INMAN, S.C. – It’s often said that a double play is a pitcher’s best friend because it’s twice as helpful.
A strong showing in the field played a key role in a big night for Ricky Montalvo, who accomplished a special feat in baseball lore as Inman Post 45 claimed a 10-0 victory over Buffalo Post 87 in six innings. Following a leadoff walk in the first, Montalvo induced a ground ball to the right side of the infield that was fielded by Jarren Metcalf and converted into a double play. Two innings later, Metcalf corralled a chopper and turned two the 4-6-3 way to end the frame and erase a Buffalo threat. “It was 100 percent trust,” Montalvo said about Metcalf, his former high school teammate at nearby Chapman High. “There was no doubt at all. I knew he was going to make every single play when it was hit to him. I’m trusting in my guys (defensively).” “It’s been incredible seeing (Ricky) come back from college and seeing how much he's transformed,” stated Metcalf. “He was able to grind through that game. We have always had his back, even through high school. You’re taught to field a ground ball going down or coming up… I charge (at the ball) until it makes me stop.” The defensive display continued in the fourth as Hudson Moss tracked down a swinging bunt along the third base line for an out. The next Buffalo batter smacked a ball that was bound for right field, but first baseman Kaden Roach speared it and threw over to Perry Dyer at second, doubling off a runner for the third out. “It’s a huge relief,” Montalvo remarked about the defense. “When I walk a guy and put a man on first, all I can think about is ‘Dang, I could’ve done a lot better’. After I get a contact hit and our infielders make a double play, it’s a big stress reliever. That’s big time by them.” During the final two frames, Dyer made two pivotal plays down the stretch. In the fifth, a hot shot was scorched back towards center field, but the Inman shortstop hustled over and made a sharp throw to first for the final out of the frame. Later in the sixth, Dyer fielded a two-hop chopper and fired over to first for the second out of the inning. The web gems added up and helped Montalvo toss a no-hitter in his longest outing of the 2023 campaign. “The kids really played well tonight,” said Inman coach Mark Line. “Ricky was outstanding obviously, but the defense was good in turning three double plays. We hit the ball enough and I really liked the way we were running the bases. It doesn’t hurt when you turn double plays. Every pitcher I’ve ever known has loved double plays.” Roach provided some early run support for Post 45 in the first with a two-run double to right-center, driving in Johann Rodriguez and Aaron Sewell (courtesy runner for Hudson Wilson) for an early Inman lead. Cason Owens and Luke Compton each drew a bases-loaded walk in the third, which made for a 4-0 Inman lead. A string of four straight hits with two outs in the fifth – including RBI base knocks for Rodriguez and Wilson – extended the Inman advantage to eight. In the bottom of the sixth, an Owens single and Compton sacrifice fly to left ended the contest by mercy rule and provided the final margin. At the plate for Post 45, Compton reached base safely four times, going 3-for-3 with a run scored and two runs batted in. Roach was 3-for-4, while Wilson went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Owens finished 2-for-3 with two runs batted in. Inman (8-2) will have a quick turnaround as they will host Spartanburg for a doubleheader on Friday at Jim Everhart Field, slated for a 5 PM start. CHESNEE, SC- Chesnee Post 48 and Cowpens Post 125 split a doubleheader in American Legion softball on Thursday evening.
