Hartsville’s season will come down to one final game after Airport evened the Lower State Championship series with a 9-7 win Thursday night at Airport High School. The decisive Game 3 is set for Saturday, May 23 at 11:00 a.m.

Despite pounding out 12 hits, the Red Foxes were unable to hold off Airport’s late rally. Hartsville battled back from an early deficit and grabbed a 5-3 lead in the fourth inning behind RBI efforts from Jaden Atkinson, Brandon Anderson, and Bryce Oliver. Airport answered in the bottom half of the inning and broke the game open with four runs in the fifth.

Bryceson McElveen led Hartsville at the plate with three hits, while Anderson and Oliver each drove in two runs. Caleb Lloyd, Luke Holloman, and Ford Wallace also recorded multiple hits for the Red Foxes.

Atkinson struck out four over four innings on the mound, while Wallace worked in relief. Hartsville will now look to bounce back Saturday with a trip to the state championship series on the line.