American Legion: Smith pushes Ospreys to key win over Goose Creek

It'd be silly to think that Weldon Smith -- or any player, for that matter -- relishes going hitless in his first two at-bats. In fact, the Beaufort Ospreys shortstop can't stand when it happens.

"It's never a good sign when you go 0-for-2," he said. "It usually means I'm too anxious and need to relax some at the plate."

Thing is, whether it's Smith taking a "woosa" moment or simply living by the third-time-is-a-charm adage, 0-for-2 has often yielded a timely hit for him during this American Legion campaign.

So was the case during the fifth inning Friday against Goose Creek at Beaufort High School. With the Ospreys trailing by one, Smith lined an RBI single to left field, sparking a five-run fifth that led to a crucial 10-6 win over Goose Creek.

"Even though you know how much your team needs a hit or run, in those situations, you have to relax," said Smith, who went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and fell a home run short of the cycle. "I don't like going 0-for-2, but I guess I'm good at making something out of it."

Smith wasn't the only Osprey who had to squeeze something out of a slow start. After falling behind 2-1 and putting up just two hits, an error and an unearned run in four innings, Beaufort (9-4 overall, 8-3 in League 1) needed a jolt. It came in a explosive way during the fifth, as Chris Waters and Matt Witt followed Smith's hit with two-run doubles to push the Ospreys ahead, 6-2.

Goose Creek (11-5, 8-3) quickly responded in the sixth. With runners on second and third, four straight walks by Ospreys pitcher Chase Goude allowed Goose Creek to put three runs on the board. Still, Goude got his fifth win of the season, holding Goose Creek's next seven batters to one hit and maintaining Beaufort's lead.

"We definitely want our guys to be in situations like that, where they have to work through it," said Ospreys coach Keith Riley, who managed Friday while head coach Scott Mullen was at a prior engagement. "And that's what we did tonight by getting out of jams and getting hits with people in scoring position."

More insurance came from Smith in the sixth, when he blooped an RBI double to shallow right, and in the eighth, when he belted a two-run triple before scoring on a Waters single to put the Ospreys up for good.

Goose Creek 100 013 001 -- 6 9 3

Beaufort 001 051 03x -- 10 12 2

WP: Chase Goude 7 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 7 K, 6 BB; LP: Michael Berry 6 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 3 K, BB.

Leading hitters: Beaufort -- Weldon Smith 3-5 (four RBIs, two runs, double, triple), Trey Molony 2-4 (two runs), Chris Waters 2-5 (three RBIs, run, double), Weber Pike 3-5 (run); GC -- Brent Perry 2-4 (RBI, run), Bret Hines 2-4.

Next game: Beaufort at Summerville, 7 p.m. Monday.