Sims's five RBI power Richland to 2- 0 lead
Richland's Alston James slides safely into third in the second inning on Justin Strauss' RBI single. Photos by Morgen Orr Kirk Sims had a home run and five RBIs, and Kyle Williamson pitched a complete game to lead Richland Post 6 to a 9- 6 victory in Game two of their first round playoff series with Easley Post 52 on July 15.
Williamson struck out seven and quelled an Easley rally in the top of the ninth to preserve the win at Memorial Stadium. The victory gives Post 6 a two games to none advantage in the best of five series.
Post 6 got an RBI single from Justin Strauss with two outs in the bottom of the second to open the game's scoring, driving in Emmett Richardson who'd reached on a walk. After two singles to open the third inning by Kyle Strasburger and Robert Gibbes, Sims cranked a ball into the trees beyond the left- centerfield fence for a three- run homer and a 4- 0 lead over Post 52.
Richland pitcher Kyle Williamson pitches with a man on first in the first inning. Williamson struck out seven while throwing a complete game. Richland Post 6 continued to put men on base in the fourth and fifth innings but were unable to drive them home. In the sixth, a strange play allowed Kevin O'Quinn to reach second base on a strike out. After missing the third strike, O'Quinn took off for first base when Easley catcher Jordan Bridges dropped the pitch. Bridges' throw to first to put out the runner hit O'Quinn in the back of the head and caromed off toward the Easley dugout. In the confusion, O'Quinn raced toward second base. Two batters later, O'Quinn's heads up base running was rewarded when Strasburger bunted him to third and Gibbes sin- gled up the middle. Sims then singled to right, scoring Strasburger and Gibbes again for a 7- 0 Richland lead.
Meanwhile, Williamson faced no more than four batters in each of the first six innings, striking out five. In the seventh, after a diving Strasburger robbed pitcher Ryan Miller of a hit at second base, Easley finally found their bats. Williamson walked two, gave up three singles and a Richland error gave Post 52 three runs in the inning. Davis Simpson's single scored the first, and Tim Bowman drove in two more, all with two out. Richland did respond by adding an eighth run in the bottom of the seventh when Strauss again singled in Richardson.
Easley pitcher Ryan Miller pitches from the stretch. The home team scored a ninth run in the bottom of the eighth when Mo Holler singled in Gibbes after a leadoff double. But Easley opened the top of the ninth with three straight singles to cut the lead to 9- 5 on Simpson's second and third RBI. Williamson struck out Josh Hubbell looking for a big first out and forced Bowman into a fly out to center for the second. Bridges then doubled to left field, scoring Simpson and keeping the visitors' hopes alive with the score 9- 6. But Williamson forced Miller into a game- ending groundout to shortstop Alston James bringing Richland within one win of reaching the second round of the playoffs.
 Photos by Morgen Orr Richland's Emmett Richardson fouls off a pitch in the second inning. |
