Stranded runners leave Darlington stranded without a victory
Brycen Brown
Photo by Drake Horton
By Drake Horton, Contributing Writer
Darlington – Sometimes a team just misses too many opportunities and that is what happened to the Darlington this past Friday as the Falcons dropped their second game in one week to the Hartsville Red Foxes, this time by a score 6-3.
“I thought that we played well,” Darlington head coach Dennis Gearhart said after the game. “We did the things that should have translated to a win, but we also did more to defeat ourselves than we did to win it.”
In a game that was only separated by three runs, Darlington left seven runners on, six that were in scoring position all while having two runners thrown out at the plate as well.
Up 5-1 and going into the bottom of the fifth inning, Hartsville freshman Garrett Gainey had done a great job of keeping Darlington off balance, allowing only one run and keeping base runners to a minimum.
That all changed in the bottom half of the fifth inning for the Falcons, as Darlington started the inning off with two straight singles to go along with a balk by Gainey which forced Hartsville head coach Tony Gainey to make a change on the mound, bringing in Cal Brunson.
Things did not go well for Brunson from the start as the first batter he faced, Taylor Spangler, hit a RBI single to right that ended up scoring two runs instead of just one as the Red Foxes’ right fielder let the ball get behind him.
With Spangler on third after the error, Brycen Brown hit what looked to be a perfect sacrifice fly to center field, but Steve Joyner made a perfect throw, throwing out Spangler at the plate, completing the improbable double play.
“It was a great throw,” Gearhart, commenting on Joyner’s throw in the fifth, said. “We didn’t get a great jump, but he made a great throw.”
Darlington attempted to do a little two-out magic following Spangler being thrown out, loading the bases up with three straight walks, including an intentional walk to Justin Mack. But with two outs Tabias Dixon struck out on three pitches ending the threat.
Down only 5-3, Darlington rode that momentum into the sixth inning, once again getting the first two runners on before the first out was recorded. With one out Spangler came through again with a single, but miscommunication on the bases ended up getting pinch runner Franklin Robinson thrown out at the plate.
“I held him up, he hesitated and after already getting thrown out at the plate once earlier during the game I thought we had to protect outs,” Gearhart said on the confusion on the bases in the sixth. “So if you look at it you should have bases loaded, one out and with many opportunities to drive a run in and instead we have guys running with their head down. They didn’t pick up my hand in the air holding him up.”
Brown, who has been one of Darlington’s most consistent hitters all year, grounded out following the play at the plate, leaving two runners on in scoring position and ending the threat.
Hartsville added an insurance run in the top of the seventh and Matt Lynch closed the game retiring the Falcons one, two, three to end the game.
The Red Foxes clinched their fourth straight region title with the win, but Darlington, who is now 8-12 overall, 5-3 in the region, can still finish second in the region and clinch a home playoff game.