Irmo–Chapin’s Bash Brothers: Chad Balderman (l) and D.J. Roberts. Against Richland, Balderman went 5–for–6 from the plate with two home runs, eight RBIs, and three runs. Roberts went 5–for–6 from the plate with two home runs, three RBIs, and two runs. In general, a baseball team that blasted three home runs, one of which was a grand slam, racked up a total of 16 hits, and scored 16 runs would be guaranteed a win—if not an easy win. But this is no ordinary season for the Richland Post 6 Pathfinders. Even with the offensive explosion and 11 strike–outs collected by Post 6 pitchers, the Pathfinders lost 21–16 to a red–hot Irmo–Chapin Post 193 team at Memorial Stadium Monday, June 21. Seven Post 6 errors didn’t help the cause either.

Irmo–Chapin’s three and four hitters, Chad Balderman and D.J. Roberts, went a combined 10–for–12 at the plate. They crushed four home runs (two each), collected 11 RBIs (Balderman had eight), and scored five runs. Taylor Boyd added another home run, scored twice, and finished with two RBIs for Post 193. Tony Ford came off the bench for Irmo–Chapin going 3–for–5 from the plate with a run and two RBIs. Leadoff man Alex Kirby had three hits, one RBI, and scored five times. The win was Irmo– Chapin’s fifth straight. The team has averaged 14.6 runs per game during this streak.

Photos by Claire Ward The scoring barrage negated fine performances from Post 6. All but one Pathfinder got at least one hit, and only one struck out. Kyle Towles finished 4–for–6 with two runs and an RBI. Alex Shaw went 3–for–5, scored twice, and had three RBIs. Conner Lewis got two hits, both of which were mammoth home runs. He scored four runs and collected four RBIs. Raymond Prince hit the grand slam in the fourth inning for Post 6.

Richland’s Alex Shaw slides into second base as Irmo–Chapin’s Taylor Boyd waits for a throw. Photo by Claire Ward Richland starting pitcher Marshall Baker struck out seven Irmo– Chapin batters but was pulled after four innings of work with Post 193 leading 9–8.

In the top of the fifth inning, relievers Gus Inabinet and Jackson Vause were roughed up by Post 193 for seven runs before Kevin Davis came on in relief for Richland. Davis struck out four Irmo–Chapin batters in 4–1/3 innings of work and was the only Post 6 pitcher not to give up a home run. Still, Post 193 plated five more runs.

Irmo–Chapin started quick getting back–to–back home runs from Balderman and Roberts in the first inning to take a 4–0 lead. Richland answered with a run scoring single from Towles, a double from Shaw that scored Towles, and a single from Joseph Robertson that scored Shaw and Lewis.

Richland’s Raymond Prince hit a grand slam against Irmo–Chapin. Photo by Claire Ward Balderman drove in Kirby to give Post 193 a 5–4 lead to start the second. The Pathfinders countered with a Shaw RBI, a two–run shot from Lewis, and an error that plated Prince to give Richland an 8–5 lead.

Irmo–Chapin regained the lead in the fourth with four runs on four hits, but Prince’s grand slam in the bottom of the inning gave Richland a 12–9 lead.

Balderman, Roberts, and Boyd hit back–to– back–to–back home runs in the top of the fifth to highlight an eight–run inning. Post 193 added two runs each in the sixth and eighth innings to take a 21–12 lead.

Richland added two runs in the ninth inning, then Lewis blasted his second home run to make the final 21–16.