By: Nick Nickles-March 24, 2009

Wade Hampton stays perfect in Region play in thriller versus Mann

DP was in Greenville to see an important game between a pair of unbeaten teams in Region-2 3A. J.L. Mann would travel to Wade Hampton for an early season game in which the winner would hold the early advantage on the path to winning the region. WH would start unsigned senior Devin Dwyer while Mann would counter with junior Robert Landers.

WH started the scoring off quickly in the first on a RBI triple by Kyle Martin. Will Van Pelt and Tyler Revis followed with back-to back RBI doubles to give WH a 3-0 lead after one inning.

Mann loaded the bases in the second inning with two walks and an error. Dwyer walked in a run and Paul Nitto doubled home two runs to knot the score back at 3-3.

Both teams would capitalize on walks and errors to score runs throughout the game until the later innings when this ball game would turn into a battle of late inning heroics.

On to the sixth inning with Wade Hampton holding on to a 7-6 lead, Paul Nitto would reach on a HBP and senior teammate Emilio Pagan followed with a 2-run bomb that disappeared into the darkness in right center to give Mann an 8-7 lead. Mann’s Spencer Bishop had little troubles in the bottom of the sixth in a relief appearance, but the seventh would be a rollercoaster ride to the final.

Spencer finds himself in tight spot in the bottom of the seventh with nobody out and runners on second and third in an 8-7 game. The next two pitches yeilded two infield pop ups in the area around home plate. What seemingly was a terrible situation for Mann now seems slightly favoring them, and it was this way the entire ballgame. Devin Dwyer, the starting pitcher now playing third, comes to the plate in a "win or go home" situation. Dwyer fouled pitches off, took several balls, and finally hit a ball to deep right that fell at the base of the fence that plated the runs to give Wade Hampton the victory 9-8. Both teams had chances to steal the win and both teams pushed the see-saw the whole way before WH walked off a winner.

Final Score: Wade Hampton 9 J.L. Mann 8, WP-Matt Thornton, LP-Spence Bishop, HR-Emilio Pagan (JLM)