The Quad tames Bishopville Post 29 in Twinbill
The American Legion Posts in Darlington County have teamed up this summer to field a Fast Pitch Girls Softball Team called “The Quad”. The team is sponsored by American Legion Posts 13, 53 94, and 210 in Darlington County. The team finished second in the American Legion Girls State Softball Championship, held on July 18, 2022 in Sumter, South Carolina. The Quad played at Darlington on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, winning 11-1 and 12-0 against Sumter Storm. They traveled to Bishopville on Thursday, June 8th.
PICTURED HERE: (Front row, left to right) Tatum Weaver, Savanna Evans, Alyssa Posston, Savanna Parker, Kylie Johnson, and Caydon Thompson. (Back row, left to right) Jaysha McCullough, Ashton Goodwin, Olivia Martin, Trinity Davis, Whittney Turner, Dakota Melancon. NOT PICTURED: Katelyn Church, Aryanna McPhail, Avarie Easters, Mackenzie Kubas and Coaches Lee Andrews, Chris Weaver and Madie Andrews.
By Don Gearhart
The Quad raised their record to 4-0 with a pair of wins against Post 29 from Bishopville and Alyssa Poston twirled her second consecutive no-hitter in the first game of the doubleheader. The diminutive southpaw gave up a walk in the third inning and the only other baserunner for Post 29 got aboard via an error.
The Quad took an early 1-0 lead. Poston hit a hard ground ball to right field for a single then stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball. Olivia Martin got the RBI on a sacrifice fly to center.
The second inning proved to be a monster output as seven runs crossed the plate. Caydon Thompson led off with a solo home run to center. Savannah Parker singled and Triniy Davis got hit by a pitch to put two runners aboard. Whitney Turner kept the hit parade marching on a double to left field scoring Parker. After one out, Poston doubled to left driving in two runs. Tatum Weaver then singled to put runners on the corners. They didn’t stay there long, though, as Martin drilled a home run to center.
In the top of the third inning, Davis led off with a home run to center. Turner worked a base-on-balls and was sacrificed to second on a bunt by Jaysha McCullough. Poston’s base hit brought Turner in to score. On Weaver’s fielder’s choice, Poston moved all the way to third base. Martin’s RBI single scored Poston. Dakota Melancon was hit by a pitch to put two runners aboard. Poston and Melancon executed a double steal with Poston scoring. Thompson walked but was caught trying to steal second, but the inning ended with The Quad commanding a 12-0 lead.
With one out in the fourth inning, Davis doubled to right. Turner followed with a walk. McCullough doubled to left driving in Davis to increase the lead to 13-0. When Post 29 was held scoreless in the bottom of the inning, the game ended via the 10-run rule after four innings. Poston engineered three hits in the game and was supported by Martin and Davis with two hits apiece. Poston struck out nine of the twelve outs against Post 29.
Game 2
Post 29 must have thought they would get a break in the nightcap, but Trinity Davis was nearly perfect in the circle for The Quad. Davis is committed to University of Rio Grande, an NAIA affiliate located in southeastern Ohio and struck out eight while allowing just one run on two hits and one free pass.
Alyssa Poston led off the game by patiently awaiting a walk. Olivia Martin singled to put two runners aboard. The former Hartsville Red Foxes executed a double steal ahead of Dakota Melancon getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Caydon Thompson hit a sacrifice fly to deep right that was deep enough for both Poston and Martin to score.
In the top of the second, Savannah Parker led off with a base hit. Jaysha McCullough walked to put runners at first and second. Parker scored when her steal attempt at third was misplayed. Poston then doubled to center driving in McCullough and took third on the throw to the plate. Tatum Weaver capped off the three run inning with an RBI single to left and The Quad took a 5-0 lead.
Thompson led off the third with a line drive base hit to center. Aston Goodwin executed a sacrifice bunt to move Thompson to second. Davis then helped her own cause driving in Thompson on a single to right.
The fourth inning was another three-run outburst. Weaver led off with a base ht. Martin singled to center and when the ball was misplayed, Weaver scored, and Martin ran all the way to third. She scored when Melancon hit into a fielder’s choice. Thompson duplicated her line drive single to center ahead of Goodwin’s RBI double to right to increasing the lead to 9-0. Post 29 finally got on the scoreboard when two base hits produced their first run of the night.
McCullough led off the fifth with a hard grounder to short that was thrown wide of first and advanced to second on the error. With two outs, Martin doubled to center to bring home the tenth run for The Quad.
Davis struck out two in the bottom of the fifth to end the game. Martin collected three hits in the contest and both Weaver and Thompson had two hits each.