UNION, SC - All over the state of South Carolina, the third straight season of American Legion softball began with more teams than ever before with over 22 different American Legion branches sponsoring teams this year. The Upstate of South Carolina was a part of that as well as two of the original teams in Inman Post 45 and Buffalo Post 87 squared off at the Timken Complex in Union in a matchup of two outstanding teams that saw the two teams split the two games played on Tuesday night. The South Carolina American Legion softball league sees both teams on each game day play each other in two five inning games. Inman got the best of Buffalo in the first game as they used a big third inning to capture a 7-1 victory to open the new season with a victory. In the first inning Myah Salters led off the inning with a walk before advancing to second base on a walk to Leah Taylor. Salters gave Inman a 1-0 lead when she scored on a single to left field by Bella Ballenger. Buffalo tied the game in the bottom of the first inning at 1-1 when Caroline Davis scored from first when Sammetress Smith hit a double to centerfield. The third inning started off in a similar way as Salters started the inning with a triple to the right centerfield fence. She gave Inman the lead back at 2-1 two batters later when Taylor hit a single to centerfield. Bella Ballenger, Eliana DeYoung, Lillian Wilson, Addy Lawson, and Mya Codispoti all added runs in the third inning as Inman Post 45 had eleven batters come to the plate in the inning scoring six runs on four hits and three walks. Inman got a good pitching performance from Eliana DeYoung who pitched four innings for Post 45 while only allowing one run, six hits and striking out two batters. They also saw Alexis Floyd come on in relief to pitch the final inning for Inman as she set down all three batters she faced. Buffalo bounced back in game two as they took an early 8-0 lead in the first inning on their way to a 13-0 win in three and a half innings for a little revenge in the second game of the doubleheader. Inman will host their first game of the season on Thursday as they'll welcome Gaffney Post 109 and Buffalo will travel to Anderson Post 14. Chesnee Softball Falls To Anderson In DoubleheaderCHESNEE, SC - On opening night of the 2023 American Legion Softball season, Anderson Post 14 swept Chesnee Post 48 on Tuesday night.
Post 14 won game one 13-3 as Abbi Campbell, Talissa Cannady, KK Bolding, and MK Parnell each had two hits for Post 14. Parnell, Bolding, and Cannady each collected two RBIs as Cannady had a triple and Landry Woodson had a double for Post 14. Claire Owens and Jada Sellars each collected RBI singles while Olivia Tolleson had a RBI double. Post 14 also won game two 7-1 as Talissa Cannady picked up a pair of RBI groundouts for Post 14 while Charley Swartzel added a RBI sacrifice fly of her own. Maddie Stone also hit a RBI single while Abbi Campbell and KK Bolding each had a pair of hits with Bolding hitting a double. Harley Grady drove in the lone Post 48 run with a RBI single as Faith Wall collected a pair of singles and scored the run. Claire Owens, Jada Sellars, and Olivia Tolleson each collected a hit for Post 48. Chesnee Post 48 will be back in action on Thursday when they travel to Broome High School to take on Cowpens Post 125 as first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 PM for game one of two scheduled. INMAN, S.C. – The best-of-three first round series between Fort Mill and Inman Post 45 shifted over to Jim Everhart Field on Wednesday evening, where Inman aimed to even the series at one win apiece.
