Ben Lippen baseball gets edge in championship series against Hilton Head Christian
Brian Larsen gave his team a little history lesson Wednesday.
The Ben Lippen baseball coach gathered his team in the outfield following the Falcons’ 5-1 win over Hilton Head Christian in Game 1 of the best-of-three SCISA Class 4A championship series.
Larsen pointed out this wasn’t the first time the Falcons were close to ending their program’s championship streak, which dates back to 2008. He talked about the 2019 team that won the series opener against Hammond only to lose the next two games.
Then there was the 2022 win that forced a deciding game against Laurence Manning, only to lose in Game 3.
Now, Larsen hopes his team can finish the job Thursday at Hilton Head Christian. If the Eagles win Game 2, a deciding game will be Friday in Orangeburg.
“We want to finish it for them (2019), for the 2018 team, for the 2022 team,” Larsen said. “Just a lot of people we are playing for. Not just ourselves but our community and those teams from the past that have just fallen short. We want to get it done for them.”
Catcher Mason O’Cain was a freshman on the 2022 team and remembers the disappointment of losing in the championship game.
“When Coach Larsen mentions how many people have been this close and couldn’t get the job finished. It just makes me want it more,” O’Cain said. “I wouldn’t want to be with any other group of guys fighting for a state championship.”
Ben Lippen is within a game of winning a championship because of another dominant performance from South Korea’s Sean Lee. The right-hander tossed a complete game, allowing one hit while striking out 11.
Lee, a senior, struck out the side in the seventh to end the game. He let his emotions show with a loud yell and threw his hat in the air as his teammates came out of the dugout.
“This was huge,” Lee said of the series-opening win. “My fastball was coming out good today and my first pitch breaking ball, I was throwing for strikes.”
It has been a bounce-back year for Lee, who said he struggled in his first year with the program last year. The senior left his home country four years ago in search of his baseball dream.
Lee landed at IMG Academy in Florida for a season, then at a private school in Pennsylvania before landing at Ben Lippen.
Lee has been the team’s ace and one of the best players in the area this season and it showed again against HHCA. He got into trouble in a few innings and was able to work his way out of it each time.
“He is a special kid and talent,” Larsen said of Lee. “I tell everyone he is a better kid than he is a baseball player. And when he is on, he is on and when he isn’t he is still pretty good. … He just pitched his tail off and I am proud of him.”
The Falcons scored three in the second inning to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Micah Ott, Cash Kubicek and Lee all had RBI singles for the Falcons.
Ben Lippen added two more in the fourth on O’Cain’s two-run single to make it 5-0.
HHCA got on the board in the fifth on a Ben Lippen throwing error.
Slaide Burd had a hit for the Eagles, who dropped to 20-9 on the season. It was HHCA’s first loss in five playoff games.