Post 48 took game one by a score of 4-2. Claire Owens started off the bottom of the first with a leadoff single and later stole second. She would score on Jada Sellars' RBI double. Natalie Morris would plate Sellars with a RBI single to give Post 48 a 2-0 lead after one inning of play. Another lead off hit would plate another run for Post 48 in the bottom of the 2nd. This time Loren Potter hit a leadoff triple, and later scored on Brandolin Bearfield 's RBI single. That run would prove pivotal as Cowpens Post 125 struck back hard in the top of the third as a one out double by Kourtney Caraway set up Elizabeth Vitale for a deep two run blast well over the score board in left centerfield to make it 3-2 still in favor of Post 48. Claire Owens would once again use her speed to help out Post 48 in the bottom of the fourth as she drew a leadoff walk. She would later steal second, advance to third on a passed ball, and score on a wild pitch to make the score 4-2 in favor of Post 48. Jada Sellars picked up the complete game win in game one for Post 48. Sellars threw five innings of two run ball while giving up four hits, and striking out three batters. In game two, Cowpens Post 125 used a huge eight run first inning on the way to a 11-1 three inning win. Elizabeth Vitale got the scoring started with a RBI single and Brooke Caraway followed with a two RBI single. Ashley Caraway hit a three RBI inside the park home run, and Sarah Vitale hit a RBI double. Sarah Vitale did more damage in the top of the third with a RBI single, and later stole home on a double steal. Brooklyn Jennings also scored on an error in the inning. Natalie Morris drove in the lone Chesnee Post 48 run with a RBI sac fly in the bottom of the third. Chesnee Post 48 will be back in action on Thursday, July 6th when they host Inman Post 45 to conclude the regular season as the first pitch for game one is set for 6:00pm. -Andrew Eison UNION, S.C. – A busy week for Inman Post 45 resumed on Wednesday with a trip along Highway 176 to face Buffalo Post 87 at the Timken Sports Complex. A good night at the plate and a solid pitching performance helped Inman claim an 11-4 victory over Buffalo.
The first two Inman batters – Luke Compton and Johann Rodriguez – each drew a free pass to start the game, putting two on with none out. Compton stole third and sprinted home on a Buffalo miscue, while Rodriguez scored on a Kaden Roach sacrifice fly, staking Inman to a 2-0 lead midway through the opening frame. Inman right-hander Corben Childers found a groove on the mound, striking four of the first five batters that he faced. Childers later struck four of the next six Buffalo hitters, which spanned the third and fourth inning, “He was dominant,” said Inman coach Mark Line. “He was throwing it past people and that was a strong outing for him. If you get good pitching, you’ve got a chance to win. It’s been nice for us recently to put a guy out there and get a strong five or six (innings) out of them.” Ricky Montalvo, Perry Dyer, Cason Owens each notched a base knock in succession to load the bases for Inman in the second. Compton smacked a single to right that drove in Montalvo, while Dyer crossed home plate on a bases-loaded walk to Rodriguez. Owens scored from third on a double play, followed by a Roach double to left that plated Compton for a 6-0 Inman lead. “Tonight, it was more of trying to stay on the pull side,” Roach recalled. “When I tend to try and go to the back side (opposite field), I’m sometimes late. I was trying to make sure I wasn’t going to be too late and got the pitches that I needed, too. I think this shows we can hit the ball and It’s always great to help our pitching by putting up the runs that we have.” “In my first two at-bats, I was trying to stay short and drive it up the middle,” Dyer said. “Sometimes, you just hit (the ball) in the right place and nobody’s there. It’s a lot of fun playing with this group and I’m glad that I got the chance to play with them.” Buffalo cut it down to a 6-4 score with two runs apiece in the second and third innings that featured a trio of RBI base hits. Childers responded by sitting down seven of the final 10 Buffalo batters he faced on strikes, finishing the game with 13 punchouts over six innings of work. “Nothing was working in the second and third innings... but I flushed that and kept going,” stated Childers. "(My mentality was) to do what I know to do and stay loose out there. We’ve got a very important three games coming up (on Thursday and Friday).” A Compton RBI single in the fourth drove in Montalvo, followed by four more runs in the fifth – including a Childers RBI single – to provide the final margin. At the plate for Post 45, Dyer reached base safely in all four plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a run scored. Roach was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two runs batted in, while Compton finished the night 2-for-4 with two runs batted in. Montalvo also recorded a base knock and scored twice. Aaron Sewell also threw a scoreless final frame for Post 45, tallying three strikeouts of his own. “We ran the bases really well,” Line added. “We made them make a couple of mistakes and we’ve got fast kids. Jarren Metcalf is amazing, and Perry (Dyer) has good speed, as does Luke (Compton). We’ve got some kids that can really run, so we try to put pressure on people, and it worked tonight.” “You can’t forget Sewell – he comes in and gets people out. He doesn’t strike a bunch of people out, but he just gets people out and has been solid all season for us.” Inman (6-2) will have a quick turnaround as they will host Buffalo on Thursday at Jim Everhart Field, slated for a 7 PM start. AMERICAN LEGION SOFTBALL While the baseball team was coming away with a victory, the Inman Post 45 softball team split a doubleheader against Anderson Post 20 at home on Wednesday night. They fell in the first game 4-2 but rebounded for a 2-1 victory in the second game. The softball team will return to action on Thursday at Gaffney before wrapping up their regular season next Thursday at Chesnee before awaiting their playoff seeding that will begin July 10th. INMAN, SC - After a week that saw a lot of their games having to be rescheduled for weather, the Inman Post 45 softball finally returned to their home field at Chapman High School where they split a doubleheader with Buffalo Post 87 on Tuesday night.
