The West Marion Trojans seem to love postseason drama.
After winning two series in walk-off fashion last season on their way to South State, the Trojans went 11 innings Monday night at Franklin County in the deciding Game 3. They once again came through with two runs in the eleventh, and Jayden Duncan finished off his masterful relief appearance to seal a 7-5 win for West Marion and a return trip to the South State semifinals.
As a result the Trojans will match up in the third round with St. Andrew’s Episcopal, which swept Columbia over the weekend and is 27-5 on the season.
The Saints feature an extremely deep lineup with every starter batting above .300, five of which are above .400, and seven different players have hit home runs, though none have hit more than three. St. Andrews also has a number of good arms both in the rotation and in the bullpen with a collective ERA of just 1.88, which closely resembles the Trojans themselves.
As he has become accustomed to doing, Shelby Terrell delivered another playoff gem against Franklin County for the Trojans, leading West Marion to a 6-0 victory in Game 1 with seven shutout innings. He allowed just one hit, walked none and struck out eight.
Randy Ramos led the offense with a double, a single and 2 RBI, while Clay Blocker, Noel Parrett (sacrifice fly) and Dalton Raynes each drove in a run.
Game 2 in Foxworth early on appeared as if the Trojans would end the series at home as they loaded the bases in the first with none out but managed just one run as Trace McNabb grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Duncan. Franklin County answered right back in the second and took the lead on a double to right field before seizing control of the game and building a 5-1 lead.
Down four runs heading into the bottom of the seventh West Marion needed some heroics to steal the game and nearly got them. With the bases loaded and one out, Ramos ripped a single up the middle to score two and a bobble by the center fielder allowed the Trojans to have the tying run in scoring position. But Clay Blocker popped out, and McNabb hit a liner to right but the right fielder made a shoelace grab on the run to secure a 5-3 win for the Bulldogs.
Blocker led the Trojans at the dish in Game 3 with three singles, while McNabb (RBI), Parrett (2 RBI), Terrell (2 RBI), Duncan and Ramos each had two hits. Ramos started on the mound and allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out four. Duncan picked up the win in relief with four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four.
Head coach Derrick Jerkins could not be reached for comment.
Pictured Above: West Marion pitcher Trace McNabb throws a pitch against Franklin County. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
