Remembering 2009...

We looked to the beginning of the 2009 baseball season with a lot of nervousness.   The Braves were predicted to finish last in the region having lost some key players from the prior year.  Most of the fans felt the Braves could easily finish last in the region as predicted OR just as easily finish first based on their leadership.  It was up to them.

 

The opening scrimmage against Wando was not a good start losing by double digits but from that loss things started improving.  They beat Andrews, split with Loris/Marion and played a good game with perennial powerhouse Conway.

Regular season opened with a win against Loris and some of the leaders emerged early.  Kyle & Travers pitched lights out and Socastee showed what they would show all year.  Cody Rice started it and David Rickenbacker hit 2 doubles.   They scored all 9 runs with 2 outs!! 

 

They then slammed eventual state runner up Camden 16-4 behind a 6 RBI, 2 HR (1 grand slam) effort by Tim Starkey, a grand slam by Jason Tomlinson, and a grand slam by eventual All State player and All Region Player of the Year Ayres Renfro.

 

They lose region opener to Gtown before winning against George Washington from WV.  

 

The first big win was against Myrtle Beach where Kyle Presley pitched an incredible game backed up by strong defense including the best catch I have ever seen by Ayres Renfro to end the game. 

 

They raised their record to 5-1 by defeating George Washington/WV again and then visit Lake City.  This is the first game after losing David Rickenbacker which was a huge loss for the team but forced them to come together.   They lost 7-5 with Tim Starkey going 4-4 with 3 doubles, Kyle Presley 2-3, and Travers Woodward hit a double.

 

They beat Carolina Forest in non region action behind great pitching of Richard Carmichael and then beat North Myrtle in region action.  Ayres Renfro hits 2 HRs, Travers goes 2-3 with HR, Kyle Presley 2-3, double and they now look like they can compete in the region!!

 

They then win 3 of 4 in Mingo Bay action before returning to region play.  They lose region game to Myrtle Beach badly but regain form by beating St James 7-4 the next game behind the pitching of Kyle Presley and hitting of Jason Tomlinson and Justin Vreeland.  Braves follow up with a region win over Lake City behind Richard Carmichael pitching and hitting of AyresRenfro , Jason Tomlinson, Travers Woodward, and Justin Vreeland.

 

Socastee then defeats St James again with a clutch bottom of the 7th hit by Kyle Presley with great pitching from Gunnar Kines, Sean Bonawitz, and Travers Woodward.

 

Two nights later the Braves clinch a playoff spot by defeating North Myrtle Beach.  Cody Rice went 4-4, Jason Tomlinson had a key HR, and Ayres Renfro added 4 hits.  They lose to Carolina Forest in non-region action and then clinch 2nd in region with win over Georgetown.

 

Not bad for a team predicted to finish last.  They entered playoffs with no expectations and were scheduled to face a strong Bluffton team. They start their first playoff game and fall behind 4-0 in top of 3rd.  Tim Starkey hits a 2 run shot in bottom of 3rd to bring them to 4-2.  Sean Bonawitz comes in relief and holds them while the Braves add runs.  Kyle Presley hits a game tying RBI in the 7th to force extra innings.  Socastee scores 1 in bottom of the 9th on a Justin Vreeland hit to win it for first playoff victory.  Sean earns a well deserved  MVP for this one.

They then travel 5 hours to #2 ranked (in state) Hilton Head to face #1 pitcher in the state, Greg Harrison.   While Socastee scored 4 runs in the 3rd, they were mostly on errors and Greg deserved his ranking as he shutdown the Braves for 5+ innings of no hit ball.  It was tied through 8 and then in the top of 9th, Tim got on base, and score via a Jason Tomlinson hit.  But Cody Rice deserves honors as he belted a 3 run homer to take us to 8-4 lead.  The Braves held on to advance as Travers Woodward gets his 2nd playoff win.

 

To advance, the Braves needed to beat Hilton Head once in two games.   Hilton Head brought Greg Harrison in the first game and he was dominant.  HH wins the first game 7-5 but Socastee had hitting from Ayres, Tim, Jason, Travers, Cody, and Kyle.  In the second game it looked all but over as Socastee was trailing 9-5 in the 7th.  Key hits by Richard Carmichael and Justin Vreeland rallied us to go ahead 13-9.  Justin ended up 3-4 as Socastee wins District VIII Championship.

