Summerville beats Lexington in high school baseball invite final

Alex Hursey pitched a complete game, and Summerville backed him with 18 hits as the Green Wave rolled over Lexington, 12-2, in the championship game of the South Carolina Diamond Invitational on Saturday at Blythewood.

“It was good for our kids to come out here and just play probably our most complete game of the year,” Summerville coach Banks Faulkner said, “against a team that we have a lot of respect for.

“They were coming in really hot, and we knew it was going to be a game we had to play well, and we probably just played our best game of the year.”

Faulkner was an assistant with the Wildcats when Lexington won the Diamond Invitational in 2012.

The Wildcats (7-7) went 3-1 in the tournament.

Lexington coach Brian Hucks said the invite was a great experience for his young team.

“We were 3-6 coming into this tournament, and then we went on a stretch where we won four games in a row, counting the North Augusta win,” Hucks said. “That’s a big momentum boost for this team going into the final region rush.”

“We’re in a good spot right now,” Hucks said. “I like where this team is going, the direction it’s going in. We’ll let this game sit on us and it will motivate us and it will keep us hungry.”

Lexington opened the game by striking out Summerville’s leadoff hitter, but the Green Wave rolled from there.

Lefty Brock Tobin doubled to right-center to put pressure on Lexington’s defense early.

Charlie Fessler’s pop up single moved Tobin to third, and Wilson Beattie singled Tobin home. The Green Wave scored again before Lexington could escape.

In the bottom of the inning, Lexington’s Brice Kirven hit an infield single, designated hitter Trey Watts doubled to right-center, scoring Kirven, but Watts was thrown out trying for third.

Lexington’s 2-1 hole turned into a trench in the second as three hits and three walks helped the Green Wave score three.

But Brock Tobin’s grounder over third base in the third brought in two more Green Wave runs.

The Wildcats’ defense held off Summerville in the fourth, giving up one hit with Braxton Ashley on the mound.

Lexington did not put up its second run until the fifth inning. Justin Bowers hit a lead-off double, reached third on a sacrifice fly and went home on a fly from Michael Smoak.

But Summerville added four more runs in the seventh.

“It was just sort of our night,” Faulkner said, “but that’s a team (Lexington) that’s going to be there in the end when it counts.”

“Hopefully,” Hucks said, “we’ll keep improving with our young guys and, hopefully, we’ll be there at the end and see them again.”

This story was originally published April 4, 2015 at 11:29 PM with the headline "Summerville beats Lexington in high school baseball invite final."