American Legion playoffs: Post 45 plays tight games; Post 81 ousted in second round

Liberty Post 81’s Noah Lester takes a swing during an Area 3 playoff game against Rowan County in Salisbury. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO — Randolph County Post 45 made it through two rounds of the Area 3 playoffs in American Legion baseball.

This week, the team is involved in a semifinal round of the playoffs against Union County Post 535.

The best-of-5 series began Sunday night with Union County prevailing 5-3 in eight innings at McCrary Park.

The winner of the series will have a spot in the state tournament. The other Area 3 semifinal series pits Rowan County Post 342 against High Point Post 87.

The semifinal winners will play in a one-game Area 3 final scheduled for Saturday night.

The first game between Post 45 and Union County included another comeback for Randolph County, though this one came up a bit short.

Randolph County’s Ben Luck scored on an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to extend the game. Grayson Slusher’s two-run homer off Elijah Prince in the eighth gave Union County the victory.

In a second-round series vs. Mooresville Post 66, Randolph County needed to win games on consecutive nights to avoid elimination in that best-of-3 encounter.

Game 2 was tied 4-4 in the sixth inning before Post 45 broke out with two big innings for a 12-4 decision. Caleb Coggins and Zack Scruggs each drove in three runs and Ethan Willard scored four runs. Braxton Walker was the winning pitcher.

Then in Game 3 on Saturday night at McCrary Park, Post 45 claimed an 8-7, 10-inning victory.

Mooresville went ahead in the top of the 10th, but a string of walks helped Randolph County notch the tying and winning runs.

Carter Brown’s two-run home run helped Post 45 trim what had been a 6-2 hole. Coggins’ fielder’s choice grounder brought in the tying run in the sixth.

Jake Riddle notched the pitching victory in relief of Brett Smith.

Mooresville overcame a five-run deficit to win 9-6 in Game 1, which began at McCrary Park and finished the next day at Lake Norman High School because it was played under protest beginning in the bottom of the sixth inning. Sean Jennison took the pitching loss.

Mooresville’s season ended with an 11-6 record.

Randolph County eliminated Chatham County Post 305 in a make-up Game 2 to sweep the best-of-3 first-round series. Brown’s grand slam was the big blow and Willard’s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning broke a tie. Drew Harmon was the winning pitcher in relief and Riddle notched the save.

Post 81 eliminated

Liberty Post 81 took South Division II champion Rowan County Post 342 to a decisive third game before falling by 7-1 on Saturday night in Salisbury in the Area 3 second-round series.

Rowan County’s five-run third inning proved huge as Liberty starter Mason Taylor took the loss.

Liberty used a 6-5, 10-inning home victory in Game 2 to extend the series, rallying from a three-run deficit and tying the game 5-5 on Eli Holland’s two-run double in the seventh.

Holland led off the 10th with a double and later scored on Will Stalker’s grounder.

The series began with Rowan County’s 11-2 victory. Mark King took the pitching loss.

Post 81 finished the season with a 10-14 record.