 

Braves then face Camden (remember Camden from earlier!) for Lower States.  They could not score as they did earlier in the year and Camden prevails.  Travers Woodward and Cody Rice hit HRs but they are not enough.

In the elimination bracket we face Brookland-Cayce, a strong team but we match up well.  We lose 10-4 to end the year.  

 

The Socastee Braves end the year ranked #8 in the state.   Very strong for a team predicted to finish last in their region. 

 

Post season honors went to:

Ayres Renfro - All State, All Region, All Region Player of the Year, Toast of the Coast, 1st Team Diamond Prospects All State

Kyle Presley - All Region

Tim Starkey - All Region, 2nd Team Diamond Prospects All State

Travers Woodward - All Region, 2nd Team Diamond Prospects All State

Jason Tomlinson - Honorable Mention All Region

Cody Rice - Honorable Mention All Region

 

Coach Daurity, his staff, and the players should be proud of what they accomplished.   I know we are proud of you.

 

Post from 06/02/09:

Socastee players named to Diamond Prospects All State Teams.  Ayres Renfro is named to 1st team and Tim Starkey and Travers Woodward named to 2nd team for 2009-All-DP.  Congratulations and great job.  Click here for link:   Diamond Prospects 

Post from 05/31/09:
End of year SCBCA (South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association) polls are in and Socastee finishes #8 in the state for AAA.  Great job everyone.  To see polls click on the following:  SCBCA Polls

 

Post from 05/26/09:

Ayres Renfro is named to the All State team.  Congratulations Ayres, great finish to a great season and career.  Good luck to you in the future.

 

Post from 05/18/09:

Ayres Renfro is named Region VII Player of the Year.  Congratulations Ayres, you deserved it for a great season and a great career.   Socastee lands 6 players on the All Region team.  Also making the Region VII All Region team were Kyle Presley, Tim Starkey, Travers Woodward, Cody Rice, and Jason Tomlinson.  Ayres, Kyle, Tim, and Travers were named to First Team and Cody and Jason were Honorable Mention.   Congratulations everyone.

 Post from 05/17/09:
The 2009 season ends but it was a good one.  The team finished 18-9 overall and 7-3 in region play.  They played great as a team with a lot of "team" wins.   Congratulations to the players on a great year.  Also, congratulations to Coach Daurity and Coach Musser for helping this team achieve what it was capable of,  while it comes down to the players, you put them in a position to win.  Thank you to Larry Greer for providing information to this web site, I know a lot of out of town family members appreciate you helping keep them updated on their kids, grandkids, etc.   Also, thank you to Fred Tomlinson for picking up the PA announcer duties this year, you did great and you will be missed.   There are many others that contributed and a thanks go out to you. 

Congrats again and good luck Braves!.

Post from 05/11/09:

Braves end their season in a Lower State Championship bracket elimination game to Brookland-Cayce by a score of 10-4.  They should be proud of the season though as at the beginning the year they were predicted to finish last in their region yet finished second in the region at 7-3 and won a very difficult District VIII Championship to enter the Lower States. 

Pitching for the Braves were Kyle Presley and Travers Woodward.  They both had great years on the mound and should be strong next year as returners.  Hitting for Socastee were Ayres Renfro (1-4), Tim Starkey(1-3), Jason Tomlinson (1-3, RBI), Travers Woodward (2-4, 2B, RBI), Cody Rice (1-3, RBI), Kyle Presley (1-3), and Justin Vreeland (1-2).  Stats have been posted. 

This game ends the high school baseball careers of Antrel, Ayres, Cody, Jason, and Sean.  You should be proud of your contributions to Socastee High School baseball for your athletic abilities but more importantly, you should be proud of how you have represented yourself, your family, and as a representative of Socastee High School.  You have always conducted yourselves with class and we are sure you will do well as you move on to the next stage.  We thank you for your efforts and contributions, you will be missed.  

Post from 05/10/09:

Socastee loses opener in Lower State Championship bracket to Camden 13-4. 

We had homers by Travers Woodward and Cody Rice but not enough hits strung together.  Pitching for the Braves were Jason Tomlinson, Gunnar Kines, and Richard Carmichael.  Hitting for Socastee were Tim Starkey(1-2, 2B), Travers Woodward (2-4, HR, 3RBIs), Cody Rice (2-4, HR, RBI), Kyle Presley (2-3, 2B), and Justin Vreeland (1-3).  Stats have been posted.

  

The will now play Brookland-Cayce at home on Monday evening.  Game time is 6pm. 

