Larry Hewett/Clarendon Citizen
Manning-Santee picks up key wins in Week 4
Entering the fourth week of the regular season of American Legion baseball, Manning-Santee found itself with a not-so-sparkling 4-8 record. Sumter had a lock on first place in the region while Hartsville and Camden were battling for second and third place. Post 68 or Cheraw Post 23 looked to have the only realistic shots at landing the fourth spot in the post-season picture.
Monday’s action saw Manning-Santee drop a decision to Camden on the road, leaving them with a 4-9 region and overall record. But two mid-week wins put at least a little distance between Manning-Santee and Cheraw. A home win over Hartsville Tuesday night, followed by a high scoring victory at Cheraw on Thursday gave G.G. Cutter’s team a two game edge with only five games left on the schedule.
A loss at Sumter on Friday night slowed the momentum but Manning-Santee still owns a two game lead over fifth place Cheraw heading into week five.
Smith’s walk-off
homerun lifts Post 68
Hartsville Post 53 jumped on top in the first inning and kept the lead for 8 1/3 innings Tuesday evening against Manning-Santee. But one swing of the bat by Heath Smith gave Post 68 the lead and the win in the bottom of the ninth. The dramatic 7-6 victory keeps Manning-Santee in the chase for a post-season play-off berth.
Hartsville was able to get its lead-off batter on in six of the nine innings and four times that batter was able to score. Jacob Cole drew a walk to begin the game and scored on Tyler Logan’s RBI single.
The lead increased to 2-0 in the third when Andrew Hall drew a lead off base on balls and was sent home via Brandon Beans’ base hit.
Post 53’s Logan started on the mound and kept Manning-Santee scoreless until the fourth. Trevor Morris rapped a one-out double and scored on Smith’s single. Smith tried to advance to second on the throw home but was cut down by Will Adams, the Hartsville catcher.
Post 53 got the lead-off batter on again in the fifth as Cole drew his second walk and later scored on an error. Beans singled with one out and was driven home by Logan’s second RBI hit.
Manning-Santee cut the lead to 4-3, scoring two runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth. Ericson Coker led off with a single and scored on Bill Wheeler’s two-out single. Mike Keels and Douglas Ard collected 2-out hits with Ard’s single bringing home Wheeler.
Post 53 tallied single runs in the sixth and seventh. Manning-Santee scored once in the eighth when Smith raced home on a bases loaded wild pitch.
Trailing 6-4 with one more at-bat, Post 68 had the top of the batting order up. Keels and Ard greeted Hartsville reliever Cody Mincey with solid singles. After Morris went down on strikes, Smith stepped into the batters’ box and launched a Mincey fastball high over the fence in right field, touching off celebration with his teammates and the Manning-Santee fans.
The big win improved Manning-Santee to 5-9 on the season and more importantly, puts them ahead of Cheraw in the battle for the last play-off spot in the region.
