Brian Alderson couldn’t find the words.

The North Myrtle Beach baseball coach had never seen anything like what he witnessed on Friday night, and he wasn’t afraid to say it.

His Chiefs team pulled off an improbable comeback in the district finals against James Island, scoring nine runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win a 10-9 game that will be remembered at North Myrtle Beach for years to come.

Heading into the final frame trailing 9-1, Alderson admits he was mentally preparing for a winner-take-all game on Saturday.

About 30 minutes later, he found himself taking a celebratory team photo in front of the home scoreboard, having just clinched a spot in next week’s lower state finals series.

“I have been doing this for 24 years. I’ve never been down eight runs in the last inning and come back to win,” Alderson said. “That was amazing. I have never been a part of something like that. We could’ve easily let down and quit… but our kids made it happen. That was crazy.”

Friday’s game was James Island’s from the start.

The Trojans put on a fireworks show on offense, scoring eight runs over the third and fourth innings against Chiefs starter Josh Surigao to jump out to a seemingly insurmountable lead.

The mid-inning hits weren’t cheap, either.

There was a monster two-run home run from Stow Rogers. And a rocket two-RBI double from Keillor Osbon.

The hits kept getting barreled up, and Alderson found himself ultimately preparing for a Saturday Game 2.

“When they went up 9-1, I was [thinking], ‘Let’s get ready for tomorrow,'” Alderson said. “I didn’t tell the team that. I was in the dugout [cheering] and saying it wasn’t over. But yeah, we had game plans in our head about tomorrow.”

Then came the bottom of the seventh.

A handful of baserunners reached with one out, and the heart of the Chiefs lineup got to the plate.

Luke Roupe and C.J. Oxendine both walked, putting the team within six runs — a 9-3 game with two outs to work with.

The game was still “over” to just about everyone in attendance, but the “at least this makes things interesting” comments began to float around.

Things indeed became interesting.

With two outs, Mason Cox was hit by a pitch and Allen McCormick walked. That made it 9-5 with the tying run — pinch-hitter Nico Goheen — up to the plate.

Goheen walked, another run scored on a wild pitch, and just like that, the pulse that was slightly evident became a loud heartbeat.

With the Chiefs down 9-7, it almost felt fitting in this storybook finish that nine-hole hitter Chase Sturgeon ripped a two-RBI double over the James Island right fielder, tying the game at nine and sending the home crowd at North Myrtle Beach into a frenzy.

“I was just in complete shock,” Sturgeon said, describing how he felt standing on second base after the game-tying hit. “I couldn’t comprehend it, it all just happened so fast.”

After Sturgeon’s double, it seemed obvious that the Chiefs would put the finishing touches on the win in the same frame, avoiding extra innings and ending James Island’s season.

That’s exactly how the story unfolded.

Sturgeon scored in the next at-bat after a slow-hit infield single, beating the throw at home and celebrating under a storm of water and sunflower seeds.

“When they made a pitching change [in the middle of the seventh inning], the baserunners came over and talked to me like they usually do,” Alderson recalled about the seventh-inning sequence. “I said ‘Boys, we’re going to find a way to win this thing right here.’ And it was kind of in a joking way, really, trying to keep them light. But dang if they didn’t do it. Amazing.”

After the game, Alderson started to joke about the fact that maybe his team needs to start spotting its opponents some runs to start a game.

He stopped himself short of making the joke, but he laughed because he sensed there was some truth in the kidding.

On this night, he felt the eight-run deficit might have acted as the catalyst his Chiefs needed to find a spark — one that lit a fire that will be discussed long after Friday night.

“With this group, we’re better when it’s laid back,” Alderson said. “We got quiet when we gave up the lead and they expanded it… but our kids play better when they are loose and relaxed. And I think that big lead loosened them up a little bit. Being behind, they were just wanting to go play and see what happened.

“At the beginning of the game, I think we were tight and a little tense. There was anxiety. When they took that big lead, it was ‘let’s just go play baseball’. Then we started playing better.”

Sturgeon credits the success to the team’s bond.

He refers to the group of athletes who mobbed him at home plate as his best friends.

“We’ve all been playing together since we’ve been toddlers,” the senior outfielder said. “This bond we have, no other team in the state has this… I’m going to remember this team for the rest of my life.”

Fortunately for Sturgeon and the rest of the Chiefs roster, the journey isn’t over.

North Myrtle Beach punched its lower state finals series ticket with the win. And its opponent will be a familiar one — region foe South Florence.

The Bruins defeated Lugoff-Elgin on Friday evening, setting up a lower state finals that is marked by familiarity.

The Chiefs defeated South Florence in both meetings between the teams this year, both by a 3-2 score.

This week, Alderson called Bruins head coach Kenny Gray and told him that if the Chiefs couldn’t win the state title this year, he wanted South Florence to win. He said Gray echoed the sentiment in return.

Call it the mark of a great friendship or respect for a powerful region rival — the phone call was probably a combination of those things plus more.

But now, a series showdown between the two schools is officially set.

They’ll meet at North Myrtle Beach on Tuesday for the first game, followed by a Thursday game two at South Florence. The third game, if necessary, will take place Friday at North Myrtle Beach.

It’s safe to say that Alderson wouldn’t mind being at a loss for words again — after a win — next week.

Regardless of how preparation goes for the team’s lower state finals, everyone who was in the North Myrtle Beach dugout on Friday will be glad to have Saturday off and plenty of momentum as it continues a special ride.

“We’re walking in with confidence,” Sturgeon said of the series against South Florence. “We’ve got to be prepared, but we have the confidence.”

May 13, 2023 | Horry Independent, The (Conway, SC)
Author/Byline: Joe Wedra info@myhorrynews.com | Section: Baseball