James Island beats River Bluff 3-1 to win AAAAA Division I baseball lower state title
Trojans after third straight state title beginning on Tuesday on the road against Dorman
Charleston — Timely hitting and effective pitching will lead most baseball teams to victory, and the James Island High School Trojans used that combination to defeat River Bluff 3-1 on Saturday, earning their third straight lower state championship to advance to the AAAAA Division I state championship series.
JI will take on upper state champion Dorman in the best-of-3 series starting on Tuesday at Dorman in Roebuck. The Trojans will be going for a 3-peat against the Cavaliers.
River Bluff scored its only run in the top of the first inning. Dominick Norton
drew a one-out walk. A double by starting pitcher Walker Godwin put runners on second and third. Norton scored on a sacrifice fly by Sam Turner.
James Island came back to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Designated hitter Braden Deprill produced a 1-out single before rightfielder Ethan Stein singled to put runners on first and third. Deprill scored on an RBI groundout by sophomore Aiden Spivey. Stein later
scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-1.
In the bottom of the third, James Island scored the final run of the game to make it 3-1. Taj Marchand led off with a single and his pinch runner, Harrison Beldner, moved to second on a groundout by centerfielder Connor Dantzler, who signed a football scholarship with Tulsa. Beldner scored on a single to center by first baseman Finn Pratt.
After the game, James Island head coach Matt Spivey shared his feelings.
“I told the guys before the game today I was going to try and play as many of them as possible today, and of our 22 players in the dugout today, we probably played 17 or 18 players in some capacity,” said Coach Spivey. “This was just a total team win today.
“Then we put the ball in the hands of our senior leader (Marchand) to pitch the final three innings of the game, and he came through like he always does. “We were in so many jams today that we managed to get out of and you look up on the scoreboard and they only have one run. That was a credit to our defense, but you also have to credit River Bluff. This was the lowest scoring game of the series. They
came to play today.”
Coach Spivey said the Trojans’ pitching plan for Saturday’s game could not have worked out any better. Sophomore Brayden Easterling was the starting Trojan pitcher, working two innings and allowing one hit and one run.
“The pitching today really stepped
up,” said Coach Spivey. “Brayden got us started, and then Dawson Beldner has been doing a good job coming out of the bullpen all season, putting out fires. Then we knew the gameplan was to give the ball to No. 6 (Marchand). We told him to just toe the rubber and throw strikes, and for him to come in and give us three strong innings, in and out of traffic, just showed what he is capable of doing.”
Looking ahead to the state finals, Coach
Spivey said, “Winning today just meant we were guaranteed to play two more games this season. This was the state finals matchup everyone had circled. You don’t
have to tell our team anything. We know what we are going after. We’ve been here and we’ve done it and I would not bet against the Trojans.”
Coach Spivey said the matchup with Dorman will present two good offenses with excellent pitching staffs.
“They have a great 2027 pitching arm in Connor Wells, and he is their likely pitcher
on Tuesday. And even after they lost one starter to injury, they have a solid pitching staff. They are a very good team 1 through 9 at the plate,” said Coach Spivey. “We are going to have to play well, pitch well, and swing it well.
“Everyone said we were supposed to get into the finals and that was a lot of pressure on this team. These kids have battled all year long and here we are 29-3 and headed
to the state finals once again.”
Coach Spivey gave credit to the teams eight seniors.
“Our eight seniors work hard and come every day to play,” said Coach Spivey. “Some of them do not get on the field that much, but what they do as teammates and pushing our guys in the dugout is incredible.”
River Bluff head coach Mark Bonnette was very positive after the game despite a tough loss.
“James Island is a heck of a team, and I am just proud of the way our kids battled their tails off,” said Bonnette. “We would have liked to have one or two more hits with runners in scoring position but credit them for making plays when they had to.
“The play in the first inning by their infielder (Trip Ostergard) to keep a well hit ball from getting through saved them a run for sure. They have some elite players
and their guys stepped up.”
Bonnette said he is proud of his 12 seniors, and 10 of them have next-level
offers to extend their careers.
“One of our seniors who stepped up today was pitcher Walker Godwin,” said Bonnette. “We were a little thin on pitching coming into the game today, and he led us off by holding them down to one run. I also felt like Brooks Peloso, Ray Kastner and Mason Iser did a good job when they came in also.”
Bonnette finished up his 28th year in coaching with the tough loss. His 2023 River
Bluff team won a state title, and he also won a state title at White Knoll.
“This is our fifth lower state championship appearance in the 12 years that we have been a high school, and we are very proud of that accomplishment,” he said.
High School Sports Report also caught up with Marchand after the game, and the Mississippi signee, who came into the game with a .513 batting average with 40 runs batted in and 13 home runs, said he is looking forward to whatever opportunities come his way in the Major League draft in July. Marchand is thought to be a mid- second to early-third round pick.
“Certainly, my signability will be discussed and there are a lot of teams who have invited me in for workouts in June before the draft,” said Marchand. “It is going to be a busy summer for sure.”
The shortstop position is so valuable many mock drafts do not show a pitcher being selected until the sixth or seventh pick this year.
“The shortstop is your captain on the field,” said Marchand. “He’s the guy you rely on to keep everyone focused.”
Marchand has been in the program at James Island for six years, and he became a starter in the eighth grade.
“There is no doubt in my mind he could be drafted in the first round,” said Coach
Spivey. “He has all the tools you are looking for in a baseball player. I knew he was special during his first practice with the varsity as an eighth-grader.”
James Island had eight hits in the game with Deprill, Stein, and Pratt each contributing two hits. Marchand, who had four big strikeouts in his closing role on the mound, and Dantzler had the other hits.
River Bluff had four hits. Godwin led the way with two hits, including a double. Andrew Rye hit with a double, and Norton had the other hit.
