Photo by LARRY HILLIARD Post 109 catcher Bryan Parsons tries to locate the ball after an Orangeburg baserunner is safe at home plate during the first inning on Wednesday. Orangeburg won the game to pull within 2-1 in the best-of-five opening round playoff series. Gaffney clinched the series with a 19-7 victory on Thursday. Post 109 manager Jeff Osment didn't think there was reason for alarm after Orangeburg staved off elimination with a 13-7 victory over Post 109 at Commissioners Field on Wednesday.

John Michaels proved him right.

Michaels went seven innings and belted a first-inning grand slam as Post 109 closed out the series with a commanding 19-7 victory at Orangeburg on Thursday. Post 109, which won the series 3-1, will host Clover in a second round playoff series on Monday. That winner will advance to the state tournament in Spartanburg.

The start of Thursday's game was delayed 75 minutes because of rain.

"We were coming on the road and the kids came out and didn't know if we were going to play or not," Osment said. "But we jumped to a big lead early."

And how! Michaels' grand slam was part of a 10-run top of the first inning. All of the runs were scored before Orangeburg recorded an out.

After Michaels' grand slam made it 7-0, Ryan Westbrook had a RBI single and Bryan Parsons knocked in a pair of runs for a 10-0 lead.

But the lead didn't seem quite so comfortable after Orangeburg answered with five runs in the bottom of the first. Each team tallied one in the second before Post 109 scored four times in the third to increase its lead to 15-5.

Post 109 added three more runs in the fourth and capped its scoring with a run in the fifth.

Jason Biershenk had three hits for Post 109.

Class A pitcher of the year Don Sandifer was the difference in Wednesday's game, allowing 10 hits and striking out 12.

Michael Wright, the pitching hero during Gaffney High's run to the state championship, had an outing he would like to forget. He gave up eight runs in three innings of work.

His brother, Bubba Wright, finished up.

Parsons and Nick Hughey continued their hot hitting for Post 109, going a combined 5 for 10. Parsons had three hits, including a run-scoring single in the third inning that scored Post 109's first run. Hughey doubled and scored as part of Post 109's two-run fourth inning.