The skies finally cleared long enough Wednesday afternoon for Sumter to defeat Murrells Inlet 4-2, capturing their 14th American Legion state championship.

Sumter’s Post 15 will play in the Southeastern Regional Championship next week in Columbia, Tennessee.  This state championship is their fourth title in seven years.

Pitcher Tyler Smith threw a gem for Sumter after replacing their ace Jordan Montgomery in the first inning.  Montgomery suffered a knee injury.  Smith not only pitched well, but also led the team to victory with his bat, driving in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh.

Lets get you another American Legion baseball playoff update from SportsTalk corrospondent Jim Seay:

There are now four teams locked into the American Legion baseball State Championship Tournament starting a week from today in Columbia…a series strongly supported by the City of Cayce and the West Metro Chamber of Commerce. The title sponsor is the South Carolina National Guard.

West Columbia’s Post 79 made the eight team field after Greenville forfeited because they would not have the minimum 12 players available to continue. Greenville had won the only game in the-best-of -five-series but back-to-back rainouts meant they wouldn’t have enough time to win again because a number of their players are participating in another tournament starting tonight.

So, the two Columbia area teams in the tourney are Post 79 and the host Richland Post 6 Pathfinders. Gaffney was the first to make the field; Rock Hill eliminated Spartanburg 11-1 last night. So the Upper State is made up of West Columbia, Post 6, Rock Hill and Gaffney.

In the Lower State, number One seed Sumter joined them with a 4-0 win over Hartsville last night. The Sumter P-15s squad is the only team in that bracket to nail down a spot.

Hilton Head beat Goose Creek 11-9 on a two run triple in the 11th inning to take a two games to none lead and Murrell’s Inlet leads Florence 2-1 in their series after Florence won 10-0 Thursday. There will be a two-game play-in series to determine the fourth seed in the Lower State this weekend.

The first day of the tournament begins at 9 a.m. on July 23 at Capital City Stadium. Two of the four games on the first day are there…the 3 p.m. and 7 o’clock games will be at the Dreher High Field.

Tickets will be $6 for individual games, $12 for an all day pass for as many as four games and all-game tournament pass for $25.

Thursday Scores:

 *Upper State

• Rock Hill 11- Spartanburg 1 (Rock Hill wins playoff)

*Already qualified for State Tourney:

Gaffney

West Columbia (forfeit)

Columbia Post 6 (Host team)

**Lower State

• Sumter 4 – Hartsville 0 (Sumter wins playoff)
• Hilton Head 11 – Goose Creek 9 (Hilton Head leads 2-0)
• Florence 10 -Murrell’s Inlet 0 (Murrell’s Inlet leads 2-1)

**Number 4 seed TBD in play-in games this weekend

Here is another update of the American Legion playoffs from SportsTalk correspondent Jim Seay:

Gaffney’s Post 109 became the first American Legion team to make it into the American Legion  State Tournament by sweeping Easley in three straight winning Wednesday night 15-10.

Rock Hill is one win away from joining Gaffney in the best-of-five series after topping  Spartanburg 11-4. Rock Hill will host the third game tonight.  Also in the Upper State, the game was tied at 2-2 in the second inning before rain stopped the West Columbia-Greenville clash. They will begin the game again from the start at Airport High in West Columbia tonight.  Greenville leads the series 1-0.

In the Lower State, Sumter rolled on in typical fashion blowing away Hartsville 12-1 and taking a 2-0 lead in the series. The P-15s and Hartsville will be at Sumter’s Riley Park tonight.  Murrell’s Inlet is up 2-0 in its series with Florence by winning 10-6 Wednesday. Those two teams meet tonight at 7 in Florence.

The Goose Creek-Hilton Head clash was rained out again for the second night in a row.  Hilton Head has a 1-0 advantage after their one meeting. They will have to play at least through Saturday and will try again tonight at Goose Creek.

