Chris Simmons (6) attempts to make the pickoff at second base.
WINNSBORO- A superb pitching performance by Devin Beckley, the Camden ace, helped the Bulldogs edge out Fairfield Central 8-2, in the Griffins’ region opener. Beckley, a Citadel commit, stormed his way to a complete game in which he struck out 10, and only gave up five hits.
“That pitcher is probably one of the best in the state, he’s college brand” Griffins’ head coach Scotty Dean said. “That kind of baseball game you have to win it 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, you don’t win that game 9-8. I’m proud of the way we competed in spots, and some of our guys did a great job getting the bat head to the ball.”
Lindsay Pierce, just the second batter of the day, lined in a double for the Bulldogs. Beckley, gave himself some run-support when he popped up a sac-fly that brought Pierce around the bases for a run.
Camden put some more distance between the Griffins and the lead, when they put up two runs in the top of the second. Parker David banged out a RBI-triple and Kyle Currie sacrificed himself with a ground-out to bring David in to score.
Parker David was a home-run shy of completing the cycle, and in the process had himself a three-RBI night.
Chris Simmons picked up the Griffins’ first hit with a big triple that nearly made it over the center-field fence, and he scored when Montavious Thompson collected a RBI-single. Thompson’s single would be Fairfield’s last hit until the seventh and final inning.
The Bulldogs added some padding to their lead in the third and fourth. An error cost the Griffins a run in the third, and in the fourth Camden scored two-more runs, after leading off the inning with a pair of doubles.
Again in the fifth, Camden’s red-hot offense struck for another run. Parker David picked up his third-RBI when he knocked in first-baseman William Cobb, after Cobb was walked earlier in the inning.
The sixth inning was the only inning that Camden did not manage to push a run across the plate, but they picked it back up in the seventh. A Griffins’ error allowed Lindsay Pierce to score in the top of the seventh, and that left the Griffins down by seven with just three-outs left to play with.
“I feel like we had a chance if we don’t make little simple mistakes,” Dean said. “On defense, the first ball that they put into play rolled to the fence for a triple and they get a run out of that, and we staring at 1-0 deficit already and good teams you ain’t going to be able to compete like that. We just let our opportunity go.”
Harvey Smith, a pinch hitter, led off the final inning with a double for Fairfield, but Beckley stayed poised and picked up two quick outs. Montavious Thompson picked up his second RBI-single of the game when he knocked Smith in, but Breckley ended the game with a groundout, just two-pitches later.
FCHS:0-0-1-0-0-0-1-2
CH: 1-2-1-2-1-0-1-8
Pitching: FCHS: Antonio Jackson (L), 5IP, 6H, 7R, 6ER, 2BB. Stanley McManus- 2IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 2K, 0BB. CH: Devin Beckley (W), CG, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 10K, 2BB.
Hitting: 1B- Montavious Thompson (2), Travious Williams (FCHS); Nick Butler, Lindsay Pierce, Parker David (CH). 2B- Harvey Smith (FCHS); Lindsay Pierce, William Cobb, Brady White, Parker David (CH). 3B- Chris Simmons (FCHS); Parker David.
LOB: FCHS-6 CH-4
