Playoffs: Legion, AJ win district in baseball; CR will ‘come out swinging’ Friday; Fort Mill sent home
Catawba Ridge head coach Michael Kidd stepped out of the dugout and raised his hand to the Lugoff-Elgin dugout, as if he was waving a white flag in surrender.
After a playoff run that saw only one run scored against them in four games, Kidd’s team had just seen a brutal bottom of the fifth inning — one that saw 11 Lugoff-Elgin runs with only one out, a scoring spree that was punctuated by a three-run home run to right center.
It was over. Lugoff-Elgin, in Game Two at home of the 4A Upper State championship series, won, 14-4. The series is now level at 1-1. LE and Catawba Ridge will face off on Friday night at Andrew Jackson — a neutral site — to determine who goes to the 4A state championship series.
“I think (Lugoff-Elgin) putting that many runs in the last inning is motivation enough to try to get better and learn from our mistakes,” Kidd told The Herald postgame. “It was nothing we didn’t expect: We expected them to hit the ball. We expected to have to make the routine plays. And we didn’t make them.
After Catawba Ridge claimed Game One on Monday, Lugoff-Elgin came out ready: The Demons jumped out to a 3-0 lead after scoring three in the bottom of the second. A Tori Williams single drove in Emma Spradley first, and then a Sydney Branham double drove in two more.
The Copperheads battled back, scoring one in the top of the fourth when a Lexi Haskett double drove in Tori Koerner. They then scored three in the top of the fifth after consecutive hits from Janelle Ilacqua, Georgia Burford and Jenna Gardner. That gave the Copperheads their first and only lead, 4-3, heading into the top of the fifth.
But the Demons were too tough. They then unleashed their offensive firepower, scoring 11 runs and then sprinting to the outfield to celebrate with the throngs of student fans screaming and ringing cowbells along the outfield fence.
“Tomorrow we’re going back to the basics,” Kidd added. “Make the routine plays. Put the ball in play. And we’ll come out swinging Friday.”
Softball scores, results in Rock Hill area
Byrnes 3, Fort Mill 2
The Byrnes Rebels edged the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets 3-2 to win the 5A Upper State title at Byrnes.
The Rebels took a 1-0 lead in the home half of the third. The Jackets tied the count with a run in the fourth.
Byrnes answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame for a 3-1 advantage. The Yellow Jackets rallied for a score in the top of the seventh, but could not pull it out.
Ally Hall led the Jackets with two hits and one run batted in. Sydnie Spears added a hit, while Olivia Poteat drove in the other Fort Mill run.
The loss ended Fort Mill’s season with a record of 17-6.
Chesnee 4, Legion Collegiate 3
The Chesnee Eagles edged the Legion Collegiate Lancers 4-3 in game two of the 2A Upper State series in Chesnee.
The best-of-three series is now tied at one game each.
The Lancers scored three runs in the top of the first. Chesnee answered with four in the home half of the third. It was a pitchers’ duel from there to the end.
Legion Collegiate outhit Chesnee 12-6. Morgan Langley led the Lancers with two hits and one RBI. Malloree Sexton and Aleah Roy added two hits each. Reagan Smith got one hit and drove in a pair of runs.
The Lancers fell to 22-7 with the loss.
The third and deciding game will be played at a neutral site on Friday.
Andrew Jackson 10, Buford 7
The Andrew Jackson Volunteers topped the Buford Yellow Jackets 10-7 in game two of the 2A Lower State series at Buford.
The best-of-three series is now tied at one game each.
The Vols took a 1-0 lead with a run in the first, but the Jackets countered with a pair of scores in the third. Andrew Jackson tallied twice in the fourth, but Buford tied it at 3-3 with a run in the bottom of the frame.
The Vols broke the game open in the fifth with a six-run outburst. Buford cut the deficit to 9-5 with two in the bottom of the inning. Andrew Jackson got its final run in the sixth for a 10-5 advantage. Buford scored its final two runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Savanna Parker led the Vols 10-hit attack with two hits and three RBI. Maddie Baker added a pair of hits and drove in one run. MacKenzie Marshall added two hits to the attack.
Skylar Huffman pitched a complete game and earned the win. She allowed nine hits and struck out three.
Andrew Jackson improved to 15-6 overall with the victory.
The third and deciding game will be played at a neutral site on Friday.
Baseball playoff scores
Legion Collegiate 8, Gray Collegiate 3
The Legion Collegiate Lancers collected 10 hits and toppled the Gray Collegiate War Eagles 8-3 to win the 2A District 2 title at Legion Collegiate.
The Lancers erased a 2-0 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the first. They broke the game open with four runs in the fifth, and the teams traded scores in the sixth.
Hunter Fryzowicz led the Lancers with three hits. Cody Craig added a hit and knocked in a pair of runs.
Joey Hylinski pitched into the fifth inning and got the win. He struck out five.
The Lancers improved to 19-7 with the victory. They will host Crescent on Friday in the first game of the best-of-three Upper State series.
Andrew Jackson 11, Barnwell 1
The Andrew Jackson Volunteers pounded out 10 hits and routed the Barnwell War Horses 11-1 to win the 2A District 4 title at Andrew Jackson.
The Vols scored twice in the first and added single runs in the second and third. The War Horses cut the deficit to 4-1 with a run in the fifth, but Andrew Jackson exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the frame to end the game and advance to the next round.
Andrew Taylor led the Vols with two hits and two RBI. Landon Peay and Kyle Percival added two hits each. Landon Williams got one hit and drove in a pair of runs.
Bry Neal pitched a complete game and picked up the win. He allowed only one hit and struck out five.
The Volunteers improved to 14-7 overall with the win. They will open the Lower State best-of- three series at Latta on Friday.
What happens next?
Andrew Jackson and Legion Collegiate start their respective baseball series on Friday.
Lugoff-Elgin and Catawba Ridge softball will play in a win-or-go home game at Andrew Jackson on Friday for a spot in the 4A state championships.
This story was originally published May 26, 2021 at 10:32 PM.
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