Scores:

• Gaffney 15-Easley 10 (Gaffney in State Tourney)
• Rock Hill 11-Spartanburg 4 (RH leads series 2-0)
• Sumter 12- Hartsville 1 (Sumter leads 2-0)
• Murrell’s Inlet 10-Florence 6 (Murrell’s Inlet leads 2-0)
• West Columbia-Greenville ppd (Greenville leads 1-0)
• Goose Creek-Hilton Head ppd (Hilton Head leads 1-0)

Calhoun County coach Walt Wilson was on 1400 The Team this morning to discuss the news about Saints linebacker Brandon Golson being denied admission into USC.  Wilson spoke  about Golson’ s situation with our own Eric Guimaraes as well as Carey Rich.

Calhoun County coach Walt Wilson

walt_wilson_7-14

To add insult to injury for USC, Golson could end up at another SEC school.  If he is granted his release by USC, which is probable, he will visit Arkansas this weekend.   S.C. State, Illinois, Maryland and Louisville also are interested.

The USC coaching staff would like Golson to attend a prep school and enroll at USC in January.  Wilson said that is still a possibility but right now Golson is going to look at his other options to play right away.

Here is another American Legion baseball playoff update providied by SportsTalk contributer Jim Seay:

A late afternoon thunderstorm washed out West Columbia’s scheduled playoff home opener against Greenville Tuesday night in the second round game of the American Legion payoffs, they’ll try again tonight at 7 at Airport High Field. Greenville leads the series 1-0.

Other Upper State games were played:  Gaffney beat Easley 15-10 after trailing 7-2. Gaffney leads the series 2-0 and will be at home at Commissioner’s Filed for what could be the deciding game that would send Post 109 into the State Championship Tournament beginning July 23  in Columbia at Capital City Stadium and  at Dreher High Field.

Tuesday, Rock Hill and Spartanburg played their first game following a rainout on Monday and Rock Hill won the first matchup 5-4. Game two will be played at 7 tonight at Spartanburg’s Duncan Park.

In the Lower State Murrell[‘s Inlet defeated Florence 7-4 giving Murrell’s Inlet a 1-0 advantage going into their second game. That contest will be played at Murrell’s Inlet this evening.

The Sumter/Hartsville game was also postponed and is scheduled to be made up tonight at Hartsville.  

Hilton Head and Goose Creek were hit by rain BUT THE GAME WAS PLAYED.   Hilton Head won 6-4 and they play at Goose Creek Wednesday night.

Scores:

• Gaffney 15 – Easley 10 (Gaffney leads 2-0)
• Rock Hill 5- Spartanburg  4 (Rock Hill leads 1-0) 
•  Murrell’s Inlet 7 – Florence 4 (Murrell’s Inlet leads 1-0)
•  West Columbia-Greenville ppd (Greenville leads 1-0)
•   Hilton Head 6 – Goose Creek 4.(Hilton Head leads 1-0)
•  Sumter – Hartsville  ppd (Sumter leads 1-0)

Yesterday you saw us mention the story about the nationally televised high school football games in Rock Hill next month.  Just in case you don’t have time to go back and read the story again, Byrnes and Hoover High out of Alabama will meet in Rock Hill at Distrct 3 Stadium on August 28^th.  The game will kick off at Noon and be televised on ESPN.

Following that game Northwestern will face South Pointe at 4:00.  That one will be televised on ESPNU.

Our good friends over at WRHI in Rock Hill were kind enough to pass along some audio from the three local coaches that will be involved in the game.  For your listening enjoyment you can click on the links below. 

Northwestern coach Jimmy “Moose” Wallace”

Wallace

South Pointe coach Bobby Carroll

Carroll

Byrnes coach Chris Miller

Miller

 Another hat tip to Andrew Kiel and Bobby Rosinski over at WRHI for the audio.

The South Point and Northwestern football teams will play in a nationally televised game on ESPNU next month in Rock Hill.  The game will be played at District Three Stadium on August 28^th at 4:00 p.m.

All four teams have players regarded as some of the top college prospects in the country.

That game will be the second of a double header at District Three Stadium with highly touted Byrnes facing Hoover High out of Alabama at Noon the same day.  That game is slated to be on ESPN.

The games will be played as part of a series of games that ESPN is calling ESPN Rise High School Football Kickoff. During the weekend of Aug. 27-29, 16 high school teams will be featured on the television networks.

