Indian Land softball, York baseball still alive in SC playoffs. Some teams eliminated
A runner was on first base with no outs in the top of the final inning on Monday night at the Indian Land softball field — and for the first time since the top of the first, Lugoff-Elgin had momentum.
The previous six innings of play had been closer than the score showed. Indian Land was up, 4-1, by virtue of smart base-running and good defense and “executing” runs, Warriors coach Monica Barfield later said. But no matter the margin, there was a feeling throughout the game that Lugoff-Elgin was right there — one hit or one Indian Land error away from climbing back in the game.
And this, with a runner on in the top of the seventh with no outs, was LE’s last chance.
With the visitor’s dugout loud, Indian Land pitcher Olivia Miller lunged toward the plate and delivered a fastball, and an LE batter swung on and laced a line drive to the right side. The ball looked, for a split second, like it was destined for the outfield. A hit would’ve put two runners on with no outs, LE only down three.
But Indian Land had an answer — like it had all game: Freshman second-baseman Kyleigh Barfield dove to her left, reaching as far as her glove would let her, and made a diving catch. She was also quick enough to pick herself off the infield dirt and toss it to first. Double play.
The crowd roared. Players in Indian Land white and blue on the field screamed. The LE dugout deflated.
One pitch and groundout later, the game was over. 4-1, Indian Land.
The win put the Warriors, who play next on Friday, one victory away from advancing to the Upper State title stage of the 4A state playoffs.
“I honestly think our defense was on point tonight,” Barfield told The Herald postgame with a smile, her answer coming while fans approached her and shook her hand and congratulated her on a well-played game. “Obviously there was the diving catch there — that double-play — but also there were big plays in the first inning on defense that really changed the game’s momentum.”
Indian Land escaped the top of the first inning unscathed despite allowing Lugoff-Elgin to put runners on first and third with only one out. The Warriors earned their second out on a pickle play, chasing down the LE runner who was running home, and they earned their third out on a pop up caught by catcher Faith Matthews.
The Warriors then went into the bottom of the first and scored three runs: The first came when the LE pitcher walked Matthews with the bases loaded. The other two came in the same play due to an LE error. 3-0, Indian Land.
The rest of the game would remain pretty level: Lugoff-Elgin scored one in the top of the second on a fielder’s choice. Indian Land scored one in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly. The Warriors made a pitching change; seventh-grader Miller — a player who thrives under and “likes pressure,” coach Barfield said postgame — replaced starting pitcher Peyton Hurst.
But besides that, the game was seamless. Quick. Even. Well-played. Fun to watch.
And close until the end, despite what the score said.
The Warriors were led by shortstop Savanna Nguyen, who scored two runs; pitcher Hurst, who went 1-for-3 at the plate; catcher Matthews, who notched one hit and one RBI; and Miller, who added two RBIs despite not notching a hit.
The Warriors, in fact, only had two hits all game but found a way to win nonetheless.
“They’re a good team. We knew that going into it,” Barfield said of Lugoff-Elgin. (LE will now have to win on Wednesday and then win twice more against Indian Land on Friday in order to advance to Upper States.)
“But we’re a good team, too,” Barfield added. “I tell my players that because you have to believe in yourself. And they do.”
Baseball results from Monday
Nation Ford, Northwestern, Catawba Ridge and Great Falls saw their seasons end on Monday night. York and Lewisville are still alive.
Blythewood 5, Nation Ford 3
The Blythewood Bengals defeated the Nation Ford Falcons 5-3 in an elimination game in the 5A District 2 tournament at Blythewood.
The Bengals broke a 3-3 tie with a pair of runs in the fifth and hung on for the win to stay alive in the tournament.
Both teams scored in the first frame. The Falcons took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second, but the Bengals added two in the bottom of the inning for a 3-2 cushion. Nation Ford rallied for a run in the fourth to tie it at 3-3.
Rylee Ashworth led the Falcons with a pair of hits and drove in one run. Seth Harmon added two hits, while Steven Johnson got a hit and drove in a run.
The loss eliminated the Falcons from the tournament. They finished the year with an overall record of 18-10.
Boiling Springs 8, Northwestern 0
The Boiling Springs Bulldogs topped the Northwestern Trojans 8-0 in an elimination game in the 5A District 1 tournament at Boiling Springs.
The Bulldogs broke the game open early. They scored twice in the first, added four more in the second, and made it 7-0 with a run in the third.
Three Bulldog pitchers combined to limit the Trojans to four hits, while Boiling Springs collected eight hits in the victory.
Ben Venables led the Trojans with a pair of hits.
The loss eliminated Northwestern from the tournament. They completed the season with an overall mark of 12-7.
AC Flora 13, York 3
The AC Flora Falcons toppled the York Cougars 13-3 in a winner’s bracket game in the 4A District 2 tournament at York.
The Cougars scored twice in the second inning. Landon Sexton and Trace Stowe drove in the runs for York.
The Falcons rallied for three in the third, but York tied the count at 3-3 with a run in the fourth. Anderson Fulk opened the frame with a double and later scored on an error.
Flora got one in the fifth and erupted for nine in the sixth to break the game open.
The loss dropped York to 21-7. They will host Eastside on Wednesday in an elimination game.
Easley 7, Catawba Ridge 1
The Easley Green Wave collected 10 hits and defeated the Catawba Ridge Copperheads 7-1 in an elimination game in the 4A District 1 tournament at Easley.
