Lexington sweeps Ashley Ridge for AAAAA baseball title
Summerville – After last experiencing that championship feeling in 2013, the Lexington High baseball program revisited glory by winning the 2024 Class AAAAA state title with a two-game sweep of Ashley Ridge in the best-of-three championship series.
The Wildcats (26-6) used strong pitching, timely hitting, and a little luck to secure the championship after having to wait a week longer to play the series.
The championship series was delayed after an issue in the Lower State championship between Ashley Ridge and Summerville. Summerville initially won the Lower State decisive game, 6-4 in eight innings, but was found to have violated pitching rules resulting in a forfeit. Summerville appealed the forfeit to the SCHSL executive committee, eventually losing that appeal. The championship series began on May 23 with game one in Lexington.
The Wildcats won game one, 1-0, despite managing only two hits in the game. Lexington scored the lone run on a first-inning wild pitch and senior pitcher Jackson Burton tossed a complete game three-hitter.
Game two, at Ashley Ridge, saw the home team grab an early 1-0 lead despite leaving the bases loaded in the first inning.
“Not giving up a crooked number right there was huge for us,” Lexington head coach Brian Hucks said. “That was the whole key to the game. We were able to hold serve and keep it close. We just wanted to keep the game close and give ourselves a chance.”
Lexington managed just one hit through four innings off Ashley Ridge starting pitcher Noah Seguer.
“He was good but we just had to be patient and try to have good at bats and make him work,” Huck said.
The Wildcats finally broke through offensively with two runs in the fifth, getting RBI’s from Will Burgess and Brandon Cromer to take a 2-1 lead.
In the sixth, Toby Sobieralski doubled and scored on a Ryder Kellis squeeze bunt to take a 3-1 lead.
Ashley Ridge again loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Cromer, who came into the close the game in the sixth, struggled with control in the seventh. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases and Cromer fell behind 3-0 to Andrew McLaughlin. A high and tight fastball appeared to be ball four but the pitch caught the knob of the bat for a foul ball. Cromer took advantage with a key strikeout and ended the game with a fly ball to right.
“Kind of the story in the series,” Bellush said. “We got runners on in game one and tonight but we just couldn’t come up with the big hit. That’s baseball. We had our chances to win both games. We just were a little short.”
Hucks was pleased with his team getting over the hump for the first time in more than a decade. Lexington is a perennial title contender and has been favored in several years.
“It takes luck, takes some breaks, no doubt,” the coach said. “The ball sometimes didn’t bounce our way. We got a break with T.L. Hanna losing their first game in the district and that allowed us to play at home all through the upper state. Sometimes you need a break like that to win it. Our kids played with great toughness and character all through the postseason.”
While disappointed with the way the 2024 season ended, Bellush came away from the losses with a lot of pride and love for his team.
Ashley Ridge, a team that entered the AAAAA playoffs with only six regular season wins, got hot late and won seven postseason games before the losses to Lexington.
“I told these guys they will forever have a special place in my heart for the way they came together and just battled their way into an opportunity to win a state championship,” said Bellush, who led the program to a state title in 2012.
“No one gave us a chance and we used that as motivation. This team just kept battling and fighting and they have nothing to hang their heads about. We wanted to win the state championship. We came up short. But this team is a really special group.”
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