A couple of early scoring opportunities proved to be the difference as Fort Mill picked up a 9-1 win over Inman and advanced to the second round of the American Legion state tournament. Fort Mill jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on the strength of a Trevor Testerman home run in the first inning, along with two more runs in the third. Post 45 plated a run in the fourth when Jacob Murray crossed home plate on a wild pitch, which made it a 3-1 score. “I think this is a culmination of our entire season,” Fort Mill head coach Tom Skula said. “We play in a really, really good league (against Rock Hill, Lancaster, York, and Chester). We play a lot of quality opponents in our league and I think that’s helped prepare us entering the playoffs. I think everything is starting to come together with our fielding, pitching, and having quality at-bats. Like I told our team tonight, it’s a brand new season.” The turning point of the game occurred in the fifth inning, when Inman loaded the bases on a Corbin Childers single, a Fort Mill error, and a Hunter Lancaster walk. Post 43 managed to escape the jam on a groundout to third, which was aided by a scoop from first baseman Luke Garabedian. “We were down early, but we battled back,” Inman head coach Steve Skinner stated. “We scored one (run) and had a good opportunity (in the fifth inning) to score some more, but their first baseman made a heck of a play to get them out of the inning. I think that turned the game and took the wind out of our sails a bit.” Post 43 scored six runs in the final two frames to provide the final margin of the contest and move on to the second round of the state tournament. Inman concludes the 2022 campaign with an 8-6 overall record and a runner-up finish in League Six. “We had a good group of kids,” remarked Skinner. “They didn’t cause any problems and they were here. We couldn’t ask for a better group. We had fun, had a good season, and we’ll try it again next year.” -Justin Mathis FORT MILL, SC - The Fort Mill Post 43 baseball team defeated Inman Post 45 6-5 in game one of their best of three game first round series to start the South Carolina American Legion playoffs on Tuesday night.
Post 43 scored a run in the bottom of the sixth inning with the game tied at 5-5 on a wild pitch which ended up being the eventual game winner. Inman got just three hits in the game as Post 43 helped them out with six walks and two errors in the game. Fort Mill opened the game scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead. The lead soon evaporated in the third inning as Inman scored four runs in the top of the inning off an error and three walks by Fort Mill. Inman extended their lead to 5-3 in the fourth inning as Kadan Roach doubled to open the inning and eventually scoring on a Post 43 error. Fort Mill rallied in the fifth inning scoring two runs as Trevor Testerman doubled to open the bottom half of the inning, before eventually scoring on a wild pitch. Scott Young tied the game up with a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Eli Craddock. Then in the sixth inning, Drew Endres for Fort Mill walked and made his way around to third base on a sacrifice bunt from Cooper Wilson and a ground out, before scoring on an Inman wild pitch. Kadan Roach led the way at the plate for Inman going one for two with a double and a walk while also scoring both times he reached base. The series now moves to Inman, as Fort Mill will travel to Inman Mills on Wednesday night for game two in the series. INMAN, S.C. – It was a high stakes League Six showdown at Jim Everhart Field between the Spartanburg Post 28 Mustangs and Inman Post 45 on Friday night, as the winner would move into first place and inch closer to a first-round bye in the SCALB state tournament.
Before the game, Inman head coach Steve Skinner was recognized for his 43 years of service to Post 45. As for the game itself, it featured a number of twists and turns like a roller coaster, but in the end, Spartanburg capitalized on a late opportunity and edged Inman 8-6 in nine innings. In their first turn at bat, each of the first five Inman batters reached base safely and later crossed home plate. Grayson Selepes and Lance Moon scored on a Gabe Rogers two-RBI single to right, followed by a Jacob Murray RBI single that drove in Hunter Lancaster. Rogers and Murray scored on a wild pitch and passed ball, respectively, staking Inman to an early 5-0 lead. The Mustangs cut the deficit down to three on consecutive RBI singles from Dalton Crawford and Braxtin Turner in the second inning and later scored three more times in the fifth inning to tie the game at five. Post 45 plated a run in the bottom of the frame as Moon scored on a wild pitch, putting Inman ahead 6-5. Adams Faucett led off the seventh inning with a triple for Spartanburg and later scored on a wild pitch, which tied the game at six. Inman threatened in their half of the inning with runners on the corners and two outs, but a strikeout sent the game to extra frames. The Mustangs capitalized on a couple of opportunities in the ninth inning as they scored a pair of runs on consecutive bases loaded walks to Faucett and Deacon Cox, which proved to be enough and propel Post 28 to the win. Spartanburg moved into first place with the victory, but the final inning of the game was played under protest by Inman due to an ejection that occurred earlier in the contest. The status of the protest was not available as of Saturday morning. -Justin Mathis CHESNEE, SC - Chesnee Post 48 finished off the home slate of their first trip through American Legion softball play on Tuesday night with a doubleheader sweep of Inman Post 45.
