Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
MYRTLE BEACH, SC Hunter Gibson’s RBI groundout in the fifth inning scored Braxton Messer and Class A No. 8 Man Hillbillies rallied to defeat the Brockport (NY) 5-4 Thursday afternoon in the South Atlantic Bank Invitational at North Myrtle Beach High School.
Messer had three hits, including a double and three RBI as the Hillbillies rallied from an early two-run deficit.
Man trailed 4-2 after two innings and trailed 4-3 heading into the top of the fifth before Messer tied the game with his run scoring double to center field scoring Gavin Bartram to even the score at 4-4.
Messer advanced to third as the throw from center field came into home and scored four pitches later when Gibson grounded out to short giving Man a 5-4 lead.
Bo Thompson, who started the fifth inning with a single, pitched five scoreless innings for the win. Thompson allowed one hit, struck out nine and walked two batters as Man improved to 8-2 with the win.
Brockport scored three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 4-2 lead. Ryan Maxwell scored on an error to even the score, 2-2, and Brayden Scaccia had a two-out two-run single to give the Blue Devils the lead.
Man trimmed the deficit to 4-3 in the fourth when Brayden Compton scored on an error.
The Hillbillies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Messer singled to score Landon Cantrell and Thompson. The Blue Devils cut the deficit to 2-1 when Scaccia reached base safely on an error scoring David D’Ambrosia.
Brockport’s Carter Dunn was the losing pitcher, giving up five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. Dunn struck out five and walked one.
Scaccia had one hit and drove in two runs for the Blue Devils. Ethan Enderle had a double, Greg Rightmyer had one hit and Nathan Parker drove in a run.
Cantrell, Gavyn Cline, Compton and Thompson each had one hit for the Hillbillies.
Man will conclude play in the South Atlantic Bank Invitational Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Socastee High School against the Richlands Blue Tornado.