Foxes show teeth in first round

The Hartsville varsity baseball team rolled into the state playoffs as a number two seed and number two in the state. They have shown their determination winning both games.

They defeated Wando 10-2 Thursday night at Jimmy White Park and defeated RidgeView 6-5 in a come-from-behind win on Sunday afternoon.

On Thursday, Jordan Lyles took the hill for the Foxes and went the distance. He pitched seven innings giving up two runs on three hits with nine strikeouts and three walks.

Lyles was also 3 for 3 at the plate. Trevor Cassidy helped out at the plate as he went 2 for 3 on the day.

Both teams scored one run in the first, and Wando tacked on another run in the top of the second. Wando’s Drew Cisco pitched well for the first five innings. He struck out four batters in a row between the third and fourth innings.

Cisco couldn’t hold out in the fifth, however. Marshall Diven and Lyles singled, and Cisco walked Cassidy to load the bases. Lee Tyner singled and brought Diven in to tie the game at two apiece. Andrew Turner hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield that scored another Red Fox run, and the Foxes led 3-2 after five.

Wando replaced Cisco, and the Foxes opened the floodgates.

Lyles put down Wando in order in the top of the sixth, and the Foxes’ bats rang up seven more runs in the bottom of the sixth.

The second game was scheduled for Saturday at RidgeView High School, but rain forced the two teams to wait until Sunday afternoon.

The Foxes didn’t start off well in the second game, according to Shumate. RidgeView jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held it until the fifth inning, Shumate said.

Andrew Turner pitched his first game since developing a stress fracture in his leg in the second day of the Southeastern Baseball Classic and went the distance.

According to Shumate, the Foxes managed three runs in the fifth inning on a two out rally that started with a Will Lucas hit. The Foxes managed three runs in the fifth inning to bring the score to 5-3.

Then, in the sixth inning, Cassidy and Tyner notched back-to-back hits, Shumate said. The Foxes managed another run, and then scored on wild pitches to consecutive batters, according to Shumate.

They held on for the 6-5 win.

Shumate laughed when asked about what it means to start the playoffs 2-0. “It’s great,” he said. “That’s how the playoffs are. If you can get 2-0 to start it, it can be really hard for a team to come into your place and beat you twice. It’s really hard to do. Not impossible, but really hard. We are happy to be where we are.”

The coach also commented about the team’s determination in the second game. “Well, like I said earlier in the year, these kids never think they’re out of it. They come back, and a lot of times it’s with two outs. If a team does anything wrong, [Hartsville] finds a way. It’s an attribute that can’t be taught. They get it done. It’s amazing.”

The team will host the winner of the Wando/RidgeView game Tuesday night. The game will be at 5:30 p.m. at Jimmy White Park.