"It feels really good to come out and play well at home,” said Chesnee Post 48 head coach Ashley Westbrooks. “It’s something we have really done all season." In game one, Chesnee Post 48 pulled out a 4-1 win thanks to an excellent performance by Sam Carver in the circle. After Carver kept Post 45 off the board in the top of the first inning, Post 48 used small ball to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of half of the inning. Mattie Martin drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a Carver ground out before an error allowed her to advance to third. Carver later scored on an Ali Scruggs RBI sac fly. Post 45 quickly responded as Kennedy Woodruff worked a one out walk before stealing second and later scoring on a Post 48 error to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the second inning. Carver got all the runs she needed in the bottom of the third inning as Post 48 batted around with Ali Scruggs picking up her second RBI with a single and Mikayla Cannon hitting a two RBI double to increase the Post 48 lead to 4-1. Carver pitched a five inning complete game while only allowing three and striking out four with the lone run being scored being an unearned run. Game two saw another solid performance in the circle for Post 48 and this time it came from Olivia Hall. Inman’s Tori Earle and Eliana Deyoung drew a walk and single to lead off the game for Post 45 before Earle later scored on an error. After the run Hall buckled down and took control as she got a fielder's choice groundout along with back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat. Hall's battery mate Olivia Tolleson tied the game in the bottom of the second inning as she drove in Harley Grady with a RBI single. Grady worked herself to third thanks to a single, a stolen base, and a sacrifice groundout by Loren Potter to setup the scoring opportunity. Grady picked up a RBI on a fielder's choice attempt in the bottom of the third inning to give the Eagles the lead. Katie Faith Watson followed with a RBI single while Loren Potter delivered the big blow of the inning with a two RBI single to make it 5-1 in Post 48's favor. Grady picked up her second RBI with a single in the bottom of the fourth inning while Post 48 added another run when Olivia Hall scored on an error. Olivia Tolleson once again delivered the big blow of the inning with a two RBI double to give her four RBIs in the game. Post 45 attempted a comeback in the top of the fifth inning as Chloe Dunlap hit a RBI double and Sydnee Spencer hit a RBI single, but Hall was able to put an end to Post 45’s comeback attempt. Hall pitched a complete game with five hits allowed and eight strikeouts as only two of the three runs she allowed were earned. Chesnee Post 48 got a strong night from both their pitchers on Tuesday to wrap up their home slate which Coach Westbrooks was proud of on Tuesday. "Sam did what she always does which is to show up and show out” said Westbrooks. “Olivia hasn't pitched much for us this summer but when she came out tonight and found her groove she took control of the game." Chesnee Post 48 will wrap up the regular season on Thursday as they travel to Cowpens Post 125 as Inman Post 45 will wrap up their regular season on Thursday as well when they host Buffalo Post 87. Both games have a 6:00 PM scheduled first pitch. INMAN, S.C. – First place in League Six was up for grabs on Thursday evening as the Spartanburg Post 28 Mustangs traveled to Jim Everhart Field for a showdown with Inman Post 45.