 Post from 05/06/09:
 The Socastee Braves are the District VIII Champs! 

 

The Braves rallied to score 8 runs in the 7th inning to get a 13-10 victory in the championship game.  Congratulations! More details to be posted soon.

Come out to the Socastee field and support the Braves on Saturday at 3pm as they take on District VI champs Camden in the first game of the Lower State Championship.

Game#2 Summary - Socastee started the scoring with a Cody Rice 3 run homer in the 1st and it looked good but Hilton Head scored 3 in the bottom half of the 1st and we were tied.  We went down by a score of 9-3 in the 3rd and it looked like it was over until the Braves last at bat in the 7th inning trailing 9-5.  Jason led off the inning with a walk, a few walks later, a single by Richard Carmichael, followed by a double by Justin Vreeland and the Braves take the lead.  They add a few more (they were playing as the visitors) and go into the bottom of the 7th with a 13-9 lead.  Incredible rally.  Travers allowed a few base runners but then struck out Leitner (he hit a homer earlier) to seal the victory.  With the win they win the District VIII championship. Pitching for the Braves were Kyle Presley, Richard Carmichael, and Travers Woodward (Travers gets his 3rd victory in 3 playoff games!!!).  Getting hits for Socastee were Ayres Renfro (2-2, 2-2Bs), Tim Starkey (RBI), Jason Tomlinson (1-4, RBI), Travers Woodward (2-4, RBI), Cody Rice (1-4, HR, 3RBIs), Kyle Presley (RBI), Jake Davis (RBI), Richard Carmichael (1-2, RBI), and Justin Vreeland (3-4, 2B, 2 RBIs).  Stats have been posted.  

Game#1 Summary - Braves fell behind early trailing 7-2 in the 5th.  A late rally brought them to 9-6 but not enough for the win and forced a second game. Pitching for the Braves were Gunnar Kines, Sean Bonawitz, and Justin Vreeland.  Getting hits for Socastee were Ayres Renfro (3-4, 2-2Bs), Tim Starkey (2-4, 2B, RBI), Jason Tomlinson (2-3, RBI), Travers Woodward (3-4, 2RBIs), Cody Rice (RBI), Kyle Presley (1-4).  Stats have been posted.  

Post from 05/01/09:
Socastee defeats #1 seed Hilton Head 8-4 in 9 innings.  Cody Rice belts a 3 run HR to give us a 4 run lead and Travers shut them down for the last 3 innings to get the win.  Kyle Presley started on the mound and pitched 3 solid innings before giving up a few hits in the 4th.  Jason Tomlinson came in and pitched 2 shutout innings before giving way to Richard Carmichael.  Richard looked strong but gave up a few walks so Travers Woodward was brought in with the bases loaded and Greg Harrison at the plate.  Travers got him to popup to Tim to end the threat.  He then held them scoreless for 3 more innings to get his 2nd win in 2 nights!   In the top of the 9th Tim reached 1st, stole 2nd and 3rd and scored on an error on a Jason Tomlinson hit to give the Braves a 5-4 lead but the big blow was after Travers reached on a walk Cody Rice crushed a deep homer to left field to give the visitors a 4 run lead that they would hold.  Hitting for the Braves were Tim Starkey (2-5, 2RBIs), Cody Rice (1-5, HR, 3RBIs), Kyle Presley (2-5, 2B), and Jake Davis (1-4).  Sun News coverage of game.   The Hilton Head paper, The Island Packet, has coverage as well.   They play Wednesday evening at home.    

Post from 04/30/09:
Socastee wins the 1st round playoff game 6-5 in 9 innings against visiting Bluffton.  They belted 14 hits including a Tim Starkey home run and 2 doubles by Ayres Renfro and a double by Travers Woodward.  Kyle Presley had 2 hits including driving in the tying run in the bottom of the 7th to force extra innings.  Pitching for the Braves were Gunnar Kines, Sean Bonawitz (Great job and gets the game MVP), and Travers Woodward(picks up the win).  Getting hits for Socastee were Ayres Renfro (3-5, 2-2Bs), Tim Starkey (1-3, HR, 2 RBIs), Jason Tomlinson (1-4), Travers Woodward (3-5, 2B, RBI), Cody Rice (1-3), Kyle Presley (2-5, RBI), Richard Carmichael (1-4), Manny Berdayes (1-3, RBI), Jake Davis (RBI), and Justin Vreeland (1-4).  Stats have been posted.   There is some great coverage at the Sun News and on WBTW (Click on video play when Manny #19 appears).  The Bluffton paper, The Island Packet also covered the game.  They play tomorrow evening at Hilton Head at 6pm.    