The first game saw Buffalo win 1-0 in a pitching duel between Inman pitcher Eliana DeYoung and Buffalo pitcher Kam Akins. In the matchup DeYoung allowed one run on three hits while striking out three batters and on the other hand Akins pitched a shutout while allowing three hits of her own and striking out four batters. Buffalo scored the only run of the game in the first inning as Ivey Medford worked a walk before Akins helped her own cause with a triple down the leftfield line scoring Medford for a 1-0 lead. In the second game Inman got a strong pitching performance from Alexis Floyd who pitched all five innings allowing one run, five hits, and striking out striking out one while allowing her defense to make some stunning plays behind her. One of those dazzling plays came in the top of the third inning when Mya Codispoti laid out to make a diving catch in the foul territory of right field and Lillian Wilson made a strong diving catch at shortstop while tagging second base for a forced out to end the inning. Buffalo got their only run of the game in the first inning when Kam Akins with one out hit a double into left field before scoring on a single to centerfield by Laken Lewis to take a 1-0 lead. Inman responded in the bottom of the first inning when Sydnee Spencer reached base and advanced to second base on an error to start their half of the inning. Spencer stole third base before scoring on a single by Leah Taylor to tie the game at 1-1. Both teams held the other team to one hit each over the next two innings as both teams went scoreless. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Inman took their first lead of the night in either game when Isabella Ballanger crushed a ball to deep centerfield to give Post 45 a 2-1 lead over Buffalo. Buffalo got two runners on in the top of the fifth inning but a strong throw from shortstop Lillian Wilson to first base sealed the victory for Inman. Inman will have a quick turnaround as they'll return to the field Wednesday night when they host Anderson in a doubleheader that begins at 6:00 PM. GAFFNEY, S.C. – Monday marked the fourth and final regular season meeting between Inman Post 45 and the Gaffney Post 109 Crusaders. A solid outing on the hill and a mid-game spark led Inman to a 4-1 victory over Gaffney in six innings.
The game was called in the top of the seventh due to severe weather/lightning in the area. With the victory, Inman also won the season series by a three games to one margin. Jacob Cogdell toed the slab for Post 45 and settled in quickly, retiring the Crusaders in order on a groundout and two strikeouts in the first inning. Later in the third, the right-hander added two more punchouts to his ledger. On the night, Cogdell held the Crusaders to one run on one hit over four innings of work and finished with seven strikeouts. Jarren Metcalf reached on a fielders’ choice in the second and advanced to third on a Ricky Montalvo single to right. Metcalf later scored on a Perry Dyer sacrifice fly to center. Gaffney tied the game at one in the bottom of the frame with a sacrifice fly of their own. Inman picked up a pair of base hits just two innings later, one apiece from Corben Childers and Metcalf. Two batters later, Dyer drew a one-out walk that loaded the bases before a wild pitch and passed ball allowed Childers and Metcalf to score, respectively, and stake Inman to a 3-1 advantage. Gaffney threatened in their half of the fourth by putting two runners aboard with only one out, but Cogdell worked out of the jam with another strikeout and fly out. Johann Rodriguez earned a free pass in the fifth and swiped second before scoring on a Gaffney miscue, which made it a 4-1 lead at that juncture of the contest. Aaron Sewell tossed two scoreless innings, earning the save for Post 45. Inman (6-2) returns to action on Wednesday evening with a road matchup against Buffalo, slated for a 7 PM start. INMAN, S.C. – After dropping a pair of close games, Inman Post 45 looked to get back on track Tuesday night. A superb showing on the mound paved the way as Inman went wire-to-wire for a 6-2 victory over the Gaffney Post 109 Crusaders.
