South Carolina signee ‘lights out’ as Lexington baseball clinches region championship
Reece Marcum had a little extra adrenaline — and it showed when he took the mound Thursday afternoon.
The Lexington High School pitcher did a fist pump after a strikeout to end the first inning. He hopped off the mound and punched his glove after getting the final out in the third.
Marcum pitched one of his best games of his career in helping the Wildcats to a 7-0 win over Dutch Fork. Lexington (21-5, 10-2) clinched the Region 4-5A championship with the victory and will host JL Mann or Mauldin in the first round of the district playoffs on Tuesday.
“I felt I pitched pretty well and have a great group of guys behind me. I love them all,” Marcum said. “We’ve been through it all together, and now it is time to take it home.”
Marcum had a no-hitter with two outs in the sixth inning when Dutch Fork’s Brennan Ottone broke it up with a single. He was on a pitch count, though Lexington coach Brian Hucks was poised to leave him in the game if the no-hitter was intact.
Marcum struck out eight and walked two. Another Dutch Fork runner reached on an error against him. The Silver Foxes’ first two batters of the game reached base, but Marcum battled back with strikeouts to end the threat.
“He finally is healthy and today he was lights out,” Hucks said. “If that guy shows up in the playoffs, watch out.”
The South Carolina Gamecocks signee hasn’t had an easy senior season. He battled some bicep and then nerve issues in his trap, a muscle that starts at the base of your neck and goes across your shoulders.
Marcum never missed a start but was limited in his innings and how many pitches he was able to throw. He still wears a brace on his right arm and was on a 75-pitch or so limit against Dutch Fork, but said after the game he felt fine.
Marcum’s fastball also topped out at 92 mph during his start.
“I had a rough year and had a lot of adversity, but I knew I had to come out tonight with my guys and get the win,” Marcum said.
South Carolina commit Brandon Cromer had three hits and drove in three runs, while Brayden Jeffcoat and Landon Knight each hit solo homers. Knight finished with three hits and scored four runs.
Tyler Floyd also had a hit and an RBI. The Wildcats broke the game open with a four-run fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead.
Hucks wasn’t sure of his team’s chances to win the region after it dropped its first two games against rival River Bluff back in March. But the Wildcats won the third game of the series against the Gators to start a 10-game region winning streak capped off with Thursday’s victory.
The Wildcats also benefited from DF’s two wins over River Bluff last week that put Lexington in control of its own fate.
“Our chances weren’t great at the time because River Bluff is such a great program and they played great against us,” Hucks said. “But I told my coaches after we came back and won game three that it was going to make them have a chance to earn it. And we played lights out after that. … These guys are battlers, warriors and I can’t be more proud of them.”
Dutch Fork (10-15, 4-8) finished fourth in the region and will open up the playoffs on the road against TL Hanna or Hillcrest. The Silver Foxes won four straight coming into the series, but managed to score two runs in three games against the Wildcats.
