Montgomery pleased with Kingstree baseball season despite missing out on state playoffs
Blazers' Karl McDonald places in 400 meters in AA boys track state meet
Kingstree – The Kingstree High School baseball team finished the season with a 5-14 overall record. However, the Blazers were only 1-11 in Region 7-AA and missed out on the state playoffs.
All of that being said though, Kingstree head coach Leonard Montgomery sees a lot of good that took place.
“Overall, I would say our season was at expectations considering how young our team was,” Montgomery said. “We only returned three starters, had no seniors on the roster, one junior, and two sophomores. Despite the challenges, our players continued to compete and gain valuable experience throughout the season that will help us moving forward.”
The fact that Region 7 has three teams that won their district tournaments in the AA state playoffs to advance to the lower state tournament in East Clarendon, Atlantic Collegiate Academy and Lake City made for tough sledding.
Kingstree had one player selected to the All-Region 7 team, that being Lazarus Moyd. Late in the season, Moyd was batting .310 with a team high in runs batted in with 12. He also had 21 stolen bases to go with two doubles, a triple and 14 runs scored.
Moyd had also been credited with three of the Blazers’ victories on the mound.
“He had an outstanding season for us and really stepped up in big moments throughout the year,” Montgomery said of Moyd.
Chase McCrea and Jamaree Mitchell had solid seasons as well. McCrea was batting .357 with a team high 20 runs and 25 stolen bases to go with two doubles, one triple and eight RBI.
Mitchell had a .346 average to go with one double, two triples, 12 runs, 16 stolen bases and 11 RBI.
With the potential to have everyone back next season and what he saw from the Blazers this year, Montgomery is excited about the future.
“I’m proud of the way our guys continued to compete and grow throughout the season,” he said. “We were a very young team with limited varsity experience, but the effort and commitment were there every day. The experience we gained this year will help build a strong foundation for the future of our program.”
MCDONALD PLACES IN AA BOYS TRACK STATE MEET
Kingstree’s Karl McDonald placed in the 400-meter dash in the boys portion of the AA track and field state meet on May 15 at the Richland Northeast track in Columbia.
McDonald placed eighth in a time of 51.24 seconds.
McDonald was the only Kingstree male to compete at the state meet. Two females competed but neither placed.
Kalee McCrea just missed placing in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing ninth. Zakia Jackson competed in the discus.
Kingstree didn’t crown a region champion in the Region 7 meet held at the Marion High track on May 1. However, McCrea and Jackson both finished second in their respective state events, and McCrea was also second in the 400 hurdles.
McDonald was second in the boys 400, while Quentin Frazier was second in the 400 hurdles.
KHS SOFTBALL FINISHES 1-14
The Kingstree softball finished with a 1-14 overall record and went 0-12 in the region.
The Blazers’ lone triumph was a 20-6 victory over Williamsburg County foe Hemingway.
Seventh-grader Denala Mosley and seniors Demia Mosley and Elisha Singletary had solid seasons for the Blazers.
Denala Mosley had a .294 batting average to go with a double, a home run, six RBI, 10 stolen bases and five runs. Demia Mosley batted .267 with 13 steals, two doubles, a homer and eight runs.
Singletary batted .222 with 13 stolen bases, one double and one triple.