Jacob Cogdell got the starting nod for Post 45 and did yeoman’s work. Only one Gaffney batter reached base safely over the first four innings, by way of a walk. The Crusader runner attempted to swipe third base but was thrown out by Johann Rodriguez to end the second inning. The Newberry College signee held the Crusaders without a hit for four and two-thirds innings. In total, the right-hander yielded just two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out four. “I kind of knew, but I just tried not to think about it,” Cogdell said about the no-hit bid. “I knew I was settled in after the second inning and that I was in a groove tonight. The run support definitely took the pressure off. I just need to keep doing my thing and they keep doing their thing (hitting), and we’ll be good.” “Jacob was good from the get-go tonight,” exclaimed Inman coach Mark Line. “That was a really good performance. He has been consistent, and I have enjoyed putting him out there. He is one of those guys that every time he pitches, you feel like you’ve got a real good chance to win.” Rodriguez provided an early spark at the plate in the opening frame by sending the second pitch he saw over the centerfield wall, staking Inman to a 1-0 lead. In the next frame, Corben Childers and Jarren Metcalf scored on a Jack Settle single to right-center, while Cason Owens scored on a Luke Compton RBI groundout. A Hudson Moss base knock in the fourth allowed Metcalf to score and built a 5-0 advantage. Gaffney broke up the no-hitter in the fifth with a Jonah Epps two-out base hit to left. Two batters later, Epps came around to score on another Crusader hit and cut the deficit down to four. With two outs and the bases loaded, Inman right fielder Kaden Roach preserved the lead with a leaping grab to end the frame. Hudson Wilson recorded a hit and later crossed home plate on a Childers double in the bottom of the inning, which made it a 6-1 Inman advantage at that juncture of the contest. “Johann hit that ball a ton,” Line remarked. “It was a line drive, no doubter. We have been pretty solid through the order with our hitting all season long. We lost two one-run games (recently) and sometimes, baseball will drive you nuts. This was a way to bounce back, and we bounced back strong tonight. I’m just proud of the way they played.” Aaron Sewell tossed a perfect seventh inning to secure the victory for Inman. During the frame, Metcalf made a diving catch in shallow center to erase what would have been a one-out base runner for the Crusaders. At the plate for Post 45, Childers was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run batted in. Metcalf was 1-for-2 with two runs scored, while Wilson also tallied a hit and scored a run. Moss and Settle each recorded a hit in three at-bats, combining to drive in three runs. Inman (5-2) will close out a three-game homestand on Thursday evening with a league matchup against Spartanburg, slated for a 7 PM start. GAFFNEY, S.C – For the third time this week, Inman Post 45 was on the road in League Five action, this time against the Gaffney Post 109 Crusaders. One big inning proved to be the decisive factor, as Gaffney rallied late for a 6-5 win and dealt Inman its first defeat of the campaign.
Inman’s Luke Compton was hit by a pitch to open the contest, then successfully swiped both second and third bases before trotting home on a Hudson Wilson RBI groundout, staking Post 45 to a 1-0 lead. During the next frame, Jarren Metcalf and Perry Dyer reached on a base hit and hit-by-pitch, respectively, and eventually scored on another Crusader defensive miscue. Johann Rodriguez led off the third with a scorching single that ricocheted off the third base bag and later crossed home plate on a wild pitch, creating a four run advantage for Inman. But then, things changed in the fifth inning. In the frame, Gaffney rallied by sending 11 up to bat and plating six runs on two Inman errors, two wild pitches, and a bases loaded walk, which put Post 109 in front by a 6-4 margin. Inman cut the deficit in half in the sixth when Dyer notched a base hit to center and later scored on a fielders’ choice, but went down in order in its final turn at bat in the seventh. Compton (two-for-three) and Metcalf (two-for-four) led Post 45 at the plate, with each scoring a run. Next up for Inman (4-1) is a three-game homestand at Jim Everhart Field, beginning with a league matchup against Buffalo on Monday. The game is slated for a 7 PM start. CHESNEE, SC - Chesnee Post 48 and Gaffney Post 109 split an American Legion softball doubleheader in front of a good home crowd for Chesnee on Wednesday evening.
