The Nation Ford Falcons baseball team was flying high going into Sunday’s Championship round at the Prep Baseball Report Shipyard Showdown at Shipyard Park outside Charleston. The Falcons had won both of their games thus far at the tournament and were looking to finish unbeaten with a tournament title in hand.
First up was Indian Land, a team that the Falcons have seen a lot due to their close proximity. The Falcons jumped out to an early lead in the first inning when Xavier Cumbee hit a sacrifice fly to score Keith Cooke III.
The Warriors knotted the game in the second on a fielder’s choice, scoring Tanner Chassereau. The Warriors scored twice more in the third and once in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead. The Falcons chipped away in the fourth and fifth. Cumbee scored on a Jeffery Maidhof double in the fourth and Brandon Stancil scored on a Tyler Causey single in the fifth.
The Falcons could get no closer in this one, as Indian Land scored four more times in the seventh inning to put the game away. Steven Johnson and Maidhof both collected two hits for Nation Ford, who dropped to 2-1 with the loss.
In the Championship game that followed after the Indian Land contest, Nation Ford was matched up with Byrnes, from Duncan. The Rebels were 3-0 going into this game, and were, by virtue of the Falcons’ loss, the number one seed in this game.
Pitcher Clay Cox for the Rebels pitched a near perfect game. His only blemish on the afternoon was giving up a missile by Tyler Causey, an opposite field solo home run that landed in the Wando River. Cox struck out seven Falcons and seemed unhittable. The Falcons eventually succumbed in this one 11-1. Jack Thompson led the champions offensively, going 2-for-3 at the plate.
The Falcons next play two scrimmages this week, Wednesday at Cuthbertson (Waxhaw, NC) and these same Indian Land Warriors on Thursday afternoon. The Falcons are now 2-2 on the season.