By: Will Cheatham – May 20, 2011 -Diamond Prospects on hand for AAAA Championship Game- This was the final game of the season. With the series tied at 1 win apiece, Gilbert High school was kind enough to be the neutral site for the game tonight and this park is a perfect venue for this game. I got to the game an hour before game time, and the press box was already filled with TV, radio, and newspaper press; but DP made some adjustments and got the Verizon hotspot working right behind home plate to get the blog going, and we had a great seat for what played out to be an unbelievable game. Well, we had the same matchup on the mound tonight that we did in the opening game Monday. This, however, was a different story. Tonight’s game was what we thought we would see in game one, and really was a testament to the pitching ability of both Jordan Montgomery (left) and Daniel Gossett (right) in the first inning. Both teams put runners in scoring position, but were unable to drive in the run. To start things off for the Rebels, Reed Rohlman drove a double into left-center the first at-bat of the game. This did nothing but make the crowd even louder than it already was. He advanced to third on a fielder’s choice, but was stranded at third after back-to-back strikeouts from Montgomery. It was more of the same in the bottom half, with Michael Blackmon reaching on a walk to start the inning. He was replaced on the base paths by Jeremy Buckner. Gossett struck out the next batter, and Buckner moved to second with a stolen base. Bruce Caldwell rolled over a spiltty for an unassisted out by the first baseman Wade Metcalf, moving Buckner to third. Andrew Reardon then came to the plate, but on the squeeze attempt Gossett pitched out and they were able to get Buckner in a rundown to record the final out of the inning. Montgomery cruised again through the next frame, recording two more strikeouts to end the inning. Sumter again got the leadoff hitter on base after an error. Gossett struck out the next batter looking. Phillip Watcher came to the plate for his first at-bat on the night Monday. He was 2-for-2 against Gossett with 3 RBI’s on Tuesday. He again singled up the middle, but shortstop Alex Cunningham was able to cut the ball off behind the bag at second, where he wheeled and threw a bullet to third and got Reardon out…who had made his turn a little too long at the bag. Josh Kisamore followed that up with a single into right, but Gossett was able to get another big strikeout to end the threat again for the Gamecocks. We had more of the same in the third inning. This time Montgomery recorded three strikeouts, with a single from Rohlman and a walk sandwiched in between. John Campbell got the ball rolling for the Gamecocks with a single into center to start the inning. Blackmon then dropped down a sacrifice bunt and Gossett attempted to get the lead runner. The runner was able to beat the throw. Taylor McFadden was able to get down a sacrifice bunt down the first base line, moving both runners into scoring position. The Rebels then intentionally put Caldwell on first base to load the bases, and Gossett did it again with a one out strike out, then got a fly out to right from Will Smith. Montgomery showed signs of slowing some in the fourth (insert sarcasm) as he only recorded one strikeout this inning and let his defense work a little behind him. Here we also saw Gossett begin to loosen up, and things worked very well for him as he recorded two strikeouts and a ground out to end the inning. Rohlman continued to have a red-hot bat as he recorded his second double, and third hit of the game, putting him on second with one out. After a come-backer fielded for the out by Montgomery, and an intentional walk to Gossett, Bridgeman flew out to right to end the inning for the Rebels. The bottom of the fifth was the difference-maker in tonight’s game. All night long both coaches were making pinch-running changes, and really pulling out all the stops to try and scratch one run across, as they knew that is all it might take with the way the arms were throwing for both sides. Blackmon doubled with one out in the inning to get things going for Sumter. The next batter was McFadden, who drew a walk. This at-bat was the difference-maker for a few reasons, and the main one was that now Gossett had to face off with Caldwell. Caldwell won the battle in this at-bat, driving a line drive into the gap in left center. Steven Duggar made a fantastic stop with a diving grab to cut the ball off in the gap, and he popped up to throw a dart to third, but McFadden was able to reach third and Caldwell strolled into second for a stand-up double