  

Post from 04/28/09:
The Braves enter the District playoffs as the #2 seed at home on Thursday against Bluffton at 6pm.    There 2nd game will be on Saturday.  If the Braves win and NMB wins they will play NMB at home.  If NMB loses to Hilton Head and the Braves win they will play away at Hilton Head.  If the Braves lose and NMB loses they will play NMB at home on Saturday.    

Post from 04/28/09:
Socastee Braves end their regular season with a region victory over Georgetown by a score of 5-3.  They finish 2nd in the region at 7-3 and overall at 15-6 as they ready for the playoffs. Pitching for the Braves were Kyle Presley (gets the win and moves to 4-1) and Gunnar Kines (picks up the save).  Getting hits for Socastee were Ayres Renfro (3-4), Tim Starkey (1-2, RBI), Jason Tomlinson (1-4, RBI), Travers Woodward (1-4), Cody Rice (RBI), Kyle Presley (1-4), and Matt McKinney (1-3).  Stats have been posted.  

Post from 04/24/09:
Braves fall to Carolina Forest 7-0 in non-region action.  Not many hits in a down game for Socastee.  Pitching for the Braves were Richard Carmichael, Gunnar Kines, and Sean Bonawitz.  Getting hits for Socastee were Travers Woodward (1-2), and Kyle Presley (1-2)  Stats have been posted.   

Post from 04/22/09:
BRAVES CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT!!!

Socastee beats North Myrtle Beach 8-7 in 9 innings to clinch playoff spot.  They have a shot to win the region with a win over Georgetown and a Myrtle Beach loss.  The Braves had 16 hits and did them in streaks hitting 5 in a row once and 4 in a row another time.  Jason came up big with a 2 run blast against a strong wind and Cody was 4-4 and Ayres had 4 hits.   Pitching for Socastee were Kyle Presley, Cody Rice, and Jason Tomlinson (gets the win).  Getting hits for Socastee were Ayres Renfro (4-6, 2B), Tim Starkey (2-5, 2 RBIs), Jason Tomlinson (3-5, 2B, HR, 3RBIs), Travers Woodward (2-5, RBI), Cody Rice (4-4, RBI), and Justin Vreeland (1-5).  Stats have been posted.  

Post from 04/20/09:
The Braves defeat St James on a bottom of 7th hit by Kyle Presley to win by 6-5 and move to 5 and 3 in the region.  There were key hits by Richard Carmichael (homer) and many others.  Pitching for the Braves were Gunnar Kines, Sean Bonawitz, and Travers Woodward who picks up the win.  Getting hits for Socastee were Ayres Renfro (2-3, 2B), Jason Tomlinson (1-2, RBI), Travers Woodward (2-4), Cody Rice (1-4), Kyle Presley (1-3, RBI), Jake Davis (1-1), and Richard Carmichael (1-3, HR, 2RBI).  Stats have been posted.  

Post from 04/18/09:
Socastee beats Lake City in a regional matchup Friday night at Socastee Field by a score of 10-6.   Braves went down 1-0 in the 3rd but quickly scored 3 of their own with home run by Ayres and a 2 run homer by Jason.   Lake City then scored 4 in the 5th to take a 5-3 lead but it did not last long as Socastee rallied with 7 in the bottom half with key hits by Justin and Travers with each driving in 2 runs.   Richard Carmichael started the game and went 4-2/3 and Gunnar Kines came in and picked up the win.  Getting hits for Socastee were Ayres Renfro (3-4, HR, 2 RBIs), Tim Starkey (1-3), Jason Tomlinson (1-3, HR, 2 RBIs), Travers Woodward (2-4, 2B, 2RBIs), Cody Rice (1-4), Kyle Presley (1-4, RBI), Richard Carmichael (1-3), Justin Vreeland (3-4, 2B, 2RBIs), and Jake Davis (1-2).  Stats have been posted.  