"We played well in game two," said Chesnee Post 48 coach Tripp Fogle. "It's a learning process. We are a young team and we have a lot of girls getting game experience. Overall, I'm pleased with the growth of this team." Gaffney Post 109 took game one by a score of 11-6 as they struck first in the top of the first inning with a RBI single by Josie Brown to give them an early 1-0 lead. Post 48 struck back quickly in the bottom half as Harley Grady scored on an error while Faith Wall hit a two RBI single, and Natalie Morris had a RBI single of her own to give Post 48 a 4-1 after one inning of play. Post 109 busted the game open by scoring nine runs across in the second and third innings. In the second inning, Post 109 got a RBI groundout from Taylor Tessner, RBI single from Charley Oglesby, and a two RBI double from Josie Brown. In the third inning, Post 109 got a RBI sac fly by Kayla Butler, a Taylor Tessner RBI single, Charley Oglesby RBI double, and a pair of runs scored on errors to make it 10-4 in favor of Gaffney Post 109 halfway through the third inning. Chesnee Post 48 cut the lead to 10-6 in the bottom of the third inning thanks to a two RBI double by Ansley Blanton. A Charley Oglesby RBI single in the top of the fourth inning capped the scoring in game one giving Gaffney Post 109 an 11-6 victory. In game two, Chesnee Post 48 got a terrific performance in the circle by Kyndall Brill and had a fast start offensively as they won 11-1 in four innings. Brill pitched a complete game one hitter with four strikeouts and done a terrific job of working out of a bases loaded no outs jam in the second inning along with a bases loaded two out jam in the third inning. "Kyndall has been working hard," said Fogle. "She bulldogged her way through those situations. It showed tremendous growth for her and showed how much she has improved as the season has gone on." Post 109 did manage to scratch across a run in the third inning thanks to a bases loaded walk drawn by Taylor Queen. Chesnee Post 48 got off to a hot start in game two thanks to a six run first inning as Faith Wall and Loren Potter each had RBI singles while Kyndall Brill hit a RBI double. Olivia Tolleson also had a RBI groundout while a pair of runs also scored on errors. Tolleson picked up two more RBIs thanks to a single in the bottom of the second inning to make it 8-0 in favor of Post 48 early on. Post 48 tacked on another run in the bottom of the third inning thanks to Jada Sellars' RBI double. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Claire Owens' third hit of the night turned out to be a game ender as she hit a two RBI single to give Post 48 an 11-1 four inning win thanks to the ten-run rule. Chesnee Post 48 will travel to Buffalo Post 87 on Tuesday with a 6:00 PM scheduled first pitch. UNION, S.C. – The second of a three-game road trip took Inman Post 45 to the Timken Sports Complex for their first League Five matchup against Buffalo Post 87. A pair of big innings and a solid pitching performance propelled Inman to a 12-4 victory over Buffalo.
Corben Childers led off the second inning with an opposite-field double to right and scored on a wild pitch for an early 1-0 Inman lead. With the bases loaded, Ricky Montalvo scored on a Hudson Moss base hit to left. Three batters later, Hudson Wilson drove in two more runs with a two-out single to center, building a 4-0 advantage for Post 45. Inman added on in the fourth as a Cason Owens base knock scored Wilson, while Dyer notched a two-run single. Luke Compton drove in a run on a fielders’ choice, followed by a Johann Rodriguez RBI groundout that extended the Inman lead to 10-1 at that juncture of the contest. Childers also posted a solid outing on the hill for Inman. After Buffalo loaded the bases in the opening frame, he picked up a groundout to second on the very next pitch. The right-hander also struck out three of the last four Post 87 batters that he faced. In total, Childers held Buffalo to one run on two hits over four innings and recorded nine strikeouts. “(Childers) puts a lot of pressure on himself,” said Inman coach Mark Line. “Once he settled in early, he was good. He is strong and throws the ball hard. He is going to be a force for us and will pitch a lot. We’ve got deeper pitching than I thought we would have. We have some guys that are also doing a good job (pitching), too.” Buffalo scored three runs in the latter stages of the contest on a two-run single in the fifth and a sacrifice fly aided by two Inman errors in the seventh to provide the final margin. At the plate, Jarren Metcalf was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Moss and Owens each were 1-for-2, with the prior tallying two runs batted in. Wilson finished 1-for-3 with two walks and two RBI, while Jack Settle and Kaden Roach each recorded a hit. “We hit the ball hard tonight,” Line stated. “We continue going up to the plate and having good at-bats. What we have to do is show up every night and play. Nobody is going to give us anything and if we decide not to show up, somebody will kick our tails. We have to show up every night.” Inman (4-0) will travel over to Jug Wallace Field on Thursday for a league matchup with Gaffney, scheduled for a 7 PM start. INMAN, SC - After taking two over Gaffney last Thursday in a doubleheader (12-5, 17-7) to open the home part of their schedule, the Inman Post 45 softball team returned home on Tuesday splitting a doubleheader with the visiting team from Chesnee Post 48.
