support from his defense. Orr flashed the leather in the second with a diving, over-the-shoulder grab in left field to erase an extra-base hit. Sprinkle then picked up a groundout before rattling off three straight strikeouts spanning the second and third frames. He also snagged a hot shot hit back to the mound in the fifth, which evolved into a 1-4-3 double play. Sprinkle tossed six strong innings for the Eagles, limiting the Panthers to an earned run, while scattering five hits to go with one walk and five strikeouts. “My fastball and changeup low and away,” Sprinkle stated when asked about what worked well during his outing. “The umpire was calling it out, so that was where I was going to throw it. That third inning was big (because) I had the trust in my team to get some runs so I could just keep focused on pitching.” Chapman pushed across a run in the seventh as Chandler Cartee singled to left and rounded the bases on a Brown opposite-field base knock to right, providing the final margin. Wease led the Eagles at the plate with a 2-for-4 night, scoring once and driving in two runs. Johnson was 1-for-3 with two runs batted in, while Hammett, Martin, and Pruitt each drove in a run. Orr also went 2-for-3 with three runs scored. As a team, Chesnee drew six free passes. “Brycen has thrown really well for us all year,” Wease added. “He has faced tough opponents throughout the season. I am really proud of him. He was throwing three pitches for strikes and only walked one batter, so he gave us a chance (to win).” Cole Daugherty paced the Panthers with a 3-for-4 effort at the dish, while Brown (2-for-4, run, RBI) and Cartee (2-for-3, run) also recorded multiple hits. Tolleson also notched a base knock and a three up, three down inning on the mound. Both Chesnee and Chapman (12-11) will begin the district round of the 2A and 3A playoffs, respectively, with a home game on Tuesday, April 30th. Further details about the opponents and start times were not available when this story was published. Comments are closed.
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