and the first RBI of the game. The following pitch was a hard fastball in the dirt that got by the catcher for a wild pitch, scoring McFadden from third. Reardon then reached on a bunt back to Gossett, but was able to get around the tag from the first baseman who was going back to the bag after charging on the bunt. The Rebels were able to turn a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning, but the damage had already been done with the Gamecocks scoring two runs. Cunningham singled to start the sixth for the Rebels but he was forced out on a fielder’s choice. It was more of the same for Andrew Cleveland, and then Montgomery did it again with another strikeout looking with two outs. Gossett still had the fastball working, sitting 93 in the …

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By: Barry Mabry – May 18, 2011 The AAAA State Championship continued tonight and it was crunch time for the Byrnes Rebels. After dropping Game One of the series Monday in Sumter 11-0, they turned to junior Zach Bridgeman to get the job done and tie this series up to send it to the rubber match on Friday. Sumter brought the sticks to the yard in the opener against Rebels Ace Daniel Gossett and looked to carry things over here in the Upstate tonight. A packed house was on hand (estimated over 2,000 fans) and both teams were ready to face off. With fans surrounding the entire field and both student sections in full effect, there was no time to waste. It was game time. -Bridgeman dominates; Byrnes forces game three- Bridgeman knew his team needed a quality outing from him tonight to send his Rebels to a third and final game on Friday. It is not as if this was uncharted territory for the junior, as he has done it the entire latter part of the season. To have a quality outing is one thing, but to do what Bridgeman did tonight was something special.   Sumter’s starter and SMC signee Josh Kisamore got the nod for the Gamecocks and threw very well, hurling 5 2/3 innings allowing five hits and fanning four. Both teams went scoreless in the first inning. The bottom half of Byrnes lineup produced a run in the second to take an early lead. Andrew Cleveland singled with one out and after a stolen base, Matthew Teal smoked an RBI double to put Byrnes ahead 1-0. Bridgeman surrendered his first hit in the top of the third to freshman Phillip Watcher (who is a stud) but Sumter failed to manufacture anything from it due to a failed bunt and Bridgeman snapping sliders off left and right to keep them off-balance. Kisamore went 1-2-3 in the bottom half. Bridgeman bounced right back and matched Kisamore with his own 1-2-3 inning in the fourth as both pitchers breezed through each other’s lineups. An uncommon error from the Gamecocks’ Bruce Caldwell to lead off the fifth presented another opportunity for the Rebels to tack on another run. With a runner on second and two outs, Clemson commit Steven Duggar busted a singled to left that brought Wade Metcalf home. 2-0 Byrnes. The Rebels added another run in the sixth on a wild pitch from a tiring Kisamore, making it 3-0. This ended his night which brought Caldwell in to get out of the jam. With momentum on his side and a one-hitter in his back pocket, Bridgeman went out to close this one up in the seventh. After retiring the first two hitters, well-deserved fatigue set in. With two outs, Kisamore singled bringing the freshman Watcher back to the plate. Watcher laced an opposite-field line shot (that was deflected off Byrnes’ leftfielder Reed Rohlman’s glove) and went over the fence for a two-run homerun, making it a 3-2 game. Bridgeman walked the next batter and Byrnes knew it was time to make a change. Alex Cunningham came straight from shortstop to close things out. Cunningham blew the next batter away with 92-93 MPH bolts to end this game forcing a Game 3 on Friday. *Game 3 will be Friday night at Gilbert High School, first pitch will be at 7:30. Future college rivals will face off once again when Sumter’s Jordan Montgomery (USC) toes it up against Byrnes’ Daniel Gossett (Clemson).    