WINNSBORO/SUMMERTON – Richard Winn baseball looked to have a challenge on their hands in the first of a three-game playoff series against Clarendon Hall on Monday. The Eagle offense soared in the bottom of the fifth, plating six runs to put the 10-3 win out of reach for the Saints.
Zack Taylor improved his season record on the mound to 7-0 with Monday’s win. | Martha Ladd
Eagle ace Zack Taylor took the win for the Eagles. Taylor faced 28 batters in six innings of work, allowing only four hits and one run.
Clarendon Hall made the initial strike in the first inning when Jordan Boyd got on with a leadoff walk. The Saints followed with a single and loaded the bases with no outs on an Eagle fielding error. Taylor walked the fourth batter, scoring Boyd. The Eagles managed to get out of the inning without more damage, compliments of a fielder’s choice out at home and a 4-6-3 double play.
Richard Winn took the lead back in the bottom of the frame. Luke Martin led off the inning with a walk, and Dru Caldwell followed suit. Brandon Miller loaded the bases with a groundball single to short. The Eagles looked to strand their baserunners when Taylor flew out and Cameron Bass hit into a fielder’s choice, but a line-drive double to center by Austin Lancaster scored Caldwell and Miller.
The Eagles held Clarendon scoreless in the second. Wade plated the only run of the second with a lead-off homer to left field. Richard Winn took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth when Caldwell scored on a Taylor groundout to third.
A big fifth inning plated six runs for the Eagles. Jimmy McKeown led off the inning with a double to left and advanced to third on a single from Wade. Will Carvalho knocked an RBI single to left. Martin followed with a double to center that scored Wade and Carvalho. Martin scored on a line-drive single to right from Miller, who advanced to second when Taylor drew a walk. Miller advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a catcher error. Bass followed with an RBI single to center before the Eagles ended the inning up 10-1.
Clarendon Hall tried to rally in the top of the seventh as Caldwell took the mound to relieve Taylor, but only managed two runs as the Eagles clinched the 10-3 win.
Game two of the series had a different ending for the Eagles on Tuesday night in Summerton. Despite outhitting the Clarendon Hall, Richard Winn found itself at the wrong end of a 4-3 loss.
The Eagles looked to repeat as they took a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Saints responded in the bottom of the frame with three runs of their own.
The Eagles knotted the score at three in the second after an RBI single from Dru Caldwell, but the Eagles were remained scoreless after a pitching change for Clarendon Hall in the top of the third.
Still tied at three after seven innings, Clarendon mounted a rally in the bottom of the eighth. This time, a walk-off score on an Eagle fielding error put the W in the Saints’ hands.
Brandon Miller and Cameron Bass led the Eagle offensive efforts with two hits each. Bass picked up two RBIs on a single in the first and doubled in the top of the eighth. Caldwell notched the other Eagle RBI.
Hudson Wade took the loss on the mound for the Eagles. Wade pitched 7.2 innings, allowing only 4 runs on three hits. He struck out three and walked three.
With the series tied, the Eagles will host Clarendon Hall for an elimination game Thursday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
MONDAY: Richard Winn 10, Clarendon Hall 3
CHA – 1-0-0-0-0-0-0-2 – 3, 6, 2
RWA – 2-1-0-1-6-0-X-10, 15, 3
HITTING: 1B: Martin(3), Caldwell, Miller(3), Bass, Wade, Carvalho. 2B: Lancaster, Martin, McKeown. 3B: Carvalho. HR: Wade. RBIs: Lancaster(2), Bass, Carvalho, Martin(2), Miller, Taylor, Wade.
PITCHING: Taylor (WP): 6.0 IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 6K, 4BB. Caldwell: 1.0 IP, 2H, 2R, 0ER, 0K, 0BB.
TUESDAY: Richard Winn 3, Clarendon Hall 4
RWA – 2-1-0-0-0-0-0-0 – 3, 6, 2
CHA – 3-0-0-0-0-0-0-1 – 4, 3, 2
HITTING: RWA – 1B: Caldwell, Miller(2), Bass, Wade. 2B: Bass. RBIs: Caldwell, Bass(2).
PITCHING: Wade (LP): 7.2 IP, 3H, 4R, 1ER, 3K, 1BB.