Eastside baseball outlasts state champ AC Flora in marathon state semifinal battle
The Eastside baseball team hasn’t fared well this season at Falcon Field, but that changed Wednesday.
The Eagles defeated A.C. Flora twice, including 9-6 in the decisive second game, to win the Class 4A Upper State championship. The two-game affair lasted almost seven hours.
Eastside will play Hartsville in the best-of-three state championship series beginning Saturday. It’s the Eagles’ second championship appearance with the other coming in 2019.
“We said yesterday if there was one team who can come down here and win two games, we were the team to do it,” Eastside coach Scott Erwin said. “We felt really good but knew it was going to be tough. They were No. 1 for a reason. … But I couldn’t be more proud of our guys.”
A.C. Flora’s loss was part of a tough night for Midlands baseball teams, five of which had their season end in the state semifinals. Gray Collegiate is the lone area team that advanced to the state championship.
Blythewood, Lexington, Airport and Brookland-Cayce all fell just short of reaching the state championship series. Both Flora and Blythewood began the playoffs as No. 1 teams in their classes.
“It’s just one of those things when tonight wasn’t our night,” A.C. Flora coach Andy Hallett said.
Before Wednesday, Eastside had won just once in five games at Falcon Field this year. The Eagles went 1-2-1 in the Forest Acres Classic in April and then lost 6-5 to the Falcons on Saturday.
But Eastside got a dominating starting performance Wednesday from Brody Fowler and relief from David Marshon to win 7-1 in 11 innings to force a deciding game Wednesday evening.
Fowler and Mershon held Flora to just two hits, and Eastside exploded for seven runs in the top of the 11th. Peter Mershon had a three-run homer in the inning.
Flora’s first two pitchers, Stephen West and Charles Flake, matched Eastside’s arms but the Falcons couldn’t get a key hit late in the game. The Falcons had thr bases loaded and two outs in the eighth when Grayson Fore made a nice play in right field to rob Jake Sears of a potential game-winning hit.
“When Stephen and Charles are both throwing zeroes, I’m anticipating we are going to score a run,” Hallett said. “We are a good offensive team that has had a good year scoring runs. We put six up on (Mavis) Graves on Saturday. But tip your hat to their two kids who stymied what we were doing.”
In the second game, A.C. Flora rallied from a pair of deficits. The Falcons scored three runs in the fourth to tie it at 6-6 as both teams’ pitchers struggled with control.
But David Mershon, a Mississippi State signee, belted a two-run homer in the fifth to give the Eagles an 8-6 lead. Eastside added another run in the sixth to go up 9-6.
A.C. Flora got the tying run on deck in the seventh, but Matthew Connor got the final out of the game that ended at 11:58 p.m.
The Falcons end the season at 23-7. A.C. Flora was looking to repeat as state champions for the first time since winning three in a row from 2012-14.
Game 1
WP: David Mershon. LP: Charles Flake. Hitters: E: Brody Fowler 2-5 2 RBI; Peter Mershon 3-5 HR, 3 RBI.
Game 2
WP: Matthew Connor LP: Carter Harrington Hitters: E: David Mershon 2-3 HR, 3 RBI; Peter Mershon 2-4; Jack Davis 1-3 RBI; Lane Schrader 1-3 RBI. ACF: Jake Sears 1-2 RBI
Wednesday’s Scores
Baseball
Class 5A
Fort Mill 2, Blythewood 1
WP: Mathieu Curtis LP: Davis Wright Hitters: B: Zac Cowan 1-3 RBI. FM: Carter Blankinship 1-2 2 RBI
Berkeley 6, Lexington 0
WP: Greer LP: Cole Long. Hitters: B: Salisbury 2-3 RBI; Legette 2-3 HR, 2 RBI; Barham 2-3.
Class 4A
Hartsville 3, Airport 1
WP: Alexander. LP: John Allen Forrester Hitters: A: Josh Raines 1-3 RBI. H: Jordan 1-2 RBI
Class 3A
Oceanside Collegiate 8, Brookland-Cayce 5
WP: Costa LP: Skylar King Hitters: BC: Skylar King 2-4 2 RBI; Smith 2-2; BJ Etheridge 2-4. OC: Sebuck 2-4; Tyson 1-2 RBI; Jarnagain 2-4 RBI Palmer 1-3 2 RBI; Bowers 1-4 RBI.
Softball
Class 5A
Summerville 9, Chapin 4
LP: Leah Cabe. Hitters: C: Maddie McMillion 1-3 2 RBI
This story was originally published May 19, 2022 at 1:37 AM.