Trailing by five entering the latter stages of the contest, Inman pieced together a late rally and edged Spartanburg by an 8-7 tally. The Mustangs staked themselves to an early 3-0 lead with two hits and a sacrifice fly, including a Davis Cardew triple to right field. Inman scored twice in the bottom of the third without registering a hit. The first two batters for Post 45 – Mitch Mitchell and Grayson Selepes – reached on a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Jimmy Rosengrant laid down a bunt and reached on a two-base error by the Mustangs, which allowed Mitchell to score. Selepes crossed home plate moments later on a Hunter Lancaster RBI fielder’s choice, which cut the Mustangs’ lead to 3-2 after three innings. “This group has surprised me," said Inman head coach Steve Skinner. "They’ve been real loose, pull for one another, and get along well. Their attitudes have been good, they hustle, and that makes all the difference in the world when you play together as a team.” Spartanburg added four more runs onto their lead in the fourth on four hits, with the big one being an Adams Faucett two-RBI double, for a 7-2 advantage headed to the bottom of the sixth. Lance Moon opened the home half of the frame with a double to right field and came around to score on a Harrison Childers RBI single. Childers advanced to third on a wild pitch and stolen base, respectively before he touched home plate on a Selepes base hit. Mitchell later scored on a Lancaster RBI single, which trimmed the Spartanburg lead to 7-5. “This team doesn’t give up,” said Childers, who went 4-for-4 at the plate with one RBI and two runs scored. “We just kept fighting the entire time. This was really great for this team and really good for our confidence. (The mentality is) keep working hard and it’ll pay off.” Riley McDonald retired the side in order on two strikeouts and a groundout during the top of the seventh to set up the dramatic finish. Three Inman batters – Moon, Childers, and Rylee Douglas – each tallied a one-out single in succession to load the bases. Mitchell sliced a single to shallow right-center field, which drove in Moon and cut the deficit to 7-6. Selepes then smacked a 1-0 offering to the infield, but a Mustang error allowed Douglas to score and give Inman the victory, capping off a string of six unanswered runs over the final two innings. ”We hit some baseballs hard early, but they were hit right at (Spartanburg),” Skinner said. “We never quit - we just kept battling. I thought if we could get back to the top of the batting order, we’d have a chance.” Inman (6-2) will have a quick turnaround as they host Buffalo Post 87 on Friday, June 24th at 7 PM, which will complete a four-game homestand for Post 45. Spartanburg (5-2) will return to action on Monday, June 27th, when they will travel to face Gaffney Post 109. -Justin Mathis CHESNEE, SC- The Chesnee Post 48 softball team split a doubleheader against Cowpens Post 125 as they won the first game and dropped the second game on Tuesday night.
Chesnee Post 48 took game one by a score of 9-1 as Sam Carver pitched a four hit, one run complete game while striking out six batters over five innings of work. "When Sam was here during high school she was special,” said Chesnee Post 48 head coach Ashley Westbrooks. “It's great to have her back out here helping us this summer." Carver quickly helped herself at the plate as both she and Ali Scruggs gave Chesnee an early 2-0 lead to work with thanks to a pair of RBI singles. Madison House led the Post 125 response with a solo homerun to cut the lead in half but that’s as close as Cowpens would get as the homer was the lone run allowed by Carver on Tuesday. Harley Grady helped Post 48 regain a two run advantage with a RBI single in the bottom of the third inning before Post 48 busted the game open in the bottom of the third inning, as they scored six runs. Sam Carver, Ali Scruggs, and Harley Grady each collected their second RBIs of the game while Paige Scruggs added a RBI of her own. Post 48 also score a pair of runs thanks to a couple of Cowpens errors. Game two had a different feeling as Cowpens Post 125 took the 6-4 victory over Chesnee in the nightcap. A three run first inning proved to be pivotal as Emily Winstead and Josie Brown each hit RBI singles and Mahala Rice drew a bases loaded walk. Brown picked up another RBI in the third while Lily Keller pushed Post 125's lead to 6-0 after two and a half innings of play. Post 48 cut the lead in half during the bottom half of the third inning as Olivia Hall, Mikayla Cannon, and Kyndall Brill each hit RBI singles to make it 6-3. Chesnee tried to rally once again in the fifth inning thanks to a solo homerun by Olivia Hall but that would be all the runs they’d be able to get and the comeback fell short. Chesnee Post 48 will be back in action on Thursday as they travel to Buffalo to play Post 87 with a 6:00 PM scheduled first pitch. INMAN, S.C. – After being dealt their first loss over the weekend, Inman Post 45 returned to Jim Everhart Field for the first of a four game homestand on Monday night against Buffalo Post 87.
