The only consolation from Friday’s 10-1 home loss to Lake City Post 73 for Orangeburg Post 4 was it was a non-region contest.

Yet the manner in which Orangeburg self-destructed after a strong effort by pitcher Kyle Gallman did not sit well with head coach Frank Leysath. After trailing 1-0 through five innings, Lake City scored 10 unanswered runs over the next four innings off Gallman and Post 4 relievers Tyler Metts, Randon Sandifer and Kalin Smith.

Lake City’s comeback was buoyed in large part due to a series of fielding miscues and shaky defensive play by Orangeburg. Post 4 was credited with four errors for the game, although some of the uncounted mistakes proved just as costly.

Even more disconcerting for Leysath was seeing his team match Lake City with 11 hits, only to manage one run off winning pitcher Tracey Bishop on a first-inning RBI single by Gallman.

“We’re not that good that we can make four errors,” Leysath said. “Look at the scoreboard tonight and we get 11 hits. We get 11 hits and we got one run to show for 11 hits. You go back to Tuesday night, play 12 innings, get three hits and score one run and win a ballgame.

“We didn’t execute. We didn’t make the plays when we had to make the plays. We hit the ball, yeah, I’m satisfied with the way we had to hit the ball. Defensively, we didn’t turn it when we had to.”

Things started to go downhill for Orangeburg in the top of the sixth with a misjudged flyball in the outfield. With two outs and a baserunner on third, Lake City’s Dustin Garand sent the ball high off Gallman in the direction of center fielder Myles Brown.

Brown lost sight of the baseball as it soared over him and toward the center field wall. Right fielder Matt Arant catched the ball down as Garand headed to third base.

“Either one of two things (happened) -- he didn’t see it or he wasn’t ready,” Leyseth said. “That’s the only thing I can contribute to because he overran it bad. He’s going that-a-way and the ball is going that-a-away.”

The mistakes continued to add up in the top of the seventh as Lake City seized control of the game. Metts relieved Gallman, who allowed just four hits in six innings, and started off by hitting Shane Miles.

After Miles stole second base, Lake City’s Reggie Weatherford hit a pop up behind homeplate. Catcher Trez Wienges had an opportunity to make the catch, but dropped the ball.

Weatherford capitalized on the reprieve by laying down a sacrifice bunt. Metts retrieved the baseball, but his throw went past first baseman Don Sandifer, allowing Weatherford to reach first and Miles to score to put Lake City up 2-1.

After getting two straight outs, Metts hit his second batsman and shortstop Randon Sandifer was unable to field a slow groundball which allowed another Lake City baserunner to score.

An RBI single by Drew Phillips extended Lake City’s lead to 4-1 and accounted for the only hit of the rally. Garand would have another at-bat, only to watch a passed ball result in the fourth run of the inning.

Lake City added two more runs in the eight inning and Miles closed out the scoring in the ninth with a three-run homer over the right field wall. It was the first home run by a visiting player to Mirmow Field this year.

Orangeburg returns to action Sunday for a makeup game against Chapin-Irmo at Dutch Fork High School.

 

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