Sears jump-starts SC D1 to victory

EASLEY — About 10 minutes before the game started, Easley High School’s Cooper Sears talked a bit about his first start for South Carolina’s D1 team on Sunday night at the Senior Little League World Series.

He wasn’t nervous. He was dialed in.

It was his first start for this all-star team – batting in the No. 8 spot of the lineup as the Designated Hitter.

“I’m happy,” said the 15-year-old Sears. “Hopefully, I get a couple of hits and the team gets a win to keep us alive.”

And that he did.

Sears ended up going 2-for-2 at the plate in the No. 8 spot with a walk and a run scored.

But it was one play in the game by Sears – when he slid into third base, got a bloody nose and stayed in the game to score a run – that seemed to jump-start the SC D1 team to an 8-3 victory over East.

“I was sweaty and I slid in (to third base), and got stuck,” said Sears. “It was fun. It’s been a great experience for sure. The whole team has great energy and everybody has a great attitude, and we have good coaching.”

To some people, Sears might look more like an offensive lineman in football at 5-foot-10 and 215 pounds. He bench presses around 225 pounds, too.

However, it is the intangibles that landed him a spot on this SC all-star baseball team.

“We were in an elimination game,” said Coach George Turmon. “I looked at my roster and said I brought these guys to play. I knew that Cooper Sears had not been given a chance and one of the reasons I brought him here was for his left-handed bat. He also gives me a fourth catcher and he also could help me at third base if that is what I needed. It was a situation with Cooper that I had a kid in right-field who was not producing (on offense), but boy was he playing defense. I try to tell the kids that when you get that opportunity, take full advantage of it. Cooper Sears took advantage of that opportunity that he got today.”

Continued Coach Turmon, “I appreciate him (Sears) being hard-nosed about it … sliding into third base and coming up with a bloody nose, telling me Coach I’m alright. I’m looking at him bleeding and didn’t know if he was alright, but he’s got a lot of heart and really wants to be out there. And when he got an opportunity, I really appreciate what he did.”

The offensive production for SC D1’s win over East featured: Buzbee (1-3), Austin (1-3), Young (1-4), Finley (2-4), Phillips (0-3), Lawson (0-1), Glenn (1-3), Lowe (0-3), Sears (2-2) and Patterson (1-3).

Walhalla’s Cole Phillips picked up the win for SC D1. Phillips threw the first four innings, scattered 6 hits, gave up 3 earned runs, walked 6 and struck out 1 batter.

“Tonight, every single kid was dialed in,” said Turmon. “We’re stealing bases, bunting and using the whole baseball angle to do it. We changed the lineup to put some speed at the bottom of the lineup and at the top, and run-producers in the middle. They all came together for me.”

Buzbee boost: Tristan Buzbee, a scrappy catcher/outfielder from Laurens, is another player on this SC D1 team who has made his mark. He stole two bases on Monday night and went 1-for-3 in the lead-off spot with a walk and two runs scored.

“We’ve seen him in the outfield with his speed,” Turmon. “We’ve seen him bunt and drive the ball, but what you haven’t seen is he is some special type of catcher, too. You wouldn’t expect that little guy to do that. He creates havoc on the bases and they never know when he’s going. He fires the rest of them up (on the team). You always have to have that one who is a fireplug.”

To the credit of Coach Turmon, he shuffled up his lineup before Wednesday night’s victory. He had Buzbee in the leadoff spot and put Braydon Patterson (from Laurens) in the No. 9 spot of the lineup.

“They (Buzbee and Patterson) went back-to-back (in the lineup) and they both crossed the plate twice,” Turmon said. “Buzbee is that special kid and I’m so glad to have him. He is just a 15-year-old kid and is coming back to play for me next season. His future looks really, really bright.”