Hilton Head Christian rolls to 11-1 victory over Williamsburg

Kingstree – The Hilton Head Christian Academy baseball team got off the bus swinging the bats on Wednesday for its game against Williamsburg Academy in the SCISA AAA state playoffs. When the Eagles climbed back aboard said bus, they were living to play one more day.

HHCA had 10 base hits and had 11 more runners reach base as it rolled to an 11-1, 7-inning victory at the WA field to force a final game in the 5-team, double-elimination bracket.

Hilton Head Christian and the Stallions will play Thursday at 6 p.m. at Orangeburg Prep. The winner will advance to next week’s best-of-3 state championship series against the winner of the bracket championship between 2-time defending state champion Pee Dee Academy and Hilton Head Prep. Pee Dee beat HHP 6-2 on Wednesday to force a deciding game on Thursday at Porter-Gaud in Charleston beginning at 5 p.m.

This was the second meeting between the Eagles and Williamsburg. The Stallions won 5-1 on Friday to become the last undefeated team. HHCA head coach JW Wilkerson said it was not a good night in the batter’s box for his team.

“The first time we played them we had a terrible approach at the plate,” said Wilkerson, whose team improved to 20-6 on the season. “So our approach today was just get to the next guy, get to the next guy. Who cares how you get on base, just get on base.

“I think in the first meeting we hit about 10 popups. We were trying to stay away from that number, hit hard line drives, hard ground balls and it worked.”

The first pitch of the game from WA starting pitcher Greyson Moore was deposited into left field by left-handed leadoff hitter Cody Bradt. Steele Burd was hit by a pitch before Moore got Slaide Burd to fly out. However, Roman Callelo doubled to drive in Bradt and send Steele Burd to third.

The right-handed Moore struck out Keene Reese looking on a beautiful curveball. Williamsburg couldn’t get out of the inning without further damage though as Alex Epstein delivered a 2-run single to right-center field to make it 3-0.

“That's what we're capable of doing 1-9 (in the batting order), staying short and swinging through the ball, going backside, hitting hard line drives,” Wilkerson said. “Every single one of our players, 1-9, even the reserves, can hit in big situations and get RBIs. I'm not too worried about who is up to bat.”

Hilton Head Christian got another big 2-out hit in the second. After Moore retired the first two batters of the inning, Bradt reached on an error and the Burds drew walks to load the bases. Collela singled up the middle to make it 5-0.

Stallions head coach Tyler Boyd said he and his team weren’t caught unaware by the Eagles’ performance.

“We knew ever since we didn't win the region (2, finishing second to Pee Dee) we were going to have to beat this team. to make state,” said Boyd, whose team fell to 19-6. “We knew they could hit, we've been keeping up with them. They hit some hard balls right at us on Friday. You could tell based on the swings they could hit the ball, and that's who showed up tonight.”

HHCA got two more run-scoring, 2-out hits in the fourth to go up 8-0. Reese hit a 2-out, ground-rule double to send Slaide Burd to third. That would be the end of the evening for Moore on the mound with Landon Strong taking over. He got two strikes on Epstein before Epstein hit the gap in left-center for a 2-run double. Chip Hetzel went back through the box for an RBI single to make it 8-0.

WA got its only run in the bottom of the fourth, but left a lot on the table. Wes Smith drew a 1-out walk from Hilton Head Christian starting pitcher Zane Wilson. Moore followed with a single before Wilson struck out Strong. Jay Kellahan drew a walk to load the bases and Smith scored when Waytt Floyd reached on an infield error to make it 8-1.

That got Williamsburg back to the top of its batting order in Conrad Balder. The Stallions could do no more damage as Wilson struck out Balder.

“We hit the ball hard too, but it was right at them and they made some plays,” Boyd said. “We had bases loaded, top of the order. Those guys were seeing it well with a little bit of pop and we were hoping we could get one of those big sticks up and cut it to one more swing. We had some chances, but it just didn’t work out.”

Wilson scattered three hits over six innings of work. He struck out seven and walked two while allowing the unearned run.

“That was a big-time performance by Zane,” Wilkerson said. “He's an amazing human being. He deserved this game. He worked his tail off, he threw strikes, commanded the zone, threw different pitches for strikes. And what you want in these games are the gamers.

“He competed every time. He got into a couple of jams and he just said, ‘I dare you to hit my stuff. And it worked. He's legit.”

HHCA made it 9-1 in the fifth when Steele Burd’s double scored Bradt, who was hit by a pitch. The Eagles’ final two runs came in the seventh, one scoring on a 2-out single by Reese and the other on a wild pitch.

Along with the 10 hits, the Eagles drew six walks, were hit by four pitches and one reached on an error. Epstein was 2-for-4 with four runs batted in, a walk and a run scored. Collela was 2-for-5 with three RBI, Hetzel was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Reese was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.

Bradt, a Radford signee, had a hit and scored four runs as he also reached on a walk, an HBP and an error. Steele Burd, a Clemson signee, had a hit, an RBI and two runs as he also reached on two HBPs and a walk. Slaide Burd didn’t have a hit, but he drew two walks, scoring both times.

Blake Hedrick was 1-for-3 for the Stallions. He easily could have been 3-for-3 if not for outstanding defensive plays on line drives by Epstein in left field and Reese at third base.

Layton Morris had a first-inning double for WA.

Both coaches like where their teams are going into Thursday’s game.

“This team is poised, it is not worried about anything,” said Wilkerson, who has 10 seniors on the roster. “Right now it's just about having fun and playing baseball.”

“We knew we would have to beat this team,” Boyd said of HHCA. “We've known that for a long time and they're a good team. I asked them (his players) if they're unbeatable. And obviously no because we beat them the other night. I just want them to believe it and it's a new season. 

“Whatever's happened has got us to this point, and we're where we want to be. We're one win away from state.”