Post from 04/17/09:
The Braves defeat St James away 7-4 behind the pitching of Kyle Presley and some timely hits as Socastee moves to 3-3 in the region.  Socastee went up 1-0 in the first on when Ayres lands on 3rd after a hit and was driven in by Jason.  In the 2nd we loaded the bases and Tim hit a 2 out hit to drive in 2 to take us to 3-0.  Travers started the 3rd with a hit followed by Cody with a single.  Kyle drove in a run with a hit and Jake Davis pinch ran for him.  Jake scored the 3rd run of the inning taking the Braves to 6-0.   St James scored 2 in the bottom of the 3rd and 2 in the bottom of the 4th.  Socastee added 1 in the 5th when Sean scored and the Sharks could get no closer as Kyle pitched well and Cody came in to close out the 7th getting them to fly out for 3 outs in 3 batters.  Pitching for the Braves were Kyle Presley (gets the win) and Cody Rice (save).  Getting hits for Socastee were Ayres Renfro (1-4), Tim Starkey (1-4, 2B, 2 RBIs), Jason Tomlinson (RBI), Travers Woodward (2-3), Cody Rice (1-4), Kyle Presley (2-4, RBI), Richard Carmichael (RBI), and Justin Vreeland (2-4).  Stats have been posted.   

Post from 04/14/09:
Socastee falls hard to region foe Myrtle Beach.  Myrtle Beach went up 3-0 in top of the first but the Braves came back with an Ayres double, a single from Tim, and a Jason homer to tie it in the bottom of the first.  From there it never got better as too many errors and not enough hits contributed to the region loss.  Pitching for the Braves were Travers Woodward, Gunnar Kines, Sean Bonawitz, and Cody Rice.  Getting hits for Socastee were Ayres Renfro (2-2, 2B), Tim Starkey (1-3, RBI), Jason Tomlinson (1-3, HR, 2 RBIs), Travers Woodward (1-2), Cody Rice (1-3), Kyle Presley (1-2), and Justin Vreeleand (1-1).  Stats have been posted.   

Post from 04/10/09:
The Braves lose game 4 of the Mingo Bay tourney 7-6 to University High from WV.  Socastee jumped out early scoring 4 in the first but gave up 6 unearned runs in the 4th to University.  They scored two in the bottom of the 7th but fell one short.   They take a few day break before starting region play next week.  Pitching for the Braves were Kyle Presley, Sean Bonawitz, and Cody Rice.  Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro (2-4),  Tim Starkey (1-3, 2B),   Travers Woodward (2-4, RBI), Kyle Presley (2-4, 2 RBIs), Richard Carmichael (1-3, 2B, RBI),  and Justin Vreeland (1-3, RBI).  Stats have been posted.  

Post from 04/08/09:
The Braves win game 3 of the Mingo Bay tourney 15-1 against Southwestern from New York.  Justin Vreeland pitched a great game and picks up the win in the shortened victory.  Ayres homers, Tim triples, Travers and Justin both doubled, and Manny Berdayes gets his first varsity hit and RBI as he was called up to catch.  Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro (2-2, HR, 4RBIs),  Tim Starkey (2-3, 3B, 2 RBIs),   Travers Woodward (1-2, 2B), Cody Rice (1-3), Kyle Presley (2-2), Richard Carmichael (1-2, RBI), Manny Berdayes (1-2, 2RBIs), and Justin Vreeland (2-3, 2B, 3 RBIs).  Stats have been posted. 

Post from 04/07/09:
The Braves lose 2nd Mingo Bay game 12-10 to Central High from New York.  Lots of runs but too many errors and they drop to 9-3 for the year.   Jason Tomlinson had 2 HRs and 3RBIs in the game and Kyle Presley went 3-4.  Pitching for Socastee were Travers Woodward and Jason Tomlinson.   Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro (1-4, RBI),  Jason Tomlinson (2-4, 2HR, 3 RBI),  Travers Woodward (1-4), Kyle Presley (3-4), Richard Carmichael (1-3, 2B), and Justin Vreeland (1-4).  Stats have been posted. 

Post from 04/07/09:
The Braves win their Mingo Bay opener in a high scoring game 16-15 over visiting Gar-Field from Virginia.   They had 16 hits led by Cody Rice, Jason Tomlinson, and Kyle Presley with Cody hitting a grand slam.  Pitching for Socastee were Richard Carmichael, Sean Bonawitz, Gunnar Kines, and Cody Rice.   Gunnar picks up the win.  Hitting for the Braves were Tim Starkey (1-3), Jason Tomlinson (3-3, 4 RBIs), Travers Woodward (2-5, RBI), Cody Rice (4-4, 2B, HR, 6RBIs), Kyle Presley (3-3), Richard Carmichael (1-4, 2 RBIs), and Jake Davis (2-2, 2 RBIs).  Stats have been posted. 

