Oceanside freshman shuts down Mid-Carolina; Gray Collegiate softball wins title opener
Britt Reames didn’t have any reservations about giving freshman pitcher Charlie Becker the start in the opening game of a state championship series.
Becker delivered by tossing six shutout innings as the Oceanside Landsharks defeated Mid-Carolina, 4-0 on Monday at Shipyard Park in Game 1 of the Class 2A championship series.
“He has been a strike-thrower all season. Proud of what he did tonight,” said Reames, the first-year OC head coach. “It was a quality start in game one at home and a must-win game for us. We needed to take care of business at home and give ourselves a chance on the road.”
Game 2 of the best-of-three series is set for Mid-Carolina on Wednesday. Game 3, if necessary, will be at a neutral site on Saturday.
Oceanside will be going for its second straight 2A championship and third straight overall. The Landsharks won the 3A title in 2022.
The Landsharks are moving back up to Class 3A next season.
Becker has been the team’s ace all season as the Landsharks lost a good bit of production from last year’s championship team. The right-hander’s fastball hit in the mid-to-upper 80s and he was able to locate his pitches against the potent Mid-Carolina lineup.
Becker allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out five. No Mid-Carolina runner got past second base in the game.
“I was like be a dog, throw strikes and be better than them,” Becker said on getting the start. “This game was important. If we don’t win this game, then we have to win at their place and then win another game. Winning two games is really hard so this one is really big.”
After the game, Mid-Carolina coach Lindsay Stribble huddled his team out in right field and emphasized that the series was far from over. He also pointed out the big home crowd that will be waiting for them for Wednesday’s second game. It will be the first championship game held at Mid-Carolina since 2007. The Rebels are looking for the first state title since 1991.
The Rebels had a good contingent of fans that made the more than two-hour trip to the Charleston area.
“Our community has been great. We had just as many if not more than they did tonight. They will be out Wednesday for us,” Stribble said. “I told them it was a three-game series for a reason. They got to make the two-hour trip and come to Mid-Carolina.”
Oceanside got things going in the bottom of the fourth as the first three batters reached. Andrew Palmer had a single and there were two walks. Then, Caden Fragola reached after a bunt single to make it 1-0. Charlie Johnson added a sacrifice fly one batter later to make it 2-0.
Jake DeMartino made it 4-0 as he drove in two more in the sixth inning on a bloop single in the swirling wind that landed between MC’s second baseman and right fielder.
Jackson Lanning pitched a scoreless seventh for the Landsharks. It was only the second time Mid-Carolina had been shut out all season. Class 5A Hillcrest shut out the Rebels, 7-0, on March 25.
Blake Mills had two hits to lead the Rebels.
“I felt like we hit some balls today but right people,” Stribble said. “If we stay with our approach and we pitch, play defense. We will have a chance.
“We have done it all year. They will respond. They will come to practice tomorrow. We will get better and get their minds right and be ready to play.”
Class 2A softball
Gray Collegiate 9, Marion 1
Aspen Boulware homered and Peyton Hendrix pitched a complete game as the War Eagles won Game 1 of the Class 2A softball championship series on the road.
Gray will go for its second title in three years at home at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Boulware led Gray with three hits, including an inside-the-park home run in the third to put the War Eagles up 3-1. It was her 19th homer of the season. She finished with three hits and three RBIs.
Shields Greene added two hits. Kaylan Boudreau and Kaley Anderson each had RBIs for Gray.
Hendrix struck out 10, allowed nine hits and one run in the win. The freshman only walked one in the game.
This story was originally published May 20, 2024 at 9:13 PM.
