HHCA holds on for one-run win over Hilton Head Prep

There was no hook on standby to yank Hilton Head Christian Academy pitcher Devin McGuinness on Tuesday evening. Though the junior right-hander continued to issue walks and struggled to find the strike zone -- even his first warm-up pitch before the bottom of the seventh inning sailed wide of home plate -- the Eagles were sticking with McGuinness to the very end. That is, unless McGuinness himself asked out -- and that just wasn't happening.

"I kinda dug myself a hole," McGuinness said, "but I knew I could get things done. I just needed to do a better job finding the plate."

And so it was with as much satisfaction as it was relief that the Eagles left Hilton Head Preparatory School following an 8-7 win over the Dolphins.

For Eagles head coach Trevor Creeden, there was validation for his decision to keep McGuiness on the mound despite eight walks in 52/3 innings. Three of those bases on balls leading to runs in the sixth inning. That pulled Hilton Head Prep to within a run and the Dolphins were poised to tie or win the game an inning later when they loaded the bases with two outs thanks to an Eagles error and singles by Matt Layman and Danny Maggard.

But McGuinness bore down and fanned Joey Alagna to end the game. That strikeout was one of seven McGuinness accumulated during the game, four coming in the final two innings while he labored with his control.

"He's not afraid out there, and he wanted the baseball," said Creeden. "We knew get could get the outs we needed, and we gave him opportunities to get them."

The opportunities were certainly there for both teams.

Hilton Head Christian scored its first seven runs with two outs, five of which came in the third inning to answer an early 4-0 Hilton Head Prep lead.

The trend ended in the sixth inning when Zac Lenns tripled to right-center field with one out to drive in Weston Butler and give the Eagles an 8-4 lead.

The Dolphins crept closer in the bottom of that inning by patiently working a struggling McGuinness. But it wasn't enough, as Hilton Head Prep still left three runners on base in the sixth and left the bases loaded again in the final frame to account for half of the 12 runners the Dolphins stranded during the game. That, along with four Hilton Head Prep errors, proved too much to overcome despite a 4-for-4 day by Layman.

"We have a saying: Make them earn what they get and take what they give us," Hilton Head Prep coach Nathan Stevens said. "We did a little of taking what they gave us, but not enough of making them earn theirs."

HHCA 8, Hilton Head Prep 7

HHCA

005 021 0 -- 891

HH Prep

310 003 0 -- 784

WP: Devin McGuinness 5 1-3 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 8 BB, 7 K.

LP: Creighton Quinn 3 2-3, 3 K, 2 BB, 5 H, 5 R

Hitters: HHCA -- Zac Lenns 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R; Larry Setola 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI. Prep -- Matt Layman 4-for-4, 2 R, RBI, SB; Taylor Place 1-for-2, HR, 3 RBI.