Inman used a big third inning to capture the first game 5-3 while Chesnee used a big top of the fifth inning to rally for a 5-4 win in game two. In the first game, Chesnee jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Claire Owens reached base on a single just outside the reach of the Inman infield before scoring on a triple to right centerfield by Jada Sellars to make the score 1-0. Sellars later came around to score on a groundout to third base by Olivia Tolleson to push the lead to 2-0 over Inman. Post 45 bounced back in the bottom half of the inning as Sydnee Spencer hit a triple to left field to start the Inman half of the inning. Spencer later scored on a groundout by Leah Taylor to cut the Chesnee lead in half at 2-1 at the end of the first inning. After the two runs in the first inning, Inman pitcher Eliana DeYoung pitched the next three innings without allowing a run as she went all five innings allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out four batters. With one out in the top of the third inning, Sydnee Spencer came to bat hitting her second triple of the game as she drove a ball to deep left centerfield. Spencer scored on the next at-bat as Kenslie Edwards hit a single to centerfield to tie the game at 2-2. Leah Taylor reached base on a fielder's choice in the next at-bat before advancing to third base on an infield single by Darby Ward. Eliana DeYoung singled home Taylor to give Inman a 3-2 lead before Ward stole home to push the Post 45 lead to 4-2 over Chesnee. Inman added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Alexis Floyd, who reached base on a single to left field, later scored on a single to centerfield by Kenslie Edwards to push the lead to 5-2. Chesnee's Lianna Kreydich, who reached base on a double to right centerfield, cut the Inman lead to 5-3 when she scored on a Claire Owens single but that was as close as Chesnee would get in the first game. The second game started in a very similar fashion as the first one as Harly Grady led off the game with a single before coming around to score on an error that allowed Claire Owens to advance to third base. Owens scored on a Jada Sellars single to centerfield that once again gave Chesnee Post 48 an early 2-0 lead. Sydnee Spence started Inman's half of the inning with a single to left field before once again cutting the Chesnee lead in half at 2-1 when she scored from second base on a single to centerfield by Leah Taylor. In the top of the fourth inning, Inman once again took the lead as they scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 4-2 lead over Chesnee. Alexis Floyd started the inning working a walk before advancing to third on a groundout and a single by Lael Raines. Floyd tied the game when Sydnee Spencer beat out an infield single to put the score at 2-2. Raines gave Inman a 3-2 lead when she scored on a groundout by Kenslie Edwards before Spencer pushed the lead to 4-2 on a triple to right centerfield by Leah Taylor. With Chesnee down two runs going into the final inning, Post 48 responded with a big inning of their own as they scored three runs to retake the lead and eventually win the game. Lianna Kreydich started off the inning with an infield single before advancing to third base on an error that allowed Harly Grady to reach second base. Kreydich cut the lead to 4-3 when she scored on a single by Jada Sellars. Grady and Sellars both scored on the next at-bat as Kydall Brill hit a single to centerfield scoring both players to give Post 48 the lead. Inman tied to make a rally in the bottom of the fifth inning but weren't able to score a run to tie the game. Sydnee Spencer had a big night for Inman as she went four of six with two triples, two singles, and one RBI while scoring four runs. Inman improves to 5-2 on the season and will now travel to Anderson Post 14 on Wednesday for another doubleheader that will be played at Westside High School with games slated to begin at 6:00 PM. Chesnee improves to 2-4 on the season and will next host Gaffney Post 109 at Chesnee High School on Wednesday for another doubleheader that will begin at 6:00 PM. |