By Cindy Crosby
The University of South Carolina Salkehatchie Baseball team was eliminated from post-season play in the Region X Tournament. The Indians, seeded as the No. 7 team, fell 13-5 to No. 2 seed USC Sumter in game one played Friday May 7. Moving into the loser’s bracket, the Indians dropped the elimination game against USC Lancaster 11-7 the following day.
The Indians finished the 2022 season 4-46 overall and 2-22 in Region X.
In game one against USC Sumter, the Indians watched the game slip away early and could not recover. Kenny Miller took the loss for Salkehatchie on the mound, lasting four innings, allowing ten hits and nine runs while striking out three. The Indians had eight hits in the game with Eric Green and Ben O’Brien recording multiple hits. Will McGuire and Luis Quiñones had RBI’s in the fifth inning.
Against USC Lancaster the following day, Ahmad Tucker toed the rubber for Salkehatchie going three and a third innings, allowing ten runs on ten hits and striking out one. Nate Kiser threw four and two-thirds innings out of the bullpen. The Indians took an early lead in the second inning when Will McGuire doubled, but they could not quite get the job done in the end against Lancaster. McGuire went 3-4 on the day.
“The outcome is something that we dealt with all year,” said Coach Jeremy Joye. “There was not a better snapshot of our season than the first inning of game two Saturday night, when we jumped out to a 5-0 lead only to surrender five runs in the bottom half of the first. You have to execute the smallest of tasks when you have the opportunity, for that opportunity may not present itself again. We have a solid core of returners who will lead us when we report back in August, as well as a solid recruiting class. I feel that the sting of a four-win season will resonate with those returning next year, and I look forward to see how the overall mindset changes.”