Easley took a 1-0 lead after one inning and added five more in the second and another in the third for a 7-0 advantage. The Copperheads got their only run in the sixth inning.
Two Easley pitchers combined to limit the Copperheads to six hits.
The loss eliminated Catawba Ridge from the tournament. They finished the year with an overall record of 15-12.
Whitmire 14, Lewisville 3
The Whitmire Wolverines defeated the Lewisville Lions 14-3 in an elimination game in the 1A District 2 tournament at Richburg.
The Wolverines got one run in both the first and second innings for a quick 2-0 lead. They rallied for six more in the third for an 8-0 cushion and coasted from there for the win.
The loss dropped the Lions to 17-8 on the year. They will host Dixie in an elimination game on Wednesday.
Southside Christian 6, Great Falls 1
Southside Christian defeated the Great Falls Red Devils 6-1 in an elimination game in the 1A District 1 tournament at Southside Christian.
The loss eliminated the Red Devils from the tournament. They completed the season with an overall mark of 3-11.
Softball results from Monday
No area softball teams were eliminated on Monday night.
Fort Mill 12, Spring Valley 1
The Fort Mill Yellow Jackets toppled the Spring Valley Vikings 12-1 in an elimination game in the 5A District 1 tournament at Fort Mill.
The Yellow Jackets pounded out 12 hits and took advantage of six Spring Valley errors in claiming the victory.
Fort Mill bolted to a 10-0 lead after three frames and cruised from there for the win to stay alive in the tournament.
Ava Balsinger led the attack with three hits and three RBI. Trista Reid added a pair of hits and drove two runs.
Maddie Drerup tossed a complete game to earn the win. She allowed only two hits and struck out 10.
Fort Mill improved to 14-4 with the win. They will travel to Hillcrest on Wednesday for another elimination contest.
Clover 6, Blythewood 3
The Clover Blue Eagles topped the Blythewood Bengals 6-3 in an elimination game in the 5A District 2 tournament at Blythewood.
The win improved Clover to 15-9 on the year and kept them alive in the tournament.
They will host Mauldin on Wednesday in another elimination game.
Catawba Ridge 3, Travelers Rest 0
The Catawba Ridge Copperheads defeated the Travelers Rest Devildogs 3-0 in a winner’s bracket game in the 4A District 1 tournament at Travelers Rest.
The Copperheads made the most of three hits and took advantage of six Devildogs miscues in getting their second shutout win in the playoffs. They scored two runs in the first frame and added their final tally in the sixth.
Chloe Burger pitched a complete game and earned the victory. She allowed only three hits and struck out 14.
The win improved Catawba Ridge to 15-9 on the year. They advance to the championship round of the District 1 tournament on Friday where they will face the survivor of the losers’ bracket.
Legion Collegiate 9, Landrum 0
The Legion Collegiate Lancers routed the Landrum Cardinals in an elimination game in the 2A District 2 tournament in Rock Hill.
The win improved the Lancers to 18-6 on the year.
They will host Gray Collegiate in another elimination game on Wednesday.
Andrew Jackson 11, Barnwell 1
The Andrew Jackson Volunteers topped the Barnwell War Horses 11-1 in a winners bracket game in the 2A District 4 tournament at Barnwell.
The Vols led 4-1 when they erupted for seven runs in the sixth inning to put the game away.
Maddie Baker, Savanna Parker, and Maddie Adams had two hits each in the ten-hit attack. Skylar Huffman added a hit and drove in three runs, while Emily McCall contributed a hit and knocked in a pair of runs.
Huffman pitched a complete game to earn the win. She allowed only three hits and struck out four.
Andrew Jackson improved to 13-6, They advanced to the District 4 championship round on Friday at home to play the survivor in the losers bracket.
Lewisville 13, Ware Shoals 3
The Lewisville Lions defeated the Whitmire Wolverines 13-3 in an elimination game in the 1A District 2 tournament at Richburg.
The Lions took a 4-0 lead after one inning, but Whitmire rallied for three in the second to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Lewisville added a run in the second and broke the game open with seven in the third. They added their final run in the fourth.
Alyssa Rollings led the 15-hit Lions’ attack with three hits and three RBI. Sydney Rollins added three hits and drove in a pair of runs. Malaurie Martin got two hits and knocked in three runs, while Lauren Owens had two hits and drove in two.
Rollings pitched a complete game to get the win. She allowed four hits and struck out five.
Lewisville is 14-11 and will travel to play Wagener-Salley on Wednesday in another elimination contest.
Indian Land 4, Lugoff-Elgin 1
What happens now?
The first round, which is being played now, will provide eight “district” winners in each classification throughout the state. Several area teams — Indian Land, Catawba Ridge and Andrew Jackson softball, for instance — are now one win away from being district champions.
Others — like Fort Mill, Clover, Legion Collegiate and Lewisville softball as well as York and Lewisville baseball — are still in the district championship hunt but are a loss away from elimination.
Once these district champions are established, these four teams from each classification will play a double elimination tournament to determine their classification’s Upper State champion. Then that team will play a best-of-three series with said classification’s Lower State champion for a state title.
For a visual representation of what this looks like, visit the South Carolina High School League’s website.
This story was originally published May 17, 2021 at 10:32 PM.
.jpeg)