WINNSBORO — For three games, top-seeded Richard Winn Academy and Marlboro Academy traded punches in a slugfest of a semifinal series. But in Friday’s winner-take-all finale, it was Malboro’s aggressive baserunning and a five-run fifth inning that finally ended the Eagles’ quest for a state title.
Marlboro rallied from a four-run deficit to defeat Richard Winn 11-6, claiming the best-of-three SCISA 1A series 2-1 and advancing to face W.W. King Academy for the state championship.
The finale followed a week of back-and-forth drama. The Eagles (10-9) dropped a home opener on Monday in an eight-inning, 5-4 heartbreaker. Despite Johnathan Bonds racking up 11 strikeouts and Bennett Nicholson going 3-for-4, the Dragons stole the win with a rare “immaculate inning”—striking out the side on nine pitches—in the bottom of the eighth.
Facing elimination on Tuesday, the Eagles displayed grit with a 9-4 road victory in Bennettsville. Walker Blackwelder anchored that win with a seven-strikeout complete game, while Hoffman Sharpe provided the spark with a two-run triple.
That resilience seemed to carry over into Friday’s Game 3 back in Winnsboro. The Eagles surged to a 3-0 lead in the first inning after Blackwelder grounded out, Bonds singled, and Patrick lofted a sacrifice fly. They extended the cushion to 5-1 in the second behind a Bennett Nicholson RBI single. Nicholson finished the day 2-for-3 with a double, continuing a standout series where he went 7-for-11 at the plate across the three games.
However, the Dragons’ speed soon took over. Marlboro harassed the Eagles’ defense all night, stealing a staggering 18 bases. That pressure reached a boiling point in the top of the fifth. Trailing 5-2, the Dragons exploded for five runs on six hits, aided by an Eagles error, to seize a 7-5 lead they would never relinquish.
Landon Edge, who also earned the save in Monday’s opener, was the difference-maker on the mound for the Dragons. Entering in relief, Edge shut down the Richard Winn offense, allowing just one hit and one unearned run over four innings while striking out seven.
The Eagles attempted to claw back, led by another 2-for-3 effort from Dylan Albert, but Marlboro added four insurance runs over the final two frames to seal the series win.
Mason Patrick and Dylan Albert split time on the mound. Patrick threw 4.1 innings, allowing 6 hits, and 5 runs (3 earned). He walked two and struck out six. In relief, Albert stuck out one and allowed 7 hits and six runs. He walked two.
While the season ends in the semifinals, the Eagles finished with a 10-9 record
MA – 0-1-1-0-5-1-3 — 11-13-4
RW – 3-2-0-0-0-1-0 — 6-5-2
WP: Landon Edge.
RW: Bennett Nicholson 2-3, 2B; Dylan Albert 2-3; Johnathan Bonds 1-4, RBI.