Eastside baseball outlasts state champ AC Flora in marathon state semifinal battle
The Eastside baseball team hasn’t fared well this season at Falcon Field, but that changed Wednesday.
The Eagles defeated AC Flora twice, including 9-6 In a deciding game to win the Class 4A Upper State championship that lasted almost seven hours.
Eastside will play Hartsville in the best-of-three championship series beginning Saturday. It is the Eagles’ second championship appearance with the other coming in 2019.
“We said yesterday if there was one team who can come down here and win 2 games we were the team to do it,” Eastside coach Scott Erwin said. “We felt really good but knew it was going to be tough. They were No. 1 for a reason. … But I couldn’t be more proud of our guys.”
AC Flora’s loss was part of a tough night for Midlands baseball teams, five of which had their season end in the state semifinal. Gray Collegiate is the lone area team who advanced to the state championship. Blythewood, Lexington, Airport and Brookland-Cayce.
Both Flora and Blythewood began the playoffs as No. 1 teams in their classes.
Before Wednesday, Eastside won just once in five games at Falcon Field this year. The Eagles went 1-2-1 in the Forest Acres Classic in April and then lost 6-5 to the Falcons on Saturday.
But Eastside got a dominating starting performance from Brody Fowler and relief from David Marshon to win 7-1 in 11 innings and force a deciding game earlier Wednesday evening.
Fowler and Marshon held Flora to just two hits and Eastside exploded for seven runs in the top of the 11th. Peter Marshon had a three-run homer in the inning.
Flora’s first two pitchers, Stephen West and Charles Flake matched Eastside’s arms but Falcons’ couldn’t get a key hit late in the game. The Falcons had bases loaded and two outs in the eighth but Grayson Fore made a nice play in right field to rob Jake Sears of a potential game-winning hit.
“When Stephen and Charles are both throwing zeroes, I’m anticipating we are going to score a run,” AC Flora coach Andy Hallett said. “We are a good offensive team that has had a good year scoring runs. We put six up on (Mavis) Graves on Saturday. But tip your hat to their two kids who stymied what we were doing.”
In the second game, AC Flora rallied from a pair of deficits. The Falcons scored three runs in the fourth to tie it at 6-6 as both teams’ pitchers struggled with control.
But Davis Mershon, a Mississippi State signee, belted a two-run homer in the fifth to give the Eagles an 8-6 lead. Eastside added another run in the sixth to go up 9-6.
AC Flora got the tying run on deck in the seventh but Matthew Connor got the final out of the game, which ended at 11:59 p.m.
The Falcons end the season at 23-7. AC Flora was looking to repeat as state champions for the first time since winning three in a row from 2013-15.
Game 1
WP: David Mershon. LP: Charles Flake. Hitters: E: Brody Fowler 2-5 2 RBI; Peter Mershon 3-5 HR, 3 RBI.
Game 2
WP: Matthew Connor LP: Carter Harrington Hitters: E: David Mershon 2-3 HR, 3 RBI; Peter Mershon 2-4; Jack Davis 1-3 RBI; Lane Schrader 1-3 RBI. ACF: Jake Sears 1-2 RBI
Wednesday’s Scores
Baseball
Class 5A
Fort Mill 2, Blythewood 1
WP: Mathieu Curtis LP: Davis Wright Hitters: B: Zac Cowan 1-3 RBI. FM: Carter Blankenship 1-2 2 RBI
Berkeley 6, Lexington 0
WP: Greer LP: Cole Long. Hitters: B: Salisbury 2-3 RBI; Legette 2-3 HR, 2 RBI; Barham 2-3.
Class 4A
Hartsville 3, Airport 1
WP: Alexander. LP: John Allen Forrester Hitters: A: Josh Raines 1-3 RBI. H: Jordan 1-2 RBI
Class 3A
Oceanside Collegiate 8, Brookland-Cayce 5
WP: Costa LP: Skylar King Hitters: BC: Skylar King 2-4 2 RBI; Smith 2-2; BJ Etheridge 2-4. OC: Sebuck 2-4; Tyson 1-2 RBI; Jarnagain 2-4 RBI Palmer 1-3 2 RBI; Bowers 1-4 RBI.
Softball
Class 5A
Summerville 9, Chapin 4
LP: Leah Cabe. Hitters: C: Maddie McMillion 1-3 2 RBI
