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By PETE YOUNG
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 8, 2001
After a wild seventh inning Monday night that carried into Tuesday morning, the big league World Series game between Dunedin and South Carolina was postponed, tied 8-8 after regulation play and nearly four hours.
Tuesday's resumption was anticlimactic as South Carolina scored three runs in the top of the eighth to prevail 11-8 in Easley, S.C.
The loss dropped Dunedin to 2-1 in the five-team U.S. pool while South Carolina improved to 2-0.
Trailing 8-5 entering the bottom of the seventh, Dunedin scored three times -- on singles by Kenny Holmberg and Ryan Graham, three hit batsmen and a walk -- to tie the game.
With the bases loaded, Bryan Banks worked a full count but took strike three looking. The catcher then picked off the Dunedin runner from third for the final out.
"It was a very delayed call," Dunedin coach Dave Eggers said. "Our guys all thought it was ball four. Our runner was coming home. (South Carolina) was coming out of the dugout thinking it was ball four, game over.
"Then he made the call, and they get the double play to end the inning."
Shawn Williams pitched 52/3 innings for Dunedin, allowing 5 hits, 4 walks and 4 runs.
Dunedin led 5-4 entering the seventh, but South Carolina scored four times in the top of the seventh.
Dunedin's final pool game is at 6 p.m. Thursday against Williamsport, Pa. Josh Whittle is expected to start for Dunedin.
If Dunedin wins Thursday, it likely will earn one of two berths in Friday's USA Championship game.
The World Championship game is Saturday.
SENIORS: Palm Harbor, which lost Monday in its opening game at the Southern Regional in Toccoa, Ga., staved off elimination Tuesday by defeating Georgia 10-0 in a game ended after five innings.
Ryan Harvey went the distance, striking out 10 and homering in the fourth inning.
"He pitched terrific, Palm Harbor coach John Petika said. "He was throwing strikes."
Palm Harbor faces Texas, which lost 1-0 to North Carolina on Tuesday, at 7 p.m. today in another elimination game.
The game was scoreless until Palm Harbor blew it open with five runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Harvey and Chris Heil homered in the fourth, and Heil homered in the fifth.
Georgia started its ace, Trip Wheler.
However, a line drive up the middle by John Petika, the coach's son, hit Wheler in the face, knocking him out of the game.