Boys baseball team beats South Florence 11-7

By John Smthson

The North Myrtle Beach Chiefs varsity baseball team followed their CIT championship performance with an 11-7 victory last Wednesday at South Florence in a non-region game.

The Chiefs opened the top of the first inning with a Kaden Lank single to left. Lank went to third on a double by Porter Gallup and Evan Steudl walked to load the bases. Sawyer Smith singled and drove in Lank for a 1-0 Chiefs lead. Trevor Mitchetti followed with a grand slam home run to left and 5-0 lead going to the bottom of the first.

The Chiefs Noah Nance walked the first two Bruins batters, and a wild pitch moved the runners up to second and third. A single scored the first run of the inning from third. Two more walks by Nance scored the second South Florence run. Another single plated two more Bruins and the Chiefs lead was 5-4 after one inning.

After a scoreless second inning the Chiefs added two more runs in the top of the third. After Smith struck out, Mitchetti was hit by a pitch and then scored on a triple by Gabe Priest. Priest came home on a Camden Butler ground out to short and the Chiefs led 7-4.

The Bruins got a run back in the bottom of the third and then tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with Andrew Mundy on the mound for the Chiefs. A walk, a strikeout and another walk put runners on first and second. A passed ball moved the runners to second and third and they scored after a passed ball and single to center.  The score remained 7-7 moving to the top of the eighth.

Sawyer Smith singled to left to open that inning and Riley Wiggins ran for him at first. Wiggins stole second and Mitchetti walked. Gabe Priest had a bunt single to load the bases. Butler doubled to left field and Wiggins and Mitchetti scored runs eight and nine. Porter Anglin had a bunt single to load the bases and Jack Williams was hit by a pitch that scored Priest.

A Bruins walk with two outs scored the Chiefs eleventh run and Sawyer Smith struck out two and held the Bruins scoreless in the bottom of the eighth for a save and 11-7 final score.

While Mundy and Nance gave up the Bruins runs, Luke Breeden pitched two scoreless innings and Smith that final scoreless eighth. Chiefs batters had nine hits in the game and Mitchetti’s homer drove in four and Butler scored a run and drove in three Chiefs runs. Smith, Priest and Williams each had an RBI.

The Chiefs have three region games with Conway this week, a Monday game at Conway that will be rescheduled due to weather. The Chiefs were home Wednesday and back to Conway tomorrow.