Post 87 Hi-Toms get lift from sizzlin’ Sanders and lead WF 2-1 in the Best-of-Five

from the front page at www.hpe.com:

CLEMMONS – Kevin Sanders, who hit a pair of grand slams in one game earlier this summer, slugged another key slam Tuesday night for the High Point Post 87 Junior HiToms.

Post 87 prevailed 11-7 in 10 innings over West Forsyth and took a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five American Legion Baseball Area III North second-round series. The Junior HiToms will go for the series win tonight at 6 at Finch Field.

The winner of the third round, which begins Saturday, punches its ticket to the Legion state tournament beginning July 23 in Asheboro.

Post 87 (16-8) didn’t appear headed for extra-inning heroics. West, the No. 1 seed, jumped on fourth-seeded Post 87 for a 7-1 lead through four frames. But relief pitcher Tyler Southcott came through with a shutout in the seventh, eighth and ninth to keep his team in it, and David Coffey struck out the side on the bottom of the 10th for the win.

Coffey also figured mightily in regulation. West had a runner on third base with one out in the ninth when a fly ball was lifted to left field. Coffey camped under it and fired a laser to catcher Houston Ison to prevent the winning run from scoring.

Post 87’s offense came through with three runs in the fifth inning and three more in the seventh. DeSean Anderson connected for a solo homer in the seventh. Hits from Ison and Sanders followed, and Kyle Morrison tied the game at 7-all with a single.