Walk-off winner: Winburn’s hit helps Beaufort baseball stay alive in playoffs

A triple play and a walk-off hit in its final at-bat were among the things that kept the Beaufort baseball season alive Wednesday night.

William Winburn doubled home Matt Bornsheuer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh as the Eagles defeated James Island, 5-4, to win Game 2 and even the best-of-three Class 4A Lower State championship series.

A deciding game will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Summerville High School. The winner will face A.C. Flora in the 4A championship series beginning on Tuesday. The Falcons swept Lugoff-Elgin, 2-0, to win the 4A Upper State championship.

Beaufort and James Island, members of Region 7-4A, have split their four games this season with three of them decided by one run.

Beaufort jumped on top, 3-1, after scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Rush Riley had an RBI triple and Winburn an RBI single in the inning.

The Trojans tied it in the top of the second on Julius Reynolds’ two-run single with two outs.

James Island looked to add to the lead in the third and had runners on second and third with no outs. JI’s Chase Worrill attempted a squeeze bunt but Beaufort catcher Rhogue Wallace caught it and started the triple play by doubling Hogan Garner at third and Keillor Osbonn at second to end the inning.

Both teams scored runs in the fourth and it stayed 4-4 until the bottom of the seventh. James Davenport led off Beaufort’s seventh with a single but was thrown out on Matt Bornsheuer’s fielder’s choice. Matt Bornsheuer advanced to second on a balk and then Winburn hit the game-winning double with two outs.

Winburn was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Collin Peterson was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Riley 1-for-4 with an RBI.

Davenport pitched a complete game for the Eagles, allowing two earned runs on eight hits while striking out one and walking three.

Reynolds, Tanner Beckley and Russell Patterson each had two hits for the Trojans. Patterson and Osbonn each drove in one.