By Thomas Grant Jr.
The South Carolina American Legion Baseball playoffs opened with three Lexington County teams with title aspirations.
On July 31, the last remaining team was eliminated in the semifinals played at Sparrow Stadium in Florence. Lexington Post 7 lost 5-4 to defending champion Florence Post 1.
Jackson Burton of Lexington High School gave Post 7 a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI double. Florence answered with two runs in the Bottom 3rd on an RBI single by Jackson Moore and an outfield field which brought home a run.
An error by Florence scored runs in the fourth and fifth innings which allowed Lexington to take a 3-2 lead. Jamarcus Williams tied the game in the sixth with a single and back-to-back RBI walks to Collin Minshew and Kason Herring put Post 1 ahead 5-3.
University of South Carolina commit Brandon Cromer drove in a run with a one-out double in the Top 7th. With runners on second and third, Lexington was unable to capitalize and saw their season come to an end.
A day earlier, Lexington eliminated West Columbia Post 79 with a 13-3 victory in five innings. Rainfall originally halted the game July 29 with Lexington leading 3-0.
It continued the offensive onslaught the following day led by Cromer. He went 2-4 with a team-high three RBI, followed by Ryder Kellis with two RBI.
Kellis, Brunson Price and Lincoln Hill, who homered, all went 2-3. On the mound, Landon Gross allowed no hits in four shutout innings.
Chapin/Newberry’s season ended July 30 with a 6-2 loss to Fort Mill Post 43.
Despite losing to Fort Mill 10-5, Camden Post 17 earned a berth in the Aug. 1 final after going 3-0 in the winner’s bracket. Fort Mill lost 3-2 in the semifinal to Florence, who was then defeated 9-2 by Camden in the championship game.
Camden advanced to the Southeast Regional in Asheboro, N.C. It opened play Wednesday against Georgia champion Covington.
American Legion announces awards
Hunter Epps of West Columbia Post 79 and Brandon Cromer of Lexington Post 7 were named to the South Carolina American Legion Baseball All-Star 1st team.
They will be honored during the organization’s Hall of Fame banquet in November.
The SCALB also announced Adam Riefsnyder and Graham Whittle as baseball scholarship recipients.
Photo by Lexington Post 7
