TR Baseball, Softball Teams Fall In Extra Innings

BASEBALL - Travelers Rest pitchers gave up six hits, eight runs, and struck out eight as York turned a 4-2 TR lead to an 8-5 elimination in Thursday's AAAA South Carolina High School League playoffs at Travelers Rest High School. The Devildogs fell to the win or die bracket after falling to Greenville 6-3 in the first round of the regional playoffs. TR entered post season play as the champs of Region 1 AAAA. York fell to Dreher 7-2 in the Cougars' first round game. All four Region 1-AAAA teams that made the state playoffs lost their first round games: Easley lost to Greenwood 4-3, Westside fell to Laurens 7-6 and Walhalla lost to Eastside 11-8.

Caleb McKitrick had TR's only extra base hit with a double. He also had four total bases on the night.

Starting pitcher Caleb Mills gave up four hits and five runs and struck out two. He threw 69 pitches. Mills was relieved by Caleb McKitrick with one out showing in the third inning.

TR drew first blood in the first inning when Hunter Covington scored off of a Matthew Sheriff ground out. Covington had reached first off of a leadoff walk and advanced to third when McKitrick doubled. When Covington scored McKitrick went to third off of the same ground out. McKitrick was tagged out attempting to score from third. Christian Cheslak hit in to a fielder's choice and went to third on a wild pitch. Cheslak scored on a passed ball for the TR 2-0 lead.

York immediately tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the second inning but TR bounced right back in the bottom of that inning with two runs for a 4-2 lead. Covington led off with another walk and went to second off of another ground out. He scored off of Sheriff's single to left field for a 3-2 lead. Sheriff advanced to second on the throw from leftfield and scored on an error for the 4-2 score.

York closed the gap to 4-3 after a single and a passed ball. TR went up 5-3 in the fourth. Kameron Watson led off with a single to leftfield and scored off of a Caleb McKitrick two out line drive single to leftfield.

After nearing the sixty pitch total, Mills began to falter in the fifth inning. After a ground out, Mills served four consecutive balls and walked the next York batter. Mills went on to serve a two out two run homer which brought York dead even with TR at 5-5. After walking another batter, Mills was relieved by Caleb McKitrick.

TR failed to score during the remainder of the game. McKitrick kept York in check and the game entered extra innings. The Cougars managed three runs in the eighth inning for the 8-5 score that ended the season for Travelers Rest.

SOFTBALL - Travelers Rest and Indian Land battled to extra innings before Indian Land left town with the victory and TR's season came to an end on Saturday. The game was played in the elimination round of the state AAAA softballl playoffs.

TR jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings but Indian Land surged ahead in the third for a 6-3 lead. TR added another run in the fourth and Indian Land scored two more in the sixth for a 8-4 lead. But TR did not quit. The Lady Devildogs held the visitors scoreless in the top of the seventh and then sent the message to Indian Land that Devildogs never stop battling. TR tied the game with 4 runs in the seventh to sent things to extra innings.

Indian Land escaped the uprising by scoring three times in the eighth and held TR to one run for the 11-9 final. Jaden Dandy had three singles. Kaylin Crane had the only extra base hit for TR while multiple Devildogs stole a bunch of bases. Britni Rogers and Jaden Dandy stole three bases each while Kaylin Crane, Neely Hartin, and Madison Huggins stole one base each.