Final Score: Byrnes 3 Sumter 2  WP: Zach Bridgeman  LP: Josh Kisamore  SV: Alex Cunningham 2B: Teal (B)  HR: Watcher (S) Check out this link for more coverage: Sumter/Byrnes  -Prospect Info: Byrnes Rebels- Zach Bridgeman-Junior, Uncommitted, RHP/3B: What can you say? Bridgeman threw a gem tonight and did it in his usual way, snapping 73-75 MPH sliders off like it was his job. He allowed three hits, two walks, and struck out five in his 6 2/3 innings of work. There is no question about this guy being a legit competitor and I have to give it to him, his benders were consistent all night long. They never flattened out nor did they lose velocity. I did see him take a different approach during the third and fourth innings however which was a good sign for things to come. He started using his fastball and change up to his advantage and mixed things up very well. Fastball sat 82-85 MPH, Changeup 73-75 MPH. If he can transfer the confidence he has in his slider over to his changeup and turns 82-84 MPH into 87-89 MPH, a year from now he will be heading off to a major DI school. He has the size (6-5/200), the attitude, the slider, the experience of pitching in big games, and most of all, the inner desire to win already. Good things lie ahead. Very nice job tonight! Andrew Cleveland-Senior, Uncommitted, C: Got to give this guy a shout out. Not only did he square some baseballs up tonight (1-for-2 with a single, a line shot to the leftfielder, and a walk) but also he called a great game behind the plate. I only saw Bridgeman shake him off once and it was a fastball off the plate. Cleveland is tough as nails, does a nice job keeping balls in front of him, and looks to have a feel for the mental side of catching and reading hitters. Tonight was the best pop time I have seen from him (2.03 and 2.09 in game). A great catcher can be a pitcher’s best asset and tonight I thought he and Bridgeman did an excellent job working together. Alex Cunningham-Junior, Coastal Carolina commit, SS/RHP: Cunningham had a chance to display himself in many different areas of the game tonight flashing his versatility. Even though he committed an error, Cunningham plays his position very well. He made a solid backhanded play where he showed off his rifle across the infield in the third inning. Swift is the best words to describe him in the field. At the …

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By: Joey Haug – May 18, 2011 -Sharks’ Huge Fifth Inning Forces Game Three in AAA Championship- Wednesday gave us a beautiful evening for baseball in the Grand Strand, and there was definitely a championship atmosphere at St. James High School as the host Sharks looked to stave off elimination against the visiting Union Yellow Jackets. There was great energy on the field, and some chippiness in the stands between the zealous fans. St. James sent ace Gunnar Kines to the hill, while Dylan Rogers toed the rubber for Union. The game featured four lead changes, and a big inning that extends the AAA baseball season one more game. Union struck first, going up 1-0 in the top of the first when leadoff man Jake Walton homered to dead centerfield, bringing the Jackets’ fans (who traveled in full force) to their feet. After allowing a single and a walk, Kines got out of the jam and avoided further damage to end the top half. St. James would answer right back in the bottom of the frame. Anthony Cossentino got things rolling with a double to right-centerfield. Gunnar Heidt then lined a single back through the box, almost hitting Cossentino on its way through and forcing the second baseman to stop at third. Heidt stole second putting two in scoring position for Robert Troiano who grounded a ball to second base. The ball took a squirrely hop for Walton and skipped off the heel of his glove into rightfield, allowing both runners to come around to score and making it 2-1 St. James after one inning. Both pitchers appeared to settle in after the rocky first, exchanging scoreless innings in the second and third before Union re-took the lead in the top of the fourth. Antonio Wallace singled to open the frame, and Adam Lawson followed with a walk to put two on with nobody out for the Jackets. A double steal with an errant throw to third allowed Wallace to come in to score and brought Lawson into scoring position. Cal Arnold gave Union the lead when he followed with an RBI single, making it 3-2. A big shutdown inning by Rogers followed, and Union took momentum going into the top of the fifth looking to extend their lead. Walton singled to start things off, then stole second. After two quick outs, Wallace grounded a ball to the six-hole that Heidt was able to get a glove on. After bobbling the ball with no play at first, Heidt flipped to third looking to catch Walton rounding the bag too hard. The throw got past Preston Lane, allowing Wallace to reach second and putting two men in scoring position for Lawson. Lawson smoked a short-hopped line drive right back at Kines, he was able to make a great play on and snagged the would-be two-run single, flipping to first for the final out. After making the nifty play to end the top half, Kines led off the bottom of the fifth with a backside double. Marshall McClary then laid down a