After state championship, Rock Hill Post 34 ends special American Legion baseball run
Rock Hill Post 34 saw their American Legion baseball season come to an end at the Southeast Regional Tournament on Sunday in Asheboro, North Carolina.
Post 34 lost to Camden Post 17 by a score of 7-5 in the region title contest at McCrary Park. Rock Hill completed the season with an overall record of 28-6. It marked the fourth time in two weeks that Rock Hill and Camden have played.
Last weekend, Rock Hill edged Camden to win the South Carolina state title, after losing to them earlier in the state tournament. Prior to Sunday’s game, Rock Hill edged Camden on Saturday to avoid elimination and make their way to the championship round.
Rock Hill fell into the loser’s bracket in the opening round this past Wednesday when they lost to Randolph County (N.C.) 14-8. They battled back through the loser’s bracket with four wins, before losing to Post 17 for the region championship.
In the title contest against Camden, Rock Hill took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. John Wimmer singled with one out and rode home on a double by Jack Killelea.
Post 34 upped the count to 3-0 with two more runs in the home half of the third. Killelea’s two-run home run to left also plated Ethan Wilson, who walked to open the frame.
Camden cut the deficit to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the fifth. Rock Hill countered with a single tally in the bottom of the inning for a 4-2 advantage. Ethan Wilson walked, moved to second on Killelea’s single, and scored on a Camden throwing error.
Camden rallied for four in the top of the sixth to take a 6-4 lead. Post 17 had four hits in the outburst, and they took full advantage of a pair of Post 34 errors to complete their scoring.
Rock Hill added a run in the bottom of the sixth. Wimmer singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Maddox Mobley’s single sent him to third, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Wilson.
Camden scored an insurance run in the seventh, and Post 34 went quietly in the bottom of the inning to end the contest.
Killelea led Rock Hill with three hits and three RBI. Ethan Belk added a pair of hits and drove in a run. Wimmer contributed two hits to the 10-hit attack for Rock Hill.
The journey back to the finals was a long one after the opening round loss. They faced elimination in every game — beating Columbia (Tenn.) 11-3; Belleview (Fla.) 7-3; and then Camden 3-2 before advancing to Sunday and playing Camden again, this time to no avail.
A win versus Camden in the championship would’ve delivered Post 34 the Southeast Region championship and furnished a trip to the World Series.
“We had a great ride,” said Post 34 athletic officer Buck Schwing. “The kids played very hard, and I am so very proud of every one of them.”