It was a good night at the dish for the home side, as Post 45 powered their way to a 20-4 victory over Buffalo in five innings. Post 87 opened the game by striking for three runs in the top of the first on two hits, along with two wild pitches. Inman had quite the responses in their first turn at the plate. Inman’s Grayson Selepes led off with a bunt single along the third base side and advanced to third on a throwing error. Jimmy Rosengrant drilled a double to the right-center field wall, which drove in Selepes and cut the Buffalo lead to 3-1. In total, Post 45 sent 12 men up to the dish and tallied eight runs during the frame. Rosengrant finished the game 4-for-5 with two doubles and seven runs batted in. Later in the fourth inning, Inman added on five runs to their advantage, including a Riley McDonald pinch-hit, two-run double to left field. On the mound for Post 45, Carter Sloand (three and one-third innings) and Jonah Rollins (one and two-thirds) combined to hold Post 87 to four runs during the game. “We hit the ball pretty well tonight,” said Inman head coach Steve Skinner. “When we gave up three quick runs in the first (inning), I was a little concerned there, but we settled down. It feels good (to win) with three more games coming up this week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday).” Inman (5-1) will turn around and host Gaffney Post 109 on Tuesday, June 21st at 7:00 PM. -Justin Mathis CHESNEE, SC - Buffalo Post 87 swept Chesnee Post 48 on Monday night in a doubleheader by the scores of 8-3 in game one and 11-0 in game two. The victory keeps Buffalo undefeated and snaps Chesnee’s three game winning streak.
Buffalo’s Abby Benfield won both games as she pitched a pair of complete games including a shutout in game two. Ayden Burgess led Post 87 with three RBIs while Halleigh Luke had three hits in game one. Katie Faith Watson had a RBI single for Chesnee Post 48 while Mattie Martin hit a solo homerun and collected another RBI for Post 48. Caroline Davis collected three hits and three RBIs in game two for Post 87 while they also got two RBIs from Sky Young. Chesnee Post 48 will return to action on Tuesday at home as they host Cowpens Post 125 with a 6:00 PM scheduled first pitch for the first of two games. American Legion Softball North Standings (as of June 17, 2022) Northern Division-1 Buffalo 4-0 Inman 4-4 Chesnee 3-3 Cowpens 1-5 Northern Division-2 Greenwood 8-0 Abbeville 4-0 Mid-Carolina 1-5 Aiken 0-4 Ridge Springs 0-6 SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For the second time this season, Inman Post 45 and the Spartanburg Post 28 Mustangs battled at Historic Duncan Park as both clubs closed in on the midway point of the regular season.
On this night, the host Mustangs (3-1) used a big first inning to notch a 10-4 victory, handing Inman their first loss of the campaign. In the top of the first inning, Inman had runners on the corners with two outs after Grayson Selepes and Gabe Rogers reached on an error and walk, respectively. However, Spartanburg picked up an inning-ending groundout to escape the jam. Post 28 struck for five runs on five hits during their first turn at bat, including a pair of RBI singles, one each from Adams Faucett and Braeden Harrison. “We had a pretty big inning the first time we played Inman,” recalled Spartanburg head coach Blake Burress. “We hit a home run and had a 2-0 lead, but then we gave them five runs right back. They took the lead and never relinquished it. We did a good job tonight of adding on (to the lead) and keeping them off-balance as much as we could.” Inman answered with two runs of their own in the second inning. Lance Moon drilled a one-out double down the left field line and two batters later, Jackson Kostivik smacked a double off the left field wall, plating Moon. Selepes then sent a single back up the box into center field, driving in Kostivik and cutting the Mustangs’ lead to 5-2. Trailing by five runs entering the third inning, Inman loaded the bases with one out on a Rogers walk, Jacob Murray double to right, and a fielder’s choice. Rogers scored on a Moon RBI fielder’s choice and Murray crossed home plate on a wild pitch, which made it a 7-4 deficit. Post 45 opened the fourth with consecutive singles by Kostivik and Selepes, but Post 28 tallied a strikeout and double play to end the frame. Spartanburg tacked on three runs in the bottom half of the inning, which proved to be the final margin. Jonah Rollins tossed a pair of scoreless innings in relief for Inman. Adam Stacy picked up the win on the mound for the Mustangs, while Adams Faucett earned the save. “(Spartanburg) got some hits and we struggled to throw strikes early on,” said Inman head coach Steve Skinner. “You have to give Spartanburg credit. They swung the bats well tonight. Sometimes, people just have to get your attention and I think Spartanburg got our attention tonight.” Inman (4-1) will now prepare for four games in five days next week, all of which will be played at Inman Mills Park, beginning on Monday, June 20th at 7 PM against Buffalo Post 87. Spartanburg will return home on Monday to face the Gaffney Post 109 Crusaders. -Justin Mathis |