Walton Fifth in SC Baseball Tourney

The baseball went 2-2 and caught up with a couple of former teammates during a spring break trip to South Carolina.

“The Varsity Spring Break Trip began at Clemson University with practice with the team and then the Clemson/Miami game,” according to the Raider baseball website.

The Raiders saw Clemson beat Miami, 3-1, in a game that featured two East Cobb residents as the leadoff hitters: alum Steve Wilkerson, a sophomore who played second base, went two for four, stole a base and scored a run for Clemson; and Miami’s Dale Carey, a sophomore center fielder from , who also was two for four.

Carey has started every game for the Hurricanes and is batting .300.

Wilkerson is leading Clemson with a .375 batting average, and senior infielder Jason Stolz from also is an everyday starter for the Tigers, hitting .273 with two home runs.

But the Raiders were there to see two Walton alumni, the Kieboom brothers:

• Junior Spencer, who is having a strong defensive year as the everyday catcher with only one error but is struggling at the plate, hitting .226 with a .290 slugging percentage and .327 on-base average.
• Freshman Trevor, a pitcher and infielder who hasn’t played this season.

Walton then played in the Forest Acres Classic at A.C. Flora High School in Columbia from Monday to Thursday, finishing fifth in a field of eight.

The Raiders lost their opener to Wren, 2-0, as Chase Day shut them out with eight strikeouts. It was scoreless until the top of the sixth inning, when junior Caleb Bohan took the mound for Walton and gave up a single to Day, a double to Erven Roper and a two-run single to Kyle Morella before getting an out.

Wren had only one hit the rest of the game. Walton, meanwhile, had base runners in six of the seven innings but left seven men on base.

Eventual tournament champ White Knoll beat Walton, 10-4, Tuesday as junior Brad Schwartz took the loss. The Timberwolves hit three home runs, according to The State newspaper. Seniors Josh Merrigan and Jim Hogue had three hits for the Raiders, and sophomore Chase Burks added two.

The Raiders’ fortunes turned around in the third game Wednesday against DeMatha Catholic from Maryland. Senior Drew Adler had two doubles, and Merrigan, Hogue and Burks each added two hits as the Raiders came back from a 5-1 deficit in the final two innings, according to DeMatha’s GameChanger recap and the State box score. Senior Scott Burkholder was the winning pitcher.

That win earned the Raiders a spot in the fifth-place game against host A.C. Flora, and Walton dominated in a 12-2 victory. Adler had three hits, including two home runs, and Henry Rowling had a home run and another hit, according to The State. Logan Barnette also had two hits. Junior Daniel Parker was the winning pitcher.

The Raiders carry an 11-7 record into their Region 5-AAAAA showdown Monday at home against East Cobb rival Wheeler. The Wildcats are 7-11, according to Georgia Prep Country, but won their last game before spring break, 10-6 over , to break a five-game losing streak.

The first pitch at Raider Mountain is scheduled for 5:55 p.m. Monday.