Here is another American Legion playoff update from Jim Seay:

Five American Legion teams have moved on to the second round of the postseason starting Monday.   Greenville , Spartanburg and Rock Hill are in from the Upper State. In the Lower State,  those who move on are Sumter, Hilton Head and Florence.  Florence defeated Cheraw 8-4, Hartsville topped Conway 13-8 and Easley took Clover 11-7. 

All of this leads to the State Champion series starting July 23 in Columbia with 11 games at Capital City Stadium and three at the Dreher High Field.

Last night at the Dreher High Field, Bud Geter slammed a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth as the Post 6 Pathfinders came back from three runs down to clip Gaffney 5-4. Pitching in relief, Conner Lewis also added to his home run resume’…knocking n two runs with his tenth of the summer. The deciding game of the best of five will be played at Gaffney tonight. The winner plays either Clover or Easley Monday.

West Columbia lost for the second game in a row falling to Greer, 4-3 putting both teams in the crucial position of having to win in the final game of that five series at Greer this evening at 7.  One of those tams takes on Greenville in game one next week.

Here is an update on the American Legion playoffs from our good friend, Jim Seay:

We know a couple of teams have made it to the second round of the American Legion Playoffs , but one of them was not Irmo-Chapin…the defending state champions were eliminated in three straight…last night losing to Spartanburg 11-10.

Sumter sent Summerville packing with a 10-2 win…so Sumter and Spartanburg can take it easy for a few days and be ready for the start of the second round  of the post season beginning next Monday.

Greer forced West Columbia to have to play another game tonight. That will be at Airport at 7. Greer came back to win 11-10. A West Columbia win send the local guys on their way to round two starting next Monday.

Richland Post 6 was facing elimination at Gaffney…but the Pathfinders won 4-3 and  will be back home tonight at Dreher High to try to even the series at 1-1.

 Also…the State Newspaper issued its list of top players in the Midlands…and five of Post 6’s regular starters made the list…an indication of the quality of the players for Post 6.

The players are Kevin Davis, a versatile e senior from Columbia High, Richland Northeast senior infielder Brett  Fulmer, A.C. Flora sophomore catcher David Howser and Falcons home run hitting senior first baseman Connor Lewis and SCISA Columbia area Player of the Year second baseman Kyle Towles .

Again, in Columbia action tonight will have Greer at West Columbia and Richland Post 6 will host  Gaffney  in a “must win” game for the Pathfinders of  Coach Ray Derrick.  Post 6 will host the  American Legion State Championship July 23-27 in Columbia.

Other winners around the state were Conway, Camden, Florence, Clover, Greenville and Hilton Head.

As the American Legion baseball regular season nears its 2010 conclusion this week the upper level teams from across South Carolina will focus on the playoffs that begin Monday, July 5 at the home sites of the higher seeded teams.

Then, starting July 23, everything shifts into semi-neutral as the surviving teams from South Carolina’s eight leagues will convene at two Columbia venues – Capital City Stadium and Dreher High School’s field – for the American Legion State Championship double elimination tournament. The schedule calls for 11 games to be played at Capital City with three at Dreher High field.

Scheduled start time for the first three days will be 9:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:30 and 8:00 p.m. There will be two games on day four with the championship game slated for Tuesday, July 27.

Then, the eight teams advancing out of state tourneys play at the next plateau. For instance, the South Carolina champions will move on to the Southeast Regionals in Columbia, TN from August 5-9. That will be followed by the American Legion Baseball World Series Championship played between eight Regional Championship teams at Avista Stadium in Spokane, WA.

Two of the past three S.C. state champions have come from Columbia area League VIII – Post 6 in 2007 and Irmo/Chapin Post 193 team in 2009. The other team midlands area team to win the title in that span is the Sumter P-15s.

Single game tickets are priced at $6, all-day passes are $12 each and tournament passes good for at least 14 games are priced at $25 apiece.

Among other payment methods, major credit cards will be accepted when advance tickets for the S.C. championship will are placed on sale Tuesday, July 6 at Richland Post 6 headquarters 200 Pickens Street in person or by phoning 799-2735. Fans may order tickets also by contact Post 6 Athletic Officer Doyle Tipton at 753-7055