Summerville (Post 21) completed a clean sweep of its South Carolina American Legion Baseball League 1 opponents July 16 to build momentum entering the playoffs.
Summerville defeated Moncks Corner (Post 126) 11-7 to improve to 12-0 in the league. With the win, Summerville earned home-field advantage for the playoffs and will open a best-of-three series against West Columbia (Post 79) at 7 p.m. Monday, July 21 at Pinewood Prep. The series will continue with a game at Brookland Cayce High at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 22. If the teams split those games, a third and deciding game will be hosted by Post 21 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 23.
Bryce Herpolsheimer led Summerville at the plate, going 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs and two runs scored. He reached base four times. Nicholas Pinckney was 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. He reached base three times.
Banks Knight, Cannon Corder and Brayden Mitchum all reached base twice. Corder had an RBI while Knight and Mitchum both scored two runs. Garrett Blankenship, Nathan Clark and Brady Coryell also scored.
Cannon Corder holds down first base for Summerville during its game against Florence.
Brian Shelton pitched three innings for Summerville and only surrendered two earned runs. Coryell threw for two innings and surrendered no hits and no runs while earning the pitching win. Tripp Smith pitched for one-plus inning and surrendered three earned runs. Knight also took the mound and only surrendered one hit and one earned run.
The next evening, a short-handed Summerville team dropped a non-league game 11-5 to Florence (Post 1). With the loss, Summerville dropped to 14-3 on the season. Florence also defeated Summerville in its first game of the season and the Horry Legion team defeated Summerville in its second game.
Summerville took an early 2-0 lead in the rematch with Florence when Finley Taylor drove in a run with a sacrifice and another scored on a Florence error.
The lead didn’t survive Florence’s next turn at bat when the visitors scored five runs on two singles and a pair of doubles.
Knight had a hit in the bottom of the third inning and went on to score on a wild pitch for a 5-3 score. Florence answered by adding a run in the top of the next inning.
Garrett Blankenship had an RBI single in the fifth to plate Knight and cut the lead to 6-4. However, Florence blew the game open in its final turn at bat, scoring four runs off three walks and a homerun.
Summerville only managed one run during the bottom of the seventh. Knight doubled and scored off a single by Corder.