Playoff Roundup: AC Flora, Gray Collegiate baseball earn spots in state semifinals
AC Flora and Gray Collegiate baseball teams earned a spot in state semifinals with a pair of wins on Saturday.
Stephen West’s walk-off RBI single gave AC Flora a 6-5 win over Eastside in the Class 4A Upper State playoffs. The Falcons will host Laurens or Eastside in the Upper State championship on Wednesday.
AC Flora led 5-1 going into the top of the seventh but Jack Davis hit a three-run homer to tie it at 5-5. But West hit a 1-2 pitch to score Jake Sears with the game-winning run.
Gray Collegiate earned its second trip to the state semifinals with a 9-7 win over Chesterfield in the Class 2A Upper State playoffs. The War Eagles will host Chesterfield or St. Joseph’s on Wednesday. Brent Stukes and Kendrick Wright each had two RBI for Gray.
Other highlights from Saturday:
▪ Airport’s John Allen Forrester hit a walk-off homer to lead off the bottom of the seventh to give the Eagles a 2-1 win over James Island in the Class 4A Lower State playoffs. Airport is at Hartsville on Monday in a winner’s bracket game.
▪ Chapin baseball stayed alive in the postseason with a come-from-behind win over Summerville, 5-4. The Eagles scored all of their runs in the fifth and will travel to Lexington on Monday in an elimination game.
▪ Kevin Steelman and Zac Cowan combined on a three-hitter as Blyhewood defeated Boiling Springs, 2-0, in an elimination game of 5A Upper State playoffs. The Bengals host TL Hanna in another elimination game Monday.
Saturday’s Scores
Baseball
Class 5A
Berkeley 7, Lexington 2
WP: McGuire LP: Reese Marcum Hitters: B: McGuire 2-3 HR, RBI; Edens 2-3 2 RBI; Clark 1-2 2 RBI. L: Caleb Warren 2-3 HR, 2 RBI
Blythewood 2, Boiling Springs 0
WP: Kevin Steelman SV: Zac Cowan Hitters: B: Zac Cowan 1-3 RBI; Justin Flemming 1-3 RBI
Chapin 5, Summerville 4
WP: Brock Reeves LP: Thayer Tavormina. Hitters C: Camden Reeves 2-3 HR, 2 RBI; Gray Wells 1-3 RBI; JP Hornick 1-2 2 RBI. S: PJ Morlando 3-3 HR, 2 RBI
Class 4A
Airport 2, James Island 1
WP: Blake Morrison LP: Owen French Hitters: John Allen Forrester 1-4 HR, RBI (Walk-off HR); Hunter Epps 2-3 RBI. JI: McAndrew Mangan 1-3 HR, RBI; Hogan Garner 2-3.
Laurens 4, Dreher 0
WP: Josh Hughes LP: Shane Keup Hitters: L: Bennett Edwards 1-3 RBI; Jackson Martin 1-2 RBI; Hunter Nabors 1-3 RBI
AC Flora 6, Eastside 5
WP: Grant Loggins LP: David Mershon Hitters: ACF: Zander Buchan 1-3 HR, 3 RBI; Stephen West 2-4 RBI; Jake Sears 2-4. E: Jack Davis 1-4 HR, 3 RBI; Peter Merson 2-4 RBI
Class 3A
Oceanside Collegiate 7, Brookland-Cayce 2
WP: Jackson Sobel LP: BJ Etheridge. Hitters: OC: Cameron Sebuck 3-5 2 RBI; Jackson Sobel 1-5 2 RBI; Tagger Tyson 3-4; Chase Jarnagin 1-3 2 RBI; Andrew Bowers 2-4 RBI. BC: Mason Turner 2-3; Jordan Gibbs 2-4 RBI
Hanahan 10, Gilbert 3
WP: Cappello LP: Jackson Lineberry Hitters: H: Nichols 2-4 3 RBI; Brady 3-4; Woznac 2-3 3 RBI; Gones 1-4 2 RBI. G: Cooper Burkett 2-3
Class 2A
Gray Collegiate 9, Chesterfield 7
WP: Austin Lloyd Hitters: GC: Savion Smith 3-3; Peyton Starkey 2-4 RBI; Brent Stukes 2-3 2 RBI; Kendrick Wright 2-3 2 RBI; Landon Turner 1-2 RBI; Blaine Redmond 1-2 RBI
Softball
Class 5A
Summerville 4, Chapin 3 (9)
LP: Leah Cabe Hitters: C: Andee Dircks 1-1 RBI; Maddie McMillion 1-4 RBI; Leah Cabe 1-5 RBI
Class 2A
Gray Collegiate 4, Crescent 3
WP: Taylor Corley Hitters: Brooklinn Thomas 2-4 HR, RBI; Brooke Tranum 3-4 HR, 2 RBI; Maddox Long 2-3 RBI; Kaley Anderson 2-3; Shields Greene 2-3.
Friday’s Scores
Baseball
Class 4A
AC Flora 5, Laurens 0
WP: Jack Moseley Hitters: ACF: Phillips Daniels 2-3 3 RBI
Softball
Class 5A
Lexington 3, Wando 2
WP: Riley Ford (12 Ks) Hitters: L: Sarah Gordon 1-3 HR, 2 RBI; Jessica Senn 2-3 HR, RBI
Class 3A
Aynor 7, Gilbert 2
WP: Johnson LP: Swinford Hitters: G: Taylor Dreher 1-3 HR, RBI; Melinauskas 2-3. A: Ellis 1-4 2 RBI; Brown 2-3 RBI; Goff 3-4. Ray 1-3 2 RBI
Midlands Playoff Schedule
Monday
Baseball
Class 5A
Chapin at Lexington, 6:30 p.m.
TL Hanna at Blythewood, 6:30 p.m.
Class 4A
Airport at Hartsville, 7 p.m.
Class 3A
Hanahan at Brookland-Cayce
SCISA Class 3A Championship Series
Game 1
Ben Lippen at Laurence Manning, 6:30 p.m.
SCISA Class A Championship Series
Game 1
Andrew Jackson Academy at Richard Winn, 6 p.m.
Softball
Class 5A
Summerville at Lexington
Wando at Chapin
Class 3A
Gilbert at Loris
Class 2A
Gray Collegiate at Ninety-Six