The only unbeaten team left in the 2021 South Carolina Dixie Youth Minors Baseball tournament hails from the Lowco.
Bluffton American’s All-Stars rolled past Gregg Park 10-0 in a weather-interrupted game on Monday and Tuesday before holding off Moncks Corner 8-7 in a nightcap thriller Tuesday to move into the tourney’s driver’s seat at Timken Sports Complex in Union.
YOUTH BASEBALL COVERAGE SOPNSORED BY
After a scoreless first inning against Gregg Park, Bluffton American pounced for four runs in the second to take control of the contest. With two runners on and one out, Noah Sepulveda cranked an 0-1 pitch to center field and raced around the bases to complete an inside-the-park home run. A two-out rally capped off by a Finn Boyles walk tacked on another to extend the lead to 4-0.
Just as Gregg Park began to put some pressure on the Lowco squad with two on and no outs in the third, a severe thunderstorm forced the contest’s suspension. With the game’s momentum in the balance as the teams retook the field on Tuesday afternoon, Nicholas Carpenter walked his first hitter to load the bases, but second baseman Caleb Malphrus got him out of the jam with two stellar plays, cutting down a runner at the plate before starting a double play to end the inning and keep Gregg Park off the scoreboard.
Bluffton American’s offense then picked up right where it left off the previous night, scoring six unanswered runs including a Henry Numssen game-clinching single in the bottom of the fifth to score Malphrus and finish off the 10-0 run-rule shutout.
Boyles excelled on the mound in the opening 2 2/3 innings on Monday night, allowing just one hit while retiring seven of eight batters on strikes. The stellar arm gave way to Carpenter on Tuesday afternoon, surrendering only two hits and a walk with a pair of strikeouts. Numssen was clutch at the dish, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs and the game-ending knock up the middle. Nic Farrugia went an impressive 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, Austin Broene finished 2-for-3 while driving in a run, and Sepulveda added a trio of RBIs on an inside-the-park homer.
Just a few hours later, the Bluffton side returned to the field for a battle with Moncks Corner, the only other unbeaten team remaining. Numssen continued his stellar day at the plate from the jump, doubling in Carpenter on a sharp line drive to give his team a 1-0 first-inning lead. Farrugia kept the slim margin intact over the first four frames on the hill, allowing just one hit in a dazzling outing.
It looked like Bluffton American delivered the final blow in the fifth inning, sending five runs across the plate to stretch the lead to 6-0. Boyles came through in the clutch, ripping a fly ball with the bases loaded and two outs to drive in a pair before Farrugia helped his own cause with an RBI-single to extend the advantage.
But Moncks Corner’s All-Stars never counted themselves out. The home side struck back for five runs of its own on four walks, a hit by pitch, and a double to trim the lead to just a single run at 6-5. Bluffton American found some much-needed insurance in the top of the sixth thanks to a Broene single and a fielding error setting up a pair of passed balls as two runs scored to make it 8-5.
After a leadoff groundout started the bottom of the sixth, Moncks Corner began mounting its final comeback bid. A single and a walk put two on base before a ground-rule double to center field sent a run home and the tying run to second with one out. But Bluffton American’s Zack Szypzcak was ready for the moment. After a ground ball to first advanced the equalizing run to third base and cut the lead to one, Szypzcak snared a grounder back to the mound and tossed it to first base to survive and hand Moncks Corner its first loss of the tournament.
Farrugia notched the victory in an impressive performance, giving up just one hit in four innings while striking out four batters. In the biggest of high-leverage situations, Szypzcak got the job done, retiring the last two hitters on just three pitches to hold off the comeback effort.
Boyles starred from the leadoff spot, going 3-for-3 while driving in two runs. Malphrus was 2-for-3 in the thrilling victory, and both Farrugia and Numssen tallied an RBI each.
Bluffton American will look to stay undefeated and advance to the championship game Wednesday in a matchup with Midland at 7:30 p.m.
By Wes Kerr
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