textbook push bunt, reaching to put runners on the corners for Tanner English. English got his hands inside a fastball and deposited it over the left-centerfield fence, bringing the Sharks fans to their feet and giving St. James a 5-3 lead. Cossentino followed with a walk, and with one away, he and Troiano executed a hit-and-run, putting runners on first and third for Lane, who doinked a check-swing infield hit to score Cossentino. With runners on first and second, Carl Buddin came in to pinch-hit and reached on an error, plating a run and putting runners on second and third for Hugh Benton, who rounded out the scoring in the inning with a two-run single. By the time the final out in the fifth was recorded, St. James had taken a commanding 9-3 lead. After a shutdown inning by Kines, St. James tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth when English walked, moved to third on another perfect hit-and-run (with Cossentino), and scored on an RBI fielder’s choice by Heidt. Final: St. James 10, Union 3  WP: Gunnar Kines  LP: Dylan Rogers  HR: Jake Walton (U), Tanner English (STJ) *With each team winning their home game, they will play the third and deciding game on Saturday at 2PM at Riley Park in Sumter. Probable starters are Josh Simpson and Anthony Cossentino, with everyone else who can lift their respective arms available in the pen in this winner-take-all showdown.* -Prospect Info: St. James Sharks- Anthony Cossentino-Senior, INF/P, USC Sumter signee: Cossentino was his usual sparkplug self tonight, getting the Sharks’ first hit (a double) and plating their first run. He was on base all four times he came to the plate, collecting two hits, a walk, and reaching on an error. Cossentino also scored two runs. He is a scrappy player who finds ways to put his team in position to win in tangible and intangible ways. Though he didn’t get much action defensively tonight, he is solid there as well. Tanner English-Senior, OF, USC signee: DP’s Barry Mabry wrote in his last write-up about English’s propensity to come up big in big-time situations. He did just that tonight. With his team down a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, English got a fastball in, pulled his hands inside the ball, and drove it out of the park to give St. James a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He roamed all over centerfield and almost brought back Walton’s homer in the first. English uses his speed well defensively and on the basepaths, scoring runs both times he reached base. He’s got plus bat speed as well and will have a tough decision ahead of him in a few weeks. Gunnar Heidt-Senior, SS, College of Charleston signee: Heidt collected two hits, an RBI, and a run scored tonight for St. James out his customary three-hole slot. Like his middle infield mate Cossentino, it was a relatively quiet night …

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By: Barry Mabry – May 16, 2011 Game One’s of the State Championship Series got underway in South Carolina this evening and here in the Upstate, DP treated itself to the AAA matchup between the Lower State champion St. James Sharks against Upper State champs Union County Yellow Jackets. Both clubs bring a ton of intensity to the field and we were sure to see a barn-burner. With bad thunderstorms looming the area, fans knew it was only a matter of time before the bottom fell out; and boy did it ever! A good chunk of the game was played before rain cut it short so let’s get to it… -Rice strong in Jackets victory- Union, making their first appearance to the State Championship game since 1974, sent Ricky Rice to the mound for game one against St. James’ Preston Lane. Both teams come in with a lot of confidence, having to win two in the Upper/Lower state games to advance to tonight. The Sharks jumped out to a lead in the top of the first. Tanner English led the game off with a rocket double down third base line. Anthony Cossentino bunted English to third and Gunnar Heidt plated him with a sac fly to centerfield. Sharks up, 1-0. Union answered quickly in the bottom half. Leadoff hitter Jake Walton took the first pitch from Lane and deposited it to the right-centerfield for a stand-up double. Lane retired the next two hitters and looked to be getting out of the jam but a throwing error to first base on a routine 5-3 allowed Union to tie the game up 1-1. Rice threw up a goose egg in the top of the second inning, striking out two. Dillon Barber led the second inning off for the Jackets with a single and Rice advanced him with a sac bunt. With two outs, Joe Beatty came through with a clutch RBI-single to put his team ahead 2-1. Rice went 1-2-3 in