Pioneers Win Series With Sunday Split

Spartanburg, SC – SMC split a doubleheader with Louisburg College on Sunday to clinch the four-game Region X series. The Pioneers (32-11, 12-6 in Region X) dropped the first game, 5-4, before bouncing back with a 13-3 win in the nightcap.

In the first game, Louisburg got off to an early lead and the Pioneers rallied late to tie it on Reggie Weatherford's (Lake City HS) home run, but a two-out single in the seventh plated the go-ahead run for the visitors and proved to be the difference in the game.

Both teams got on the board in the second inning. Louisburg sparked things with a leadoff double down the left field line off starter Greg Harrison (Hilton Head HS). A pitch in the dirt advanced the runner to third, and a single through the middle scored him with the game's first run. A base hit to right followed by a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with just one out. Another single to center plated both runners to up the score to 3-0 before a pair of flyouts ended the Louisburg surge.

SMC answered in the bottom of the frame, as Ben Boykin (Nations Ford HS) split the gap for a leadoff double and Weatherford drove him home one out later on a line drive single to left.

Right-hander Dylan Griffith (Barnwell HS) relieved Harrison in the third and threw two scoreless innings before surrendering a run in the fifth. A leadoff walk followed by a bunt single put the Hurricanes in business, but when Griffith struck out the next batter and then induced a soft groundout to third, it looked like the Pioneers may get out of the inning unscathed. But a two-out hit through the left side of the infield plated an LC run to make it a 4-1 game. Left fielder Parker Hudson (Mauldin HS) saved another run on the play with his throw to the plate, cutting down the runner trying to score from second and ending the Hurricane half-inning.

The Pioneers put together a big inning in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs to tie it at 4. Luke Tollison (Laurens Academy) stroked a one-out double to left center, and Boykin singled him home with a hit to right. One out later, Weatherford drilled the first pitch he saw over the right field fence for a game tying home run.

But Louisburg fought back and regained the momentum in the seventh, getting a leadoff single off reliever Logan Pemberton (Lewisville HS). Ronnie Kleinbach (Batavia, NY HS) got the call from the bullpen and got a pair of quick outs via a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout. But Louisburg got another clutch two-out hit, grounding one through the middle to score the go ahead run.

SMC was unable to rally in the bottom half of the inning, as the Hurricanes' starter wrapped up his complete game victory with a strikeout and two groundouts. Pemberton got his first loss of the year, pitching 2/3 of an inning, surrendering one hit and being charged with one earned run.  

Weatherford (2-3, HR, 3 RBI), Boykin (2-3, 2B, RBI), and Seth Neely (Rock Hill HS) (2-4) led the Pioneer offense.

In game two, the Pioneers scored in every inning, including a four-run second and a six-run fourth, to pull away to a 13-3 win in five innings. 

Louisburg took an early lead for the third straight game, plating a first-inning run on a two-out, RBI single off SMC starter Corey Rhoney (East Burke, NC HS).

SMC got that run back in the bottom of the frame, as Travis Burnside (Laurens HS) tripled to right-center and scored on a sacrifice fly by Weatherford. The Pioneers threatened to do more damage, loading the bases on three walks, but a soft groundout ended the inning with the bases full.   

The Pioneers picked up where they left off in the bottom of the second, as Champ Rowland reached on an error and Burnside made it hurt with his seventh home run of the season, a long two-run shot to left. Weatherford lined a base hit to center, but was forced out on Tyler Jackson's (Robert E. Lee Academy) ground ball to the right side for the second out. But Tollison extended the inning with another sharp single to center, and Boykin drew a full-count walk to load the bases for Neely, who drilled a base hit to left, chasing home two runs and expanding the SMC lead to 5-1 before a groundout ended the frame.

Rhoney kept the Hurricanes off the board again in the third, and SMC tacked on another run on Champ Rowland's (Wade Hampton HS) solo homer to left.

Louisburg scratched for a pair of runs in the fourth to get themselves back in the game. The visitors capitalized on a leadoff walk with a run-scoring double and, one out later, drove home another run with a base hit up the middle, narrowing the gap to 6-3.

But the Pioneers answered that immediately with a huge bottom half to pull away again. Boykin singled through the middle with one out, and Neely dumped a base hit into shallow center. Hudson grounded a single through the right side of the infield, and the Hurricanes helped keep the inning going with an error on Dacen Cash's (Stephens Co., GA HS) groundball to third. Two runs scored on the play, and Cash and Hudson both moved up into scoring position. Rowland chased them both home with a single to center, then scored himself when Burnside tripled over the center fielder's head. Weatherford stayed locked in, plating Burnside with his fifth hit of the day and making it a 12-3 game before Louisburg finally closed out the inning.

Justin Lykins (Hickory, NC) came on in relief of Rhoney and pitched a scoreless fifth, and Rowland's bases loaded single in the bottom of the frame ended the game early via the mercy rule.

Rhoney (2-3) went four innings for the win, four hits and three earned runs. He walked two and struck out two.     

Weatherford (3-3, 2 RBI), Burnside (3-4, 2 3B, HR, 3 RBI), Neely (3-3, 2 RBI), and Rowland (3-4, HR, 4 RBI) all had big games for the offense to lead a 16-hit attack.

The Pioneers will be back in action on Thursday in Gaffney vs. Limestone (JV) with a double-header starting at 1 pm before hosting Guilford Tech on the weekend.  

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The College is in its 100th academic year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.
 
For more information please contact athletic director Mark Perdue at (864) 587-4237.