Blythewood rallies in final at-bat to win district baseball title
The Blythewood baseball team is moving on in the playoffs, and they did it the hard way.
Down to their final three outs, the Bengals scored four runs in the top of the seventh to defeat Riverside 5-2 Monday to win the Class 5A District IV championship.
Blythewood, ranked No. 4 in the latest S.C. Baseball Coaches poll, will host Fort Mill in the first round of the Upper State playoffs beginning Thursday.
“We got some tough kids and none of us were ready for our season to end,” Blythewood coach Banks Faulkner said. “Six weeks ago, I questioned this team’s toughness in a closed-door meeting. Since then they have been unbelievable. We competed all day. We tried to tell them, if you play the game right, it usually works itself out. And we were able to get things to go our way.”
It’s Blythewood’s first district title since 2013.
“I’m excited for these kids. They have bought in the last three years since I got here,” Faulkner said. “Our goal coming in this year was to put this program on the map. This has been a proud program that had a little of a hiatus. I think this program is back and it is credit to them. The kids kept believing, listening and being coachable.”
No. 6 Riverside forced the deciding game following a 5-3 win earlier Monday behind a complete-game effort from Clemson commit Caden Grice. In the second game, the Warriors took a 2-1 lead to the top of the seventh.
But Blythewood had its top of the order up in the seventh and the first two batters, Zach Bailes and Landon Lucas, singled to start the inning. John Lanier was then hit by a pitch to load bases, and Jansen Stokes walked to tie the game at 2-2.
Nate Hinson hit a chopper to short and Lucas beat the throw home to put the Bengals up 3-2. Brady Beasley followed with a two-run single to give Blythewood a 5-2 lead. Beasley had four hits in the two games, going 3-for-3 in the deciding game.
“These seniors have worked so hard, and everyone has worked so hard. We didn’t want it to be the last inning of baseball we ever played,” said Beasley, a junior outfielder. “We took it to another level and played real hard to finish it out.”
Josh Cowan came in for the seventh and retired the side in order for the save. Lanier got the win, allowing one earned run on five hits while striking out five and walking none.
Lanier also hit a two-run homer in the first game.
Game 1: Riverside 5, Blythewood 3
WP: Caden Grice LP: Davis Wright Hitters: R: Belanger 1-4 HR, 2 RBI; Shaw 2-4; Grice 1-2 2 RBI. B: John Lanier 2-4 HR, 2 RBI.
Game 2: Blythewood 5, Riverside 2
WP: John Lanier SV: Josh Cowan Hitters: Landon Lucas 2-4; Brady Beasley 3-3 2 RBI
This story was originally published April 29, 2019 at 11:47 PM.