Photo by LARRY HILLIARD Post 109 outfielder McCrae Norton jogs around the bases after hitting a solo homer in the third inning of Wednesday's playoff game with Clover. Post 109 got the best medicine a thin pitching staff could get on Thursday - a complete game gem by spot starter John Michaels.

Michaels tossed a four-hitter and didn't allow a walk in leading Post 109 to a seriesclinching 9-2 victory at Clover. Not only did Post 109 take the series 3-1, but it advances to its second state tournament in three years.

And the way Post 109 is playing, it plans on staying there a while.

"There are eight teams left in the state and we're fortunate to be one of them," Post 109 coach Jeff Osment said.

Michaels needed just 89 pitches to beat punchless Clover.

"John was huge," Osment said. "In the other games in the series every time we scored, they would score. But John shut them down after we scored."

Gaffney did plenty of scoring, tallying at least one run in six of the nine innings.

Ryan Westbrook, the hero in Post 109's dramatic 5-4 win on Wednesday, belted another homer on Thursday. He also had a double and two singles. McCrae Norton and Michael Wright also had big games with their bats with three hits each for Post 109.

Post 109 jumped to a 2-0 first inning lead when Norton and Westbrook both scored on a throwing error. Post 109 added single runs in the third and fourth innings before Westbrook went deep with a man on in the sixth inning.

The turning point in the series came Wednesday. With Post 109 trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Westbrook bashed a pitch over the leftfield wall for a 2-run homer and a 5-4 victory.

Norton, who was on base with a walk, sent a ball over the wall earlier in the game to tie the game at 1.

It stayed that way until the fifth when Post 109 went on top with two runs on Westbrook's RBI single and a double by Bryan Parsons.

In the eighth, Hayden Henry put Clover on top 4-3 on a 3-run homer off Corey Crissone, who had given up just one hit in the previous six innings.

"Corey pitched a great ball game for us," Osment said. "He did an outstanding job."

Bubba Wright replaced Crissone after he walked the leadoff batter in the ninth. Wright then retired the next three batters, setting the stage for Westbrooks' walkoff blast.