BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood baseball team (14-3, 8-2 Region 5-5A), hurting from a 4-1 loss April 8, found themselves down 6-1 to the Gamecocks late in their game Thursday night.
Not wanting to go into Spring Break with a 2-game losing streak, the Bengals picked up two runs in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 6-3. They scored two more in the bottom of the seventh, but Sumter relief pitcher Morgan Love shut the door on the rally and Blythewood went down with a 6-5 loss.
“We need to play better. We’re not playing well in any facets of the game,” head coach Travis Poole said. “Not taking nothing away from Sumter, they’re a good team, but we’re just not very good right now.”
Sumter starting pitcher Cory Bailey pitched five innings, scattering eight hits and giving up three earned runs, two of which came in the fifth inning.
In that frame Sammy Franklin opened it with a bunt single, Macon Leppert drew a walk, and Porter Rummel’s sacrifice fly brought Franklin to third and Leppert’s courtesy runner, Caleb Blackwell to second.
Franklin scored on Alex Myers single, which moved Blackwell to third, but as Jackson Bottar batted, a double steal attempt resulted in Blackwell stealing home, but Myers getting caught stealing second base. Bottar struck out to end the inning with Sumter leading 6-3.
With Morgan Love on the mound since the start of the sixth inning, Sumter kept its 6-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh.
Blythewood looked to walk off with a win. Leppert led off the inning with a hard-hit single to left, but Rummel struck out and Myers grounded out. Blackwell, back on base as a courtesy runner, took second on the groundout, and made it to third base when Bottar legged out an infield single.
Sumter got the bases loaded when Amare Counts was intentionally walked, and Sergio Melendez drove a line-drive single into leftfield that was strong enough to score Blackwell and Bottar and cut the Gamecocks’ lead to 6-5.
That’s as far as Blythewood could get. Chance Johnson ended the game on a fielder’s choice, with Melendez forced out going for second base.
With the South Carolina Diamond Invitational Tournament cancelled this year, the Bengals are in Charleston taking part in the Hanahan Invitational Tournament (HIT) this week, a 48-team multi-site tournament. Monday afternoon the Bengals beat Oakton 12-2 in six innings.
Blythewood returns to the regular season playing host to Ridge View April 22.
Sumter – 0-0-3-3-0-0-0 – 6, 8, 0
Blythewood – 0-1-0-0-2-0-2 – 5, 12, 2
WP: Corey Bailey 5 IP, 8H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 3K.
S – Morgan Love 2-3, HR, 3 RBI. Marion Davis 2-4. Larry Johnson 2B. Cory Bailey 2 RBI. B – Alex Myers 2-4, Jackson Bottar 2-4, Sergio Melendez 2-3, 3 RBI. Sammy Franklin 2-3.
Oakton – 0-0-1-1-0-0 – 2, 2, 1
Blythewood – 0-0-0-1-0-11 – 12, 10, 0
WP: Chase Rollings 1 IP, 1BB.
O – Beau Souders 3B, Jack Greene 2B. B – Amare Counts 3-4, HR, 4 RBI. Macon Leppert HR, 4 RBI. Alex Myers 3-4, 2B. Jackson Bottar 2-4.
BLYTHEWOOD – 0-1-0-5-1-1-0 – 8-10-1
BERKELEY – 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 – 0, 0, 0
WP: J Collins 5 IP, 1H, 0R, 3BB, 8K
Ber – D Hogue 1-4. B Heath 1-3. Bly – M Leppert 1-4, 2 RBI. A Myers 2-4, RBI. J Bottar 1-5, RBI. S Melendez 2-5, 2 RBI. Z Hardy 1-2. P Rummel 2-4. S Franklin 1-3.
