GREER – Westwood began the 2018 4A State Baseball Playoffs with a 3-0 loss to Airport High, and that set the Redhawks up for an elimination road game Friday against the Greer Yellow Jackets. The two teams stuck close to each other throughout the game, but Greer plated one in the bottom of seventh to end Westwood’s playoff run with a 4-5 loss.
The Yellow Jackets scored the game’s first run in the bottom of second after Chaz Bellinger smacked a line-drive to left field to score Andrew Scudder. Westwood’s rebuttal in the top of the third left them with a 2-1 lead.
Matthew Oxendine singled on a perfectly executed squeeze bunt to plate the Redhawks first run of the game. Edwin Olmeda broke the tie with a sacrifice fly that scored Coby Buck from third.
Greer knotted the game back up at 2-2 in the bottom of the third. Yellow Jacket Josh Fenton tied the game with a sacrifice fly of his own and then the scoring ceased until the bottom of the sixth.
Ben Thornton put Greer up in a big way courtesy of a two-run homer blasted over the left field fence. The seventh inning gave Westwood one more chance to stay alive.
The Redhawks led off the inning with a strikeout, but followed it up with three consecutive singles. Then, with two outs, the Yellow Jackets fumbled the ball at first base, allowing Jalen Jackson and Coby Buck to score and tie the game at 4-4.
Westwood could not plate another run and took the field for the bottom of the seventh. Greer’s leadoff batter, Scudder, grounded out to start the inning, but the next batter, John Hannah, singled. The Redhawks walked Bellinger, and Alex Lopez followed with a line-drive single to load the bases.
A passed ball during the next at bat opened up the space for Hannah’s courtesy runner, Matthew Huff, to score the game winning run.
WHS:0-0-2-0-0-2-X- 4
GHS:0-1-1-0-0-2-1 – 5
Pitching: WHS- Ethan Barton (L), 5.2IP, 7H, 4R, 3ER, 2K, 4BB. John Janco, 0.2IP, 2H, 1R, 0ER, 1BB GHS – Josh Fenton (W), CG, 8H, 4R, 2ER, 5K, 1BB.
Hitting: 1B – Matthew Oxendine (2), Brandon Anderson, Elijah Heatley, Coby Buck (WHS). Chaz Bellinger, Alex Lopez, Will Pitts, Ben Thornton (GHS). 2B – Matthew Oxendine, Bryant Williams (WHS). Will Pitts, Andrew Scudder (GHS). HR – Ben Thornton (GHS).
