The St. James baseball team took another step toward a successful Class AAA state title defense by defeating host Chapin 10-2 in the first round of the Lower State tournament on Saturday.
St. James pitcher Preston Lane pitched the Sharks (23-5) to victory and his teammates provided plenty of run support in blowing out the Eagles (16-6).
The Eagles scored both of their runs in the first inning, but Lane settled down and scattered seven hits over seven innings, walking two and striking out two for the win.
The Sharks cut the lead in half in the third and then exploded for nine runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach. Skylar Hays went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Caleb Duggan went 2-for-4 with one RBI to lead the attack.
The Sharks return home on Monday to play in the winners’ bracket of the Lower State tournament against an opponent to be determined.
Softball
* Hartsville 9, St. James 3: The St. James softball team ran into a road block against No. 1 Hartsville in Saturday’s first round of the Class AAA Lower State tournament.
The Lady Sharks struck for two runs in the first inning to grab an early lead, but the Lady Red Foxes responded in the bottom of the frame with four runs.
Hartsville’s Kayla Drotar allowed only one run the rest of the way for the complete-game victory. She also went 4-for-4 with three RBIs.
St. James’ starter Alexis Gunnell allowed nine hits in the loss. Megan Monteigel went 2-for-3 for the Lady Sharks.
- Photo by Rancier Photography