Post from 04/05/09:
The forum/billboard section has been added to the site.  Anyone can view the messages but you must register and be approved to make a post.   The team has started out well so let them know how much you appreciate their efforts!!

Post from 04/03/09:
Braves game at Gtown rained out.  Has not been rescheduled.

Post from 04/02/09:
Message from Coach Stallard:  I’ve been keeping up with the season (thanks to this site).  I am at Easley High School now in Pickens, SC.  Just wanted to tell all the players to keep it up and I’m proud of the way they are playing.  Good Luck in the Mingo Bay and in the rest of the season!

Post from 04/02/09:
The Braves defeat visiting West Brunswick at Ripken Field Wednesday night.  Final score 9-6 with the lead changing hands throughout.  8 different players had base hits with Cody Rice and Tim Starkey having doubles.  Pitching for Socastee were Sean Bonawitz, Jason Tomlinson, and Cody Rice.  Jason picks up the win.   Best defensive play was Justin making backhand snag up the middle and tossing to 2nd for force. Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro (1-2), Tim Starkey(2-4, 2B, RBI), Travers Woodward(1-4, RBI), Cody Rice (2-4, 2B, 2RBIs), Richard Carmichael (1-4, RBI), Kyle Presley (2-4, 2RBIs), Justin Vreeland (2-4), and Sean Bonawitz(1-2).  Stats have been posted. There is some good coverage in the Sun News. Click here for game coverage.     Click here for game photos

Post from 04/01/09:
Socastee defeats North Myrtle Beach in region action Tuesday night.  Final score of 7-5 with the Braves hitting 3 homers.  Travers Woodward pitched a great game picking up the complete game victory.  He shares player of the game with Ayres Renfro who hits two home runs. Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro (3-4, 2HR, 4 RBIs), Tim Starkey(1-4), Jason Tomlinson(1-4), Travers Woodward(2-3, HR, RBI), Kyle Presley (2-3, 2B), and Justin Vreeland (1-3, 2B).  Stats have been posted.

Post from 03/30/09:
Socastee beats Carolina Forest 3-1 away behind the pitching of Richard Carmichael.  Defense played well with no errors and some key hits led to the win.   Richard gets player of the game honors and hitting for the Braves were Ayre Renfro (1-4), Tim Starkey(1-3), Jason Tomlinson(2-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBIs), Travers Woodward(2-3, 2 2Bs, RBI), Richard Carmichael (1-3, 2B) and Kyle Presley (2-3).  Stats have been posted.

Post from 03/28/09:
Last night's game was rained out.  It has not been rescheduled yet.  Next up is Carolina Forest on Monday away.

Post from 03/26/09:
Last night's game was rained out and it is likely that tomorrow night's game will be rescheduled as well.  Schedule will be updated shortly.

Post from 03/25/09:
The Braves fall to Lake City 7-5 in region action. They couldn't overcome a 5 run 3rd as they stranded too many runners. Pitching for Socastee were Gunnar Kines and Travers Woodward.  Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro (1-3), Tim Starkey (4-4, 3-2Bs, RBI), Travers Woodward (1-4, 2B),  and Kyle Presley (2-3). Stats have been posted.

Post from 03/21/09:
Socastee outscores visiting George Washington (WV) 12-9 to raise their record to 5-1. The Braves played solid defense and used aggressive baserunning to take the win. Pitching for Socastee were Jason Tomlinson, David Rickenbacker (gets the win) and Ayres Renfro. Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro (1-2), Jason Tomlinson (1-4, HR, RBI), Travers Woodward (3-4), Tim Starkey (1-2), Justin Vreeland (2-3), Jake Davis (1-2, 2 RBIs), and Gunnar Kines (1-1). Stats have been posted.

