The Latta Vikings varsity baseball team edged Buford of Lancaster, S.C., 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning off of a Dylan’s Brewer walk-off single that scored Deonte Stanley in the Class 2A lower state playoffs.
Latta’s Noah Henderson picked up the win while pitching the complete 7-inning game. He allowed 4 hits, 1 walk, struck out 10, and no earned runs.
R. Griffin was tagged with the loss. He pitched 6 innings and allowed 7 hits, 1 earned run, and walked 2.
Latta was guilty of 2 errors in the game while Buford committed 1.
Buford put the first score on the board with an early run in the top of the first inning off of a grounder by T. Carry and error by Latta’s second baseman. S. Funderburk sacrificed bunted to Latta’s pitcher. R. Griffin singled on a hard grounder to Latta’s centerfielder, and T. Carry scored. The game remained that way until the bottom of the third inning when Cledus Williams was hit by a pitch.
A courtesy runner, Brady Hatchell was allowed. Daniel Khalil singled on a line drive to left field, and Brady Hatchell advanced to second base. Brady Hatchell scored on an error by Buford’s left fielder, S. Wright.
No one was able to place any runs on the scoreboard in this tightly contested baseball lower state playoff game until the bottom of the seventh inning when Deonte Stanley led off with a single on a pop fly to Buford’s first baseman, M. Lewis. McLeod Carmichael hit a line drive shot for a single to the right fielder, R. Bailey, and Deonte Stanley advanced to third on the throw. Latta’s Russ Rogers walked to load the bases. Dylan Brewer connected for a single on a ground ball to the right fielder, R. Bailey, and Deonte Stanley scored the winning run.
Latta’s Deonte Stanley was perfect at the plate with 3 singles in 3 at-bats while Dylan Brewer singled and picked up a rbi in 3 at-bats.
McLeod Carmichael and Pierce Watson also singled in 3 at-bats.
Daniel Khalil garnered a single in 2 at-bats.
Buford’s N. Vincent singled in his 2 at-bats while S. Funderburk, D. Sistore, and R. Griffin each singled in 3 at-bats.