James Island beats Dorman 8-6 to keep 3-peat hopes alive in AAAAA Division I baseball title series
Ole Miss signee Marchand strikes out side in seventh to pick up save
James Island – With its back against the wall, the James Island High School baseball team came out for a
fight and held off a late Dorman rally to even the AAAAA Division I state championship series at one game each on
Friday. James Island won the game, 8-6, at Tom Hatley Field.
The deciding game in the best[of-3 series will be on Saturday, May 30, at River Bluff High in Lexigton bdginning
at 7 p,m. James Island is gunning for a third straight state title.
James Island scored two runs in the first and a 4-run second pushed the early lead to 6-0. But Dorman, a 30-win
team, did not flinch. The Cavaliers put up five runs In the fourth to make it a game.
Charlie Becker was the winning pitcher for James Island, which is now 30-3 on the season , the same as the Cavaliers.
Senior Taj Marchand came to the mound in the top of the seventh and struck out the side to get the save. Marchand is a
Mississippi signee, but he is projected to be taken late in the second round or early in the third round of the upcoming
Major League Baseball draft as a shortstop.
Finn Pratt and Brandon Easterling each tallied three hits and two runs batted in for James Iskand. Marcchand and Trip
Ostergard each scored two runs.
Freshman Curtis Nash blasted a home run for Dorman. Nash had two of Dorman’s four hits in the game.
Logan McGarity took the loss for the Cavaliers.
BASEBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
AAAAA Division I
Dorman (30-3) vs. James Island (30-3)
Thursday
Game 1 – Dorman 9, James Island 4
Friday
Game 2 – James Island 8, Dorman 6 (series tied 1-10
Saturday
Game 3 – at River Bluff (Lexignton), 7 p.m.
AAAA
A.C. Flora (29-5) vs. Airport (24-8)
Thursday
Game 1 – A.C. Flora 2, Airport 1
Friday
Game 2 – A.C. Flora 4, Airport 0 (A.C. Flora wins state championship)
AA
Clinton (309-3) vs. Atlantic Collegiate (29-5)
Tuesday
Game 1 – Clinton 5, Atlantic Collegiate 1
Friday
Game 2 – Clinton 5, Atlantic Collegiate 4 (8 innings) (Clinton wins state championship)
CLASS A
McBee (22-12-1) vs. Latta (26-10)
Saturday
Game 1 – Latta 11, McBee 1 (Latta leads series 1-0)
Wednesday
Game 2 – McBee 12, Latta 5 (series tied 1-1)
Saturday
Game 3 – at South Florence, 6 p.m.
