Dargan Lybrand took over a team after a losing season and non-playoff appearance.

He and assistant coach Blake Roland now oversee a state champion West Columbia Post 79 baseball program.

His week began with bad news from player departures to as many as 3 players quarantined after a teammate was diagnosed with covid-19.

But it ended on a good note as West Columbia completed an undefeated run in the SC American Baseball Summer League tournament.

“It’s a testament from where we’re from,” Lybrand said. “We’re from Cayce, West Columbia and we ain’t like the popular guy on the strip. But, we can play. I tell you, we can play.”

West Columbia twice defeated last year’s American Legion champion Greer in the opening and final games and Fort Mill in the semifinal.

West Columbia won by an average of 5 runs.

Greer and Fort Mill were finalists in last year’s American Legion tournament at Segra Park in Columbia.

How they won

The Greer Warhawks entered last weekend undefeated at 14-0. It was defeated by West Columbia in the tournament opener 12-8.

Down 4-1, West Columbia scored 4 runs in the top of the 2nd to take the lead.

Greer tied the game, but West Columbia answered with 4 straight runs to regain the lead for good.

Alex Pegues struck out 7 in 5 2/3 innings of relief to stymie Greer’s offense and enabled West Columbia to build a winning margin.

On Day 2, West Columbia once again rallied from an early deficit with a 4-run rally.

Fort Mill got within 4-3 before Post 79 answered with 4 unanswered runs to win 8-3.

Bradley Turner provided spot relief for West Columbia, striking out 3 in 4 innings.

He also closed out the game at 2nd base with a double play to end Fort Mill’s threat.

Championship Sunday brought more adversity for West Columbia as its planned starting pitcher Myles Hedgecock was ruled out with high fever.

Stepping up for the 2nd time this season was Pelion graduate Dylan Williamson. The Spartanburg Methodist freshman limited Greer to 5 hits and 1 run and struck out 3 in 5 2/3 innings.

“I was coming back from an arm injury,” Williamson said. “I was going out there trying to throw strikes, give my team ground balls and they stood behind me and helped us win.”

Beating Greer again

An RBI fielder’s choice by Joshua Wise helped West Columbia jump out to a 1-0 lead on Greer, which 45 minutes earlier had eliminated Fort Mill 8-2.

An RBI triple by Kameron Dunlap and RBI bunt single by Simms Owens extended the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the 2nd.

Dunlap and Owens came through again to help put 4 runs on the board in the bottom of the 3rd.

Dunlap drove in a run after he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. He later scored on a double steal with Owens, who reached on a 2-run single.

Owens relieved Williamson with 2 outs in the top of the 6th and the bases loaded. He recorded the final 4 outs in the 7-1 victory, prompting a pile-on celebration at the pitcher’s mound.

“It means a lot,” Coach Lybrand said. “They’ll take this on with them for the rest of their lives, just like I will.

“I won’t forget anything about this journey. Being that we were going through hard times, we worked through the adversity and we stepped up. That’s what life’s about, just stepping up.”