By DAN BISER
Sports Editor

BOILING SPRING LAKES - South Columbus second baseman Blake Spivey hit the 12th pitch of his final at-bat for a two-run single that led to a 5-2 Waccamaw 1A-2A Conference baseball victory over the host South Brunswick Cougars.

The win kept the Stallions’ hopes alive of gaining a share of the Waccamaw Conference baseball championship as they will take a 8-3 league record into tonight’s final regular-season game with Heide Trask.

Ethan Ward came on in the fourth inning in relief of starting pitcher Dusty Duncan to hold the host South Brunswick team scoreless the rest of the way. Ward struck out seven of the 12 batters he face and allowed only one hit.

“I haven’t been as sharp in my last couple of outings, so I was really wanting to bounce back tonight,” Ward said. “Dusty has been pitching real well for us lately, so I was ready to come in and give hims some help tonight. This is a game we had to win.”

A win over Trask tonight and a win by North Brunswick tonight over the Whiteville tonight would put the Stallions in a tie for first in the final conference standings.

“Our kids stepped up and did a good job tonight,” said SCHS coach Willie Gore. “Blake Spivey came through with a nice piece of hitting when we needed it. He really battled at the plate.”

South Columbus took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Buster James walked and scored on a single by Jeremy Ward.

South Brunswick went ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth when Austin Stiller drove in both runs with a single.

South Columbus tied teh score in the fifth when Justin Ward singled and scored on a double by Bryant Edwards

Spivey’s bases-loaded single in the sixth gave South Columbus at 4-2 lead and Donovan Watts followed with an RBI single.

Duncan, E. Ward (4) and Piver; Morgan,Rogers (6) and Swain.