the top half of the third to get his team back in the dugout quickly, which paid off. Once again with two outs the Jackets scored a run. After Josh Simpson hit a chopper single, eight-hole batter Cal Arnold smoked a line drive, which was misjudged by leftfielder Marshall McClary for a RBI-double making it a 3-1 game. St. James loaded the bases in the fourth but came up empty-handed. Lane went 1-2-3 in the bottom half and Union matched that in the top of the fifth inning as the rain began to fall. Score still 3-1. Lane’s night ended in the bottom of the fifth inning after Brett Duckett’s lead-off double. Catcher Robert Troiano relieved Lane and got the next two hitters to ground out, bringing up another two-out situation. Troiano sailed a fastball over the catcher’s head, allowing a run to cross making it 4-1. A light drizzle slowly turned into a torrential downpour within minutes but it didn’t stop play or the Sharks from cutting the lead to two. A lead off walk by Rice brought Lane to the plate. Lane hit a chopper over third base for a single. McClary (who got burnt on a double the inning before) came up with a fisted bloop single to shallow centerfield. On the relay in, centerfielder Beatty heaved the ball over the second baseman’s head all the way to the Sharks dugout, allowing St. James to score and making it a 4-2 game. With rain pouring down, Rice found an extra gear and struck two of the next three hitters out. The umpires pulled all players off the field while St. James was warming up and be glad they did because the bottom fell out of the sky for the next hour or so. This game was banged, giving Union the victory and a 1-0 lead in the series.  ** St. James hosts Union for Game Two Wednesday night. Final Score: Union 4 St. James 2  WP: Ricky Rice  LP: Preston Lane  2B: English (SJ), Walton (UC), Arnold (UC), Duckett (UC) -Prospect Info: St. James- Tanner English-Senior, USC Signee, OF: Not a good ‘results’ night for English but he flashed plenty of tools to mention. I really enjoyed his patience in his first AB, which was rewarded. English smoked a hooking double down the third base line after falling behind early in the count (4.22 on the turn). In his second AB, English tried to pull a slick one by bunting on a late-in-the-count curveball but Union’s rock-hard field took away from the roll and even though getting down the line in 3.73 seconds, he was retired. Where English is a difference-maker is on defense, but he didn’t get to showcase that tonight much either. There is no question about his attributes, nor his love for the game as I have seen him perform many times. This kid may have that ‘X factor’ that some star athletes never possess which is the ability to shine in the spotlight. It is as if he feeds off being that guy and he takes all responsibilities that come along with being that guy. He is just a pleasure to watch play, plain and simple.    Robert Troiano-Senior, USC-Aiken Signee, C/RHP: Troiano is a duel option for any team. He is solid behind the dish and flashes 84-86 MPH from the bump with arm-side run. Seems to be a team guy and a gamer. Arm looks good from behind the plate but has some mechanical issues that hinder is pop time (2.15-2.20). Gunnar Heidt-Senior, C of C Signee, SS: Same goes for Heidt as it did for English as to getting the opportunities to showcase abilities, but Heidt has some silky smooth actions over there at SS. Another guy that isn’t shy about being in the spotlight, and actually probably operates better in it. Notable: Anthony Cossentino (Senior, USC Sumter, 2B) -Prospect Info: Union County- Ricky Rice-Senior, Uncommitted, RHP: I have seen Rice the past three times I have seen Union and I can tell …

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By: Will Cheatham – May 16, 2011 Diamond Prospects was on hand tonight for the premiere pitching matchup of the season in the opener of the AAAA State Championship series with the Byrnes Rebels and the Sumter Gamecocks squaring off. Daniel Gossett and Jordan Montgomery came into this game with the best pitching stats of anyone around, and both were sporting sub-0.50 ERA’s. Coming in expecting a pitching duel we got a near polar opposite out of this game. -Caldwell, Watcher & Montgomery dominate in opening game- In the top of the first, Montgomery set the tone for the pitchers, working quickly through the first three hitters. All three Rebel batters put a barrel on the ball, but all were right at a fielder. It was a different story for Gossett in his first inning of work. Leadoff hitter Michael Blackmon jumped on the first fastball he saw and ripped a hard line drive right at the third baseman