By: Barry Mabry – November 3, 2012

-Mets (SC 13’s) vs Red Sox (NC 13’s)-

The Mets sent C of C commit Hayden McCutcheon (right) to the bump against a potent Red Sox lineup to kick-off the 2012 Border Battle. McCutcheon breezed through his two innings of work without allowing a hit. Clemson commit Eli White led off the second inning with a backside double but was caught stealing later in the inning. Both teams were held scoreless through two.

Georgia commit Michael Carpin relieved McCutcheon of his duties in the third. A lead-off single resulted in an RBI fielder’s choice putting the Red Sox up 1-0. The Mets were set down in order through the third and fourth frames and Carpin turned a clutch 1-6-3 double play to get out of the fourth scoreless.

The Mets took a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth producing runs with two outs. After Clemson’s Glenn Batson and South Carolina’s Tray Roberts were plunked, USC commit Cory Thompson (left) smoked a two-RBI double past the third basemen putting his club up 2-1. Winthrop commit Babe Thomas drove Thompson in the very next at-bat with his opposite field single giving the Mets a 3-1 lead.

C of C commit Caleb Lupton came in for Carpin in the fifth and an E9 and a stolen base set up an RBI fielder’s choice for the Red Sox pulling them within one. Lupton punched out the next hitter and got a F9 to get out of the jam. He ran into another jam in the sixth after a single and walk but got a groundout to short and an F8 to get out of it.

Lupton handed his duties over to Thompson for the save in the seventh, and that is what he did blowing 90-92 MPH fastballs and hammering in a 77-79 MPH wrinkle to seal the deal.

Final Score: SC Mets 3 NC Red Sox 2; WP: Caleb Lupton, SV: Cory Thompson; 2B: White, Thompson