Post from 03/20/09:
The Braves defeat Myrtle Beach for their first region win behind the pitching of Kyle Presley and Gunnar Kines, hitting of Travers Woodward, David Rickenbacker, and Jason Tomlinson, and the game saving catch from Ayres Renfro. Kyle pitched great and when he did not strike them out he had a good defense behind him. In the 2nd, MB led off with a double but Tim picked the runner off of 2nd, and then Kyle and Tim had a strike em out, throw out to end the inning. Later in the game leading 2-1, Ayres reaches base, David hits a single to right, they steal and then MB walks Jason. Cody then hits a hard ball to 2nd and a run scores on the sacrifice. Leading 3-1 going into the bottom of the inning, the leadoff batter gets on, Gunnar strikes out #1, out #2 hits into a force, and then Ayres snatches the game tying hit from the air. It would be hard to describe how great a catch Ayres made, he stretched out after covering a lot of field, if he misses.... but he didn't and they win. Great game. Stats have been posted

Post from 03/19/09:
The Braves defeat visiting George Washington (Charleston WV) 9-6 led by Cody Rice's 3 run homer in the 2nd. Socastee had an 8-3 lead after 2 but GW worked their way back in to the game. Sean Bonawitz started for the home team and scattered 5 hits before Richard Carmichael came in for 3 innings and David Rickenbacker gets the save. Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro(1-4), David Rickenbacker (2-4, 2B), Tim Starkey (1-3, RBI), Travers Woodward (1-4), Kyle Presley (2-3, 3RBIs), and Cody Rice (1-3, HR, 3RBIs). Stats have been posted. Next up: Myrtle Beach away on Friday and George Washington (West Virginia) again at home on Saturday

Post from 03/18/09:
Socastee goes down early and can't recover as they lose to visiting Georgetown 8-3. Gtown jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the top of the 1st and the Braves answered with 3 in the bottom of the inning with extra base hits by Renfro, Rickenbacker, and Starkey but could get no closer as they lose their region opener. The Braves outhit the Bulldogs 10-9 but a grand slam by Gtown pitcher Kyle Ward early was enough. Pitching for Socastee were Travers Woodward, Gunnar Kines, Cody Rice, Matt McKinney, and David Rickenbacker. Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro(2-3, 2B, RBI), David Rickenbacker (2-4, 3B, RBI), Jason Tomlinson (1-4), Travers Woodward (1-4), Tim Starkey (3-4, 2-2Bs, RBI), and Justin Vreeland (1-3). Stats have been posted. Next up: George Washington (West Virginia) at home tonight

Post from 03/14/09:
The Braves win big over visiting Camden 16-4 behind 4 home runs include 3 grand slams. On the mound for Socastee was Richard Carmichael for 4 innings and Travers Woodward for the last inning as the game ended on the 10 run rule after 5. The home runs accounted for 14 RBIS as Tim Starkey had a 2run HR and a grand slam while Jason Tomlinson and Ayres Renfro each had a grand slam. Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro(2-3, HR, 2B, 4RBIs), Jason Tomlinson (2-4, HR, 4RBIs), Cody Rice (1-3, RBI), Tim Starkey (2-2, 2HRs, 6RBIs), Kyle Presley (1-3), Richard Carmichael (1-2) and Matt McKinney (1-3). Stats have been posted.

Post from 03/10/09:
Socastee wins their opener against Loris 9-2 behind a great pitching effort from Kyle Presley (no earned runs) and Travers Woodward (struck out all batters he faced (7!) in two innings). Combined pitching held Loris to 1 hit, a Texas Leaguer to right field. The team also hit well with 2 doubles from David Rickenbacker, 2 hits each from Tim Starkey and Kyle Presley, a triple from Ayres Renfro and a double from Jason Tomlinson. All 9 runs were scored with two outs and came on RBI hits starting with Cody Rice's RBI single in the first. Great clutch hitting. Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro(2-3, 3B, RBI), David Rickenbacker (2-3, 2-2Bs, 4 RBISs), Jason Tomlinson (1-4, 2B, RBI), Cody Rice (1-4, RBI), Tim Starkey (2-4, RBI) and Kyle Presley (2-4, RBI). Stats have been posted.

Post from 02/28/09:
The Braves played Conway on Friday and started out well with Ayres Renfro hitting a lead off homer. Through 8 innings the Braves were down only 5-3 against a strong 4A club. Socastee pitching pitched well early and only gave up runs late. Pitching for Socastee were Kyle Presley (0 runs allowed), Gunnar Kines, Travers Woodward (0 runs allowed), Ayres Renfro (1 run allowed), Cody Rice and Richard Carmichael. Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro(1-3, HR, RBI), David Rickenbacker (2-5), Jason Tomlinson (2-5, 3B), Cody Rice (1-4), Tim Starkey (1-4), Jake Davis (1-2). Regular season starts on 3/10 against Loris

Post from 02/26/09:
The Braves scrimmage against Conway has been changed to tomorrow (2/27/09) at 5:00pm at home. See you there.

Post from 02/21/09:
The Braves played a doubleheader at home on Saturday with the first game against Loris and the second game against Marion. Temperatures started the day around 30 degrees but were around 52 at game time.

The first game ended in a 6-6 tie as Loris scored 4 in the last inning. Pitching for Socastee were Ayres Renfro, Travers Woodward, and Jason Tomlinson. Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro(1-2, HR, 2RBIs), Cody Rice(1-2, RBI), Tim Starkey(1-2, 2B, 2RBIs), and Kyle Presley(1-1, RBI).

In the second game they fall to Marion 10-1. Pitching for Socastee were Gunnar Kines, Cody Rice, and Sean Bonawitz. Hitting for the Braves were Ayres Renfro(1-2), Tim Starkey(1-2), Sean Bonawitz(1-2), and Gunnar Kines(1-1). Next scrimmage is next Saturday at home.

Post from 02/20/09:
The Braves beat Andrews 12-9 on strong hitting and aggressive base running. Socastee went up early 9-2 but then Andrews started scoring late. Pitching for the Braves were Kyle Presley, Sean Bonawitz, Richard Carmichael, Cody Rice, Chris Drake, and Ayres Renfro. Hitting for Socastee were Ayres Renfro(1-3), David Rickenbacker (2-5), Kyle Presley(1-2), Chris Drake(1-1), Justin Vreeland(2-4), and Matt McKinney(2-3, 2B) Next scrimmage is Saturday at home.

Post from 02/19/09:
Tonite's scrimmage with Andrews has been moved to Socastee at 5:30pm. See you there.

Post from 02/15/09:
The Braves played their first scrimmage for the year against a very strong Wando team. Wando is ranked pre-season #2 in 4A for South Carolina. Socastee struggled early but then calmed down and only allowed 4 runs after the 1st two innings. Pitching for the Braves were Jason Tomlinson, Gunnar Kines, Ayres Renfro, Matt McKinney, and Cody Rice. Hitting for Socastee were Ayres Renfro(1-4), Cody Rice(1-3, 2B), Kyle Presley(1-3), Tim Starkey(2-3), and Travers Woodward(1-1). Next scrimmage is against Andrews at Andrews on Thursday.

Post from 02/12/09:
The schedule has been posted. I was not clear on whether some of the early games were scrimmages or real so corrections may follow. Big change was that Socastee will only play in one week of the Mingo Bay and add Lake City to their schedules.

Post from 02/08/09:
First week ends with a long day on Saturday, good day for baseball. The returners look good and there are some new players in the mix. Scrimmage schedule has Socastee playing Wando at Conway on Saturday, followed by Andrews on Thursday and Conway the following Saturday. Plenty of time to earn your spot in the lineup. Looks like a well balanced team this year and in my opinion comes down to how well the pitching does and how well the defense backs up the pitching as the offense should be able to put up a few. Hope to have the full schedule posted soon.

Post from 02/01/09:
Tryouts tomorrow. Good luck everyone, just do your best and work hard.

Post from 01/18/09:
Two weeks until varsity tryouts. Hopefully everyone is working hard and ready for a good year. As we mentioned Socastee returns 13 players from last year and should compete well. Whether they end up in the playoffs will be determined by how well they play as a team and if their defense steps up. Offense should be less of an issue as they return 7 players that hit homers last year including Jason Tomlinson who hit 6. The Braves are scheduled to scrimmage Wando (Diamond Prospects pre-season scrimmage) on February 14th at Conway High School. Game time is 1:00pm


Post from 10/30/08:
Less than 3 months to baseball tryouts. Socastee returns 13 varsity players from last years 11-14 team including All Region players Jason Tomlinson and David Rickenbacker and Honorable mention All Region players Ayres Renfro, Cody Rice, and Travers Woodward. The Braves are scheduled to scrimmage Wando (Diamond Prospects pre-season scrimmage) on February 14th at Conway High School. Game time is 1:00pm


Post from 10/17/08:
In case you didn't know there is a fall high school league that plays at least once a week at Coastal Field. I do not have the schedule but if you contact any of the players or Coach Buck Thomas you can get when they play.


Post from 08/06/08:
We understand quite a few players are playing fall ball. Sean, Travers, Justin, Kyle and Tim are playing for the Waccamaw Bucs, Gunnar is playing for the Angels. Ayres, Cody, David, Brett, and Ryan are playing varsity football for Socastee. And the rest are doing fall conditioning getting ready for the season.

 

 

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