Crane relief, Wendell homer earn Greer win over Eastside
When Christian Crane steps to the mound for Greer, it’s hard to ignore two things from the senior reliever.
His confidence and competitiveness.
Against Eastside on Wednesday night, Crane was fired up after every inning-ending out. He’d leave the mound pumping his fist, screaming to the sky, high-fiving teammates. That showcased his competitiveness.
Crane threw four solid relief innings for the Jackets, earning the win in a 12-9 Greer victory.
His comments after the game? That’s where the confidence came out.
“Whenever I’m on the mound, I have the mindset that I’m better than whoever is in the batter’s box,” said Crane. “They will not beat me, no matter what.”
Crane worked his way out of several jams to preserve the win, including a bases-loaded jam with two outs in the final inning.
“It could be bases loaded with no outs and I know I’m going to get out of it,” said Crane. “I can put myself through the rough parts of a game and still make it happen.”
Greer bounced back from a series-opening 5-2 loss against the Eagles to even the series. Trey Wendell, a senior for Greer, hit his first-career home run in the top of the second inning.
Wendell unloaded on a fastball and the wind did the rest, carrying the ball over the left-center field wall.
“Off the bat, I was hoping to get a triple, but the wind really picked it up and carried it over,” said Wendell. “I was so excited… I was sprinting around the bases.”
Greer led 4-0 after the second inning, but the Eagles stormed back with six straight runs to take the lead after three.
The Jackets responded with a five-run top of the fourth and didn’t relinquish the lead.
They took down the Eagles in Friday’s rubber match too, 6-1, to claim the series victory.
“These guys bounced back after losing the first game [of the series vs. Eastside],” said Greer head coach Josh Smith. “This is a tough region, and we know every game counts if we want a shot at winning the whole thing.”
The Jackets (11-5, 6-3 region) will get a break from region play this week as they play a two-game set with Travelers Rest. After that, it’s on to Riverside in a rivalry series with potentially huge region implications.
Greer will travel to Riverside on Monday, April 15 and Friday, April 19. The Jackets will welcome the Warriors for a home matchup on Wednesday, April 17.
THE SCORE BY INNINGS
Greer 2 2 0 5 3 0 0 - 12
Eastside 0 3 3 1 1 0 1 - 9
Hits:
Greer - 10
Eastside - 17
Errors:
Greer - 2
Eastside - 0
GREER STAT LEADERS
Jacob Rainey - 3-4, 5 RBI, R, BB
Trey Wendell - 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 4 R, BB
Cole Bellinger - 2-3, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB
Winning Pitcher: Christian Crane - 4 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 3 K
EASTSIDE STAT LEADERS
Peter Mershon - 4-4, HR, 3 RBI, R
Cooper DeVries - 2-5, HR, RBI, R
Bennett Candler - 3-5, RBI, R
CURRENT 4A REGION 2 STANDINGS
Laurens - 5-1
Greer - 6-3
Riverside - 4-2
Eastside - 2-7
Wade Hampton - 1-5