River Bluff baseball eyes title run after winning third straight Forest Acres Classic
River Bluff baseball picked up its third-straight Forest Acres Classic title on Thursday, but there’s another trophy the Gators are eyeing — the state championship.
A state title is the only thing that has eluded the program over the years, and the Gators are picking up steam as they head toward to the playoffs following the 12-2 win over region foe Dutch Fork at the four-day tournament hosted by A.C. Flora.
The Gators have come close to that ultimate prize twice. River Bluff finished runner-up in the 2017 and 2018 seasons but has a talented roster to make another title run.
The Gators’ roster includes a trio of Division I signees or commits in Walker Mitchell (Coastal Carolina), Thomas Powell (South Carolina) and Beau Hollins (South Carolina) plus several other players who are signed to play at the Division II or junior college levels.
“It would mean the world to everyone associated to the program,” Mitchell said of a possible championship. “We just have to keep doing what and play hard.
“Last week, we kind of struggled with our energy and weren’t playing well as a team. This week, we all came together and played so good as a team. The energy was there and we showed up at the ballpark, ready to go.”
The Gators still have some work to do to secure their playoff seeding. River Bluff (5-1 Region 4-5A) leads Lexington (7-2) and holds the tiebreaker over the Wildcats.
The Gators have six region games left beginning Monday with a three-game series against Dutch Fork; they finish up against Chapin. Lexington plays Dutch Fork the following week.
The winner of the region will be in the Upper State bracket, while the runner-up and third-place team will be in the Lower State.
“You know the region we play in,” River Bluff coach Mark Bonnette said. “And it got a little out of hand today, but we know the talent Dutch Fork has. So, it is going to be a battle for us no doubt.”
Walker, a Coastal Carolina signee, was 2-for-4 against the Silver Foxes and took home MVP honors for the tournament. He becomes the third different River Bluff player to win the award in the last three seasons, joining Zach Cowart and Hollins.
Mitchell went 6-for-15 with four RBIs in the tournament. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Powell and Matthew Garris.
Francis Marion signee Weston Grant put a solid week together, picking up the win against Dutch Fork and going 2-for-2 with a homer and three RBIs. Grant hit two homers in the tournament.
Myles Proffitt also had a three-run homer against the Silver Foxes, who advanced to the championship by knocking off tournament host A.C. Flora. Six different Gator players had at least one RBI.
Landon Kahl had a solo homer for Dutch Fork. The Silver Foxes’ Kevin Samonsky and Ethan Offing were named to the all-tournament team.
SC Diamond Invitational
Lexington and Blythewood had a pair of comeback wins Friday to advance to Saturday night’s championship game.
Lexington came back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Class 2A No. 1 team Oceanside Collegiate, 6-3.. Brayden Jeffcoat had a homer and drove in three in the game.
Blythewood trailed 4-0 and then 7-6 before scoring 11 runs in its final two at-bats to defeat Dorman, 17-7. Senior Camden Watts homered and drove in six runs for the Bengals, who were going for their third straight tournament title.
Palmetto Cup
The Gators baseball team wasn’t the only River Bluff team to win a tournament title. The River Bluff boys soccer team defeated host Gray Collegiate, 4-0, at the Nike Palmetto Cup at Saluda Shoals Park.
With the victory, River Bluff won the tournament’s Palmetto Division championship. The Gators went 3-0 on the week, outsourcing their opponents, 24-1.
The River Bluff and Gray Collegiate match featured a meeting between two of the state’s all-time winningest coaches in the Gators Phil Savitz and War Eagles’ Kevin Heise, who have combined for more than 1,300 victories.
JJ Burns had a goal an assist and was named Palmetto Division MVP.
Pinewood Prep boys won the Crescent Division championship with a 4-3 win over Blythewood.
Norman North (Oklahoma) won the girls championship with a 3-2 win over Pinewood Prep.
Scoreboard
Baseball
Forest Acres Classic
Miller (Va.) 10, Dreher 7
WP: Townsend LP: Luke Bradley Hitters: Caleb Gipson 2-3 2 RBI; Isaiah McPherson 2-3 RBI; Sheldon Coffman 2-3; Jacob Muir 1-2 3 RBI
AC Flora 7, St. John’s (Md.) 3
WP: Ryan Harrelson Hitters: ACF: Tyler Hernandez 1-2 3 RBI; Cooper Revels 1-3 3 RBI; Rence Best 1-2 RBI
Airport 5, Hammond 0
WP: Miller Harrelson. LP: William Hudson Hitters: A: Corbin Wright 3-3 RBI; Josh Raines 2-2 RBI; Brice Gillette 2-2 RBI;
River Bluff 12, Dutch Fork 2 (6)
WP: Weston Grant LP: Tyler Hodges Hitters: RB: Walker Mitchell 2-4; Colby Reynolds 1-3 RBI; Weston Grant 2-2 HR, 3 RBI; Wyatt McPherson 1-2 RBI; Logan Busbee 1-2 2 RBI; Myles Proffitt 1-2 HR, 2 RBI
SC Diamond Invitational
Thursday
Oceanside Collegiate 4, TL Hanna 0
Dorman 2, Chapin 1 (8)
Lexington 3, Berkeley 1
Blythewood 2, Boiling Springs 1
Friday
Berkeley 6, TL Hanna 0
Chapin 1, Boiling Springs 0
WP: Vince Santostefano LP: Sewell Hitters: BS: Compton 2-3. C: Vince Santostefano 1-3 RBI; Maddox Floyd 2-3
Blythewood 17, Dorman 7 (6)
WP: Xavier Cuevas Hitters: B: Landon Penfileld 2-5 2 RBI; Alex Myers 2-4 2 RBI; Camden Watts 3-5 HR, 6 RBI; Macon Leppart 1-3 RBI; Carson Weathers 3-4; Harrison Collins 1-1 RBI; Luke Duncan 1-1 2 RBI; Xavier Cuevas 1-4 2 RBI
Lexington 6, Oceanside Collegiate 3
WP: Zach Miller LP: Jarnigan SV: Cam Sutton Hitters: L: Will Burgess 2-3; Brayden Jeffcoat 1-3 HR, 3 RBI. OC: Jackson Sobel 1-4 2 RBI; Sullivan 3-3; Palmer 2-3
Saturday
Boiling Springs vs. Berkeley, 10 a.m.
Dorman vs. TL Hanna, 12:30 p.m..
Chapin vs. Oceanside Collegiate, 3 p.m.
Blythewood vs. Lexington, 5:30 p.m.
Mingo Bay Tournament
At Myrtle Beach
Gray Collegiate 11, Archbishop Malloy (NY) 0
WP: Austin Lloyd GC: Landon Turner 1-1 2 RBI; London Spires 2-2 2 RBI
Lugoff-Elgin 11, Pikeview 0
Soccer
Nike Palmetto Cup
At Saluda Shoals
Girls
Thursday
Norman North (Okla.) 3, Pinewood Prep 2
Gray Collegiate 2, North Augusta 2
Boys
Thursday
Pinewood Prep 4, Blythewood 3
Bluffton 7, South Florence 0
Summerville 3, Lugoff-Elgin 0
River Bluff 4, Gray Collegiate 0
This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 7:55 PM.
