The St. James baseball team will have to take the long route to defend its Class AAA state title following Monday’s defeat at the hands of visiting AC Flora.
The Sharks jumped out to a 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI single by Zack Cook, but the Falcons exploded for five runs in the fourth inning and never let off the gas en route to a 12-1 blowout victory in the Lower State tournament winners’ bracket.
The Sharks, who won their tourney opener over Chapin on Saturday, face a rematch with the Eagles on Wednesday. They need to beat Chapin and sweep a doubleheader from AC Flora on Friday to return to the Class AAA state title series.The St. James softball team’s season came to a painful finish on Monday in the losers’ bracket of the Class AAA Lower State tournament.
* Chapin 5, St. James 2: Tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Lady Sharks gave up a three-run, walk-off home run to suffer a season-ending 5-2 defeat at Chapin.
The game was scoreless through four innings before both teams managed to plate a pair of runs. The game appeared headed to extra innings until the Lady Eagles went deep for the dramatic win.
The Lady Sharks suffered a 9-3 loss to No. 1-ranked Hartsville on Saturday, giving them two losses in the double-elimination Lower State tournament.
- Photo by Rancier Photography
