Harper’s walk-off single lifts Chapin Newberry to the win

NEWBERRY — Chapin-Newberry Post(3-5, 0-4 league play) picked up their second consecutive win in walk-off fashion on Thursday, June 26th. They hosted Greenwood Post 20 at Smith Road Complex on the campus of Newberry College and won 5-4 to secure their third win of the season.

It was second meeting of the summer for the two teams and Greenwood Post looked to get revenge after falling 13-1 in the season opener. Greenwood Post quickly got on the scoreboard with two quick runs at the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead.

Chapin-Newberry responded quickly with two runs of their own at the bottom of the first inning to tie the game 2-2 heading into the second inning. Starting pitcher Jake Peterson bounced back after the rough first inning and didn’t give up anything in the second inning. His offense followed up the strong pitching with a run scored at the bottom of the second inning to give Chapin-Newberry a 3-2.

Peterson continued his good outing on the mound by getting three strikeouts and only gave up one walk and one hit from third to the fifth innings. He pitched six innings, allowed three earned runs, had four strikeouts and gave up just six hits.

Greenwood Post would put Peterson in a tight bind at the top of the sixth inning. They had two singles with the first two batters at the top of the sixth inning. Then, a RBI single would score one of those base runners to tie the game at 3-3.

Chapin-Newberry responded quickly again. Blake Stribble got things started with a hard hit ball in between center field and left field for a double. Colby Livingston would then bring Stribble home for a RBI single after he advanced to third base on a bad pitch earlier in the Livingston at bat.

The home team took a 4-3 lead into the top of the seventh and final inning. All they needed was their closer to get them three outs, but Greenwood Post had other plans.

Jaydon Glenn attempted to close things out for Chapin Newberry, but he quickly ran into some trouble. He walked the first batter of the inning that he faced. Then, Glenn gave up a single to put two men on for Greenwood Post. The visitors would get one of those base runners home to tie the game, 4-4. That was all the damage the visiting team would do and Glenn managed to get out of the inning.

Chapin-Newberry got the last at bats before the game would go into extra innings, and they would take full advantage of it. The home team would get a base runner on with a walk and then a steal would base put them in scoring position for the potential walk-off win. Ty Harper would finish his strong night at the plate by slapping a hard hit ball into the outfield to score the runner on second base and secure their third win.

“I think the last time that we talked, my guys weren’t able to throw strikes and we were swinging the bats well but just wasn’t getting the results out of it. It has flipped this week. We are throwing a lot more strikes and some of those balls that were getting caught are now starting to find some outfield grass and things are starting to turn around a little bit,” said Chapin-Newberry head coach Ryan Stoudemire.

Harper went three-of-four at the plate with two singles and a double. Stribble had a good night at the plate as well by going two-of-three and scoring two runs.

“I kind of joke with the guys that a five or ten run win would be a lot better for my hair loss[laughing]. This is what the summer is about though these kids learning how to win games in different ways. It’s not like we don’t have winners because there are a lot of winners on this team, but it’s about learning how to win together. Learning how to play like a team and win together. Now things are starting to come together for us over the past two games.” said Stoudemire.

Chapin-Newberry Post will have to enjoy the win and quickly turn their focus to Friday night’s matchup against the Joanna Hornets. It will also be a night of celebration as they celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the 2015 American Legion World Series champs. Stoudemire was a member of that team and is now the second-year head coach for the organization.

“One of Mid-Carolina kids, Blake Mills, loves to tell me he used to watch us on TV[laughing]. It’s going to be cool and a great experience to get all the guys back here. This isn’t the oldest program in the state, but it is a pretty storied one. We are pretty good year in and year out. It was a special thing we did ten years ago. So, I am excited for the group we have now that is more than capable of going on a little run get to see what is possible on tomorrow night,” explained Stoudemire.