Chapman posts strong week on diamond

By Jed Blackwell/The Spartanburg Sports Report

With the high school baseball season underway, one local team has made some noise in the early going. Chapman is undefeated in Region III-5A.

And no, the Panthers haven’t started playing there.

Chapman won a pair of huge out-of-region contests against county foes Byrnes and Spartanburg last week. The Panthers were ranked in the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association pre-season Top 10, and have aimed to show the reason why early.

On Wednesday, Chapman trailed Byrnes 6-0, 8-7, and 10-9 before pulling out a dramatic 11-10 victory in eight innings. They tied the game at 10-10 on an error before Ben Rollins ended the game with a single to score the game-winner.

On Friday, the Panthers jumped all over Spartanburg, defeating the Vikings 11-2. Josh Bledsoe had three hits and three RBIs for the Panthers while Pearson Timmons picked up the win on the mound.

Chapman topped its two wins over 5A opposition with a 4-3 victory over 4A Greer for a 3-0 week.