By Thomas Grant Jr.
The Blythewood baseball team won 24 games, claimed the Region 5-5A title and finished the regular season ranked second in the S.C. Baseball Coaches Association Class 5A poll.
Their quest for a trip back to the state finals ended last week at the hands of last year’s champion Lexington. The Wildcats swept the Best-of-Three Upper State final series and was scheduled Tuesday to visit James Island for Game One of the final series.
Game One was a 4-3 loss at home for Blythewood. It fell behind 2-0 in the first after an RBI fielder’s choice by Christian Spivey and the first of three home runs in the Upper State final by Brandon Cromer.
The University of South Carolina signee, who’s scheduled to have Tommy John surgery at the end of the season, went 5-5 with eight RBI in the two games.
Blythewood tied the game in the Bottom 1st on an RBI single by Jackson Bolter and fielder’s choice by Sergio Melendez. A home run by Graham Coleman regained the lead for Lexington in the second inning and Cromer had an RBI double in the third inning to make it 4-2.
The Bengals loaded the bases in the Bottom 5th. They only managed a run on a sacrifice fly by Alex Myers.
Blythewood stranded a baserunner in the final two innings to fall short in Game One.
In Game Two, Jackson Bottar’s RBI fielder’s choice gave the Bengals a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Cromer once again had the hot bat for the Wildcats with a game-tying RBI double off S.C. Baseball Coaches Association Class 5A Pitcher of the Year Johnny Collins.
Cromer, who along with teammates Spivey and pitcher Reider Carlson were also All-State selections, later scored on an RBI single by Grant Kissner to put Lexington on top.
The first of two monstrous home runs by Amare Counts tied the game in the fourth inning. After a two-out single by Spivey, Cromer answered with a 2-run homer over the centerfield wall.
Lexington’s bats erupted in the next inning. Despite Cromer taking an intentional walk, It scored seven runs off five hits to go up 11-2.
Counts struck again in the Top 6th with a solo home run. It was the final score of the season for Blythewood (24-7).
Cromer closed out the series in the sixth with a 3-run homer to enforce the 10-run rule in the 15-3 victory.
“I thought they had a tremendous year,” Blythewood head coach Travis Poole said. “A lot of people didn’t think we’d be where we’re at based on the year. They worked hard all season, all off-season to be here and all this year and I appreciate everything.”
The Bengals’ Macon Leppert was also selected to the All-State team. Blythewood’s Rhames Weisinger was the lone Northeast player selected to the S.C. Coaches Association of Women’s Sports All-State softball Class 5A team.
(Photos by Thomas Grant Jr.)