who got a body on it, but the ball kicked to the outfield for a leadoff single. The next batter was unable to get down a successful sacrifice due to a tremendous defensive play by Gossett, leaving a runner on first for shortstop Bruce Caldwell. He sat back and hammered a ball deep into the gap and out of the park for a two-run home run. The Gamecocks got on the board again in the second inning in the same fashion with a solo shot coming from the bat of freshman third baseman Phillip Watcher. Watcher also made a great play on a ball in the top half of the inning, fielding a sharply-hit ball and making a strong throw to second to get the lead runner. The Rebels were able to get a guy on base in the top half with a single from Zach Bridgeman, but nothing came of it. Meanwhile, Montgomery was able to continue to cruise through the next few innings. Sumter continued to keep the bats going in the third inning. After a leadoff walk, the Gamecocks put together back-to-back singles from Caldwell and Will Smith. Andrew Reardon then rolled over on a ball and hit a slow roller to first that was mishandled on the tough play, plating the runner from third and allowing Reardon to reach safely, keeping the bases loaded. Phillip Watcher continued to have a big day as he singled on a hard ground ball up the middle to drive in two more runs in the inning. This was the final inning of work for Gossett as Reed Rohlman took over on the mound, but was unable to slow down the Gamecocks. In the fourth inning the Gamecocks combined to plate five more runs on six more hits highlighted by another long two-run home run from Caldwell. While this game was not what we were expecting to see it really did show how anyone can win at anytime, even in fancy fashion. Coming into this game we had two of the best arms in SC matching up against each other, but the Gamecocks were able to get the best of Gossett and they were overly prepared for his fastball. While Sumter made a statement with this opening game, the series is not over yet. Byrnes is in this position for a reason and don’t expect them to just roll over. This could shape out to be one of the best series in years. In the end tonight Montgomery was the dominant arm, throwing five complete giving up just one hit, striking out four, and walking no one. Final: Sumter 11 Byrnes 0, 5 innings; Gametime: 1 hour 6 minutes; WP: Jordan Montgomery  LP: Daniel Gossett  HR: Bruce Caldwell 2 (S), Phillip Watcher (S) Additional Info: To view article from Spartanburg Herald-Journal, click here. -Prospect Information: Sumter Gamecocks- Jordan Montgomery-Senior, USC signee, LHP: There is not much else we can say about this young man other than tonight he proved his worth and why he is the top lefthander in SC as well as a leading candidate for the Diamond King award. He threw five complete innings giving up just one hit to a powerful Rebels lineup. He struck out four and walked none. This puts his strikeout-to-walk ratio at 104/11. That is a statistic that speaks for itself. His fastball ranged from 85-87 tonight with a plus breaking ball that sat 72 for most of the night. The main reason for his success that I have seen throughout this year is his ability to locate in the strike zone. For all you young pitchers out there, this really goes to show you why throwing quality strikes is so important when it comes to winning ballgames. He doesn’t allow free bases and really pitched a fantastic game tonight. Bruce Caldwell-Senior, SMC signee, INF/RHP: This kid can flat out hit. Great batspeed and raw power from gap-to-gap. You could tell that in all of his at-bats tonight he was really locked in on Gossett and was determined not to let him beat him. In his second at-bat when he singled, he was caught out front on a change up, but was able to get the bat head out front and hit a hard ground ball through the hole between second and first. Then he came through again in his final at-bat with a blast that made the rightfielder freeze in his tracks and just look up into the air as the ball banged off of the light pole. He has smooth actions at short and a strong arm to go with it. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get to see him on the mound some in this series, but tonight it was all about the potent bat. Watcher Brothers-Freshmen, INF/RHP: I wanted to give you some information on both of these freshman starters for the Gamecocks. Tonight Phillip had the big game going 3-for-3 with a big home run and bases-loaded single, but brother Jacob has also got the tools to be a great player. Phillip made two outstanding plays at third …

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