Lexington Post 7’s season concluded last week in the first round of the American Legion senior baseball playoffs.

Post 7 played a three-game series against Sumter Post 15 and got off to a good start, winning game one in a low-scoring thriller. But Lexington struggled in games two and three, losing both and ending the team’s season.

Lexington took the first game at home 2-1 in extra innings. The teams played neck and neck for the entire game, until the bottom of the ninth inning when Lexington scored the walk-off run.

It was a heartbreaking loss for Sumter. Lexington’s game-winning run did not come off an RBI, sac fly or any live ball scenario. Instead, Lexington’s Tradd Burton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Grant Kissner to cross home and clinch the win.

The P-15s hosted Lexington with their backs against the wall in game two. Sumter played with a hunger for one more game, striking for three runs in the first two innings before holding off a late push from Lexington to cling to a 5-3 win.

“It’s been a while since we’ve played ahead,” Sumter head coach Randy Twitty said after the win. “I was really proud of the guys to come back and play.”

For the second night in a row, the game was decided by a few costly mistakes. It came down to small ball, where Sumter was able to force a couple of early errors by Lexington by putting the ball on the ground.

“We had to try to claw our way back from a deficit early and I think it was just a couple of mental lapses at the time. I thought we did a good job recovering after the second inning,” Lexington head coach Scott Taylor said. “Overall, I thought we played

Lexington’s offense failed to take advantage of Bishop’s pitching by getting shut down themselves.

After a scoreless first inning, Sumter scored the ma- majority of its runs in the second. Brentston Rembert hit a single towards center field during the inning’s first at-bat.

Rembert moved to second after Mac McDaniel drew a walk. Joshua Parsons hit a bunt and was thrown out at first, but Rembert and McDaniel advanced with one out on the board.

Rembert scored the game’s first run after reaching home on an error by Lexington on a throw to first. McDaniel scored on a sacrifice fly from Balls to put Sumter up 2-0. Cooper Goff scored the last run of the inning, crossing the plate off a single by Bodie Bowden.

Sumter was held scoreless in the third inning but got on the board again in the fourth. Parsons reached base on his next at-bat after opening the inning with a single. A few batters later, he wound up at third base and made it back home after a sac fly from Balls.

While Sumter failed to score another run after the fourth inning, the early lead the team built was enough cushion, thanks to Robinson’s pitching.

“We just got some bunts down, got the key hits, and we feel like if we can get our pitchers three or four runs, we feel like they can hold,” Twitty said.

Lexington had few opportunities to score. The team only had two players reach second or better for the entire game. The closest they got to home came in the bottom half of the seventh inning when Maddox Free made it to third.

Free’s bid to get Lexington at least one point before the game was over came up short after teammate Blight hit a pop fly to right field for the final out.

With the win, Sumter advanced to the double-elimina- tion portion of the American Legion postseason.

a decent game. We just put the ball in the air too much with the bats.”

BJ Balls got the ball rolling for Sumter with a leadoff single in the first. DJ Clark dropped down a sacrifice bunt and Balls tried to go from first to third on a high throw. As Balls slid into third, the ball bounced away, letting the Sumter right fielder score with ease.

Joseph Chapman was then hit by a pitch before Brentston Rembert reached base on an error. A passed ball moved both runners before a ground-out off the bat of Gavin Rivers plated one more Sumter run.

In the second, Josh Parsons started things with a leadoff single before Cooper Goff popped a bunt high in the air. The ball dropped as Lexington converged on the ball and Logan Blight’s throw to second was too late for the force out. Brayden Robinson then dropped down a perfect bunt down the third base line to load the bases.

Lexington starter Grant Kisssner was able to limit the damage with a groundball to first, leading to an out at the plate and a pop out, but a passed ball sent Goff home to push Sumter ahead 3-0.

“We had a little chance to breathe there. By no means did we think the game was

over up 3-0, but it helps the pitcher not need to feel like he’s got to be so fine,” Twitty said. “He can kind of relax and throw his game and he knows that if he gives up a run, we have three.”

Lexington finally got on the board in the sixth, when a hit batter and a steal put the lead-off man in scoring position. Cooper James then roped a double to left-center, but Sumter pitcher Marion Davis buckled down for two quick outs to keep the Sumter lead at 3-1.

The P-15s added some much-needed insurance in the bottom of the inning. Gavin Rivers singled before heading to second on a sacrifice bunt. Josh Parsons singled to center to put runners on the corners before swiping second base. With two outs, Robinson hit a liner to right, plating both runs for Sumter. Those insurance runs proved to be critical an inning later.

Two outs into the final inning, Sumter pulled Davis. The P15s turned the ball over to Matt McKinnon, who let three batters reach base before being pulled as well.

Lexington got on the board after Sumter’s new pitcher, Benson Elmore, came in and walked one run home. He then gave up another hit, bringing the score to 5-3.

Post 7’s luck finally ran out after James hit a pop-up near home plate for the game’s final out.

Sumter’s win in game two forced a winner-takes-all game three back at Lexington.

Despite the home-field advantage, Lexington lost the game after being shut out 4-0. Post 7 struggled to connect with the ball, recording just four hits all game.

Sumter’s Robinson got the starting nod for game three. He pitched six full innings, giving up two hits, four walks and no runs. He threw three strikeouts.

“Our pitching carried us when we needed it,” Twitty said. “He’s the reason why we won this game.”

Peyton Price came on in the seventh and pitched the game’s final inning. He secured the shutout win for Sumter after retiring Lexington’s batters with a strikeout, a groundout out and a pop out.

For Lexington, Jack Rivers started on the mound. He threw for four innings before being replaced by Matthew Bishop the rest of the way. In those four innings, Rivers allowed six hits and four runs.

Bishop had a bit more success in three innings of work, giving up just one hit and no runs with four strikeouts. But