AC Flora, Cardinal Newman squads earn spots in state championships
Three Midlands teams earned spots for state championships on Wednesday.
AC Flora boys tennis, Cardinal Newman baseball and Cardinal Newman girls soccer all won their semifinals and will play for state titles.
AC Flora defeated Daniel, 6-0, in the SC High School League Class 4A Upper State championship. The Falcons will face Bishop England, 4-2 winners over South Aiken, at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cayce Tennis Center.
Cardinal Newman baseball defeated Pinewood Prep, 5-2, to win the SC Independent School Association Class 4A Lower Bracket title. The Cards will play defending champion Hilton Head Christian in the best-of-3 championship series beginning Monday. Game 2 is Tuesday. If necessary, Game 3 will be at a neutral site on Thursday, May 14.
The Cardinal Newman girls soccer team defeated Pinewood Prep, 2-0, in the SCISA 4A semifinals. CN will host Porter-Gaud on Saturday for the state championship.
AC Flora going for back-to-back titles
The Falcons extended their winning streak to 47 matches as they go for their second straight state championship and fifth in program history. It is the 14th title appearance in program history and second straight year AC Flora will play Bishop England for a state championship.
Against Daniel, match winners were Silas Cecchini, Jude Smyth, Vijay Sinha, Will Hewitt, Will Bryan and the doubles team of Sam McCormick and Reid Denemark.
AC Flora was one of three area boys teams playing in state semifinals Wednesday, but Spring Valley lost to Spartanburg and Wando defeated Lexington.
Spotts’ slam helps CN baseball
For the second time in three seasons, the Cardinal Newman baseball team is headed to the state championship series.
Cardinal Newman managed just three hits against Pinewood Prep but got a big one from Will Spotts, who hit a grand slam as part of the Cards’ five-run first inning.
The Cards led 5-1 going into the seventh. Pinewood scored a run and had bases loaded with one out but turned a 1-2-3 double play to end the game.
Henry Bodman picked up the complete-game victory for Cardinal Newman, allowing one earned run on nine hits while striking out four.
Cardinal Newman’s last title appearance came in 2024 in a loss to Augusta Christian. The Cards’ last championship came in 2018.
Will Watson had two hits and an RBI to lead Pinewood.
CN soccer shuts out Pinewood
The Cardinals scored a pair of goals in the final 20 minutes to earn a spot in the title match.
Cardinal Newman is going for its first title since 2017. Porter-Gaud, which defeated Ben Lippen, 2-0, is going for its second straight title and is 23-1-1 on the season.
The match was tied 0-0 until eighth-grader Hannah Costa scored to make it 1-0. Blaine Stackhouse added an insurance goal with six minutes left for Cardinal Newman.
Cardinal Newman’s boys will look to join the girls in Saturday’s championship when they face