West Columbia's Zachar y Sharpe went 4- for- 5 with three runs against Conway. In the first game of the S.C. American Legion State Championship Tournament held at Duncan Park in Spartanburg July 29, West Columbia Post 79 trailed Conway Horry Post 111 14- 6 with two outs and a full count on Zach Hawley in the bottom of the ninth. The final score was 14- 12, Conway.

It was that kind of crazy day. Off and on rain made field conditions treacherous, and a suspected food poisoning incident from the previous night's banquet had a significant number of players from all eight teams battling upset stomachs. Even the stadium set- up was a little odd as the covered portion of the stands was fenced off due to the deteriorated condition of the bleachers. Still, neither rain or sickness or anything else could stop what looked like a blow- out from becoming a nail- biter.

Conway- Horry jumped on West Columbia starter Jeremy Brazell early and often. Conway's John Crump put in a Herculean effort and hit the first of his two home runs in the first inning giving his team a 2- 0 lead.

West Columbia right fielder Todd Joyner grabs a ground ball against Conway. Joyner went 4- for- 6 at the plate with five RBIs and two runs. Conway added three more in the second inning when West Columbia third baseman Cody Bessinger couldn't grab a scorching ground ball from Josh Hardwick that scored Trip Faulk from third base. A batter later, Ryne Hardwick belted a double to center field scoring Russ White and Hardwick.

Conway loaded the bases in the third inning, and after Brazell hit Josh Knab with a pitch to score Faulk and then threw three straight balls to Hardwick, Matthew Boulware entered the game in relief. Boulware was unable to recover from the 3- 0 count spotted to Hardwick, and Cannon Jordan scored on the walk to give Conway a 7- 0 lead.

In the fourth inning, Conway's Faulk belted a two- run home run just over the left field fence to put Conway up 9- 0. West Columbia's bats started to heat up in the bottom half of the inning with singles from Todd Joyner, Bessinger, and Jonathan Betancourt, but the score remained 9- 0. Boulware got in the groove as well. Despite another blast off the wall from Crump, he held Conway scoreless in the fifth and sixth.

West Columbia's Cody Bessinger had four hits and two RBIs against Conway. Meanwhile, in the West Columbia fifth, a Conway error allowed Zach Sharpe and Luke Beasley to score. Then Bessinger knocked a double off the center field wall scoring Lucas Knight and Todd Joyner to cut the Conway lead to 9- 4.

But Crump answered in the seventh with his second two- run home run - a line shot off Boulware that was still going up when it hit the trees behind the left field fence. Conway added two more runs in the top of the eighth inning when Ken Smoak, in to relieve Boulware, walked Hardwick with the bases loaded to score Jordan. Then Crump got his fifth RBI of the day with a sacrifice line drive to left field that scored Lucas Britt to make the score 13- 4.

West Columbia kept battling with two runs in the bottom of the eighth off a Joyner single that scored Hawley and Sharpe. Conway added another run in the top of the ninth off a West Columbia error that allowed Faulk to score and stretch the lead back to 14- 6.

Then came the bottom of the ninth. Conway reliever Eric Graham seemed to be coasting, but with Betancourt at first base, two outs, and a full count, Hawley ripped a single to left field. Sharpe followed with his fourth hit of the day to load the bases.

Betancourt then scored when Beasley was hit by a pitch, 14- 7. Knight then drew a walk scoring Hawley, 14- 8. Joyner then ripped a double off the right field wall scoring Sharpe, Beasley, and Knight, 14- 11. Corey Holmes then drilled a 3- 2 pitch into center field for a double scoring Joyner, 14- 12.

Conway coaches had seen enough and brought in Knab from left field to relieve Graham. He got two quick strikes on Bessinger, but Bessinger managed to stroke a 1- 2 pitch into right field. Betancourt, who was 3- for- 5 on the day, represented the winning run at the plate, but it was not to be. He flew out to center field to end the game.

Conway's Crump finished 4- for- 5 with two home runs and a double to go with five RBIs and two runs. He also made a diving catch from first base in the fifth inning that probably saved a couple of runs.

Joyner led West Columbia going 4- for- 6 with five RBIs and two runs. Bessinger finished 4- for- 6 with two RBIs, and Zach Sharpe went 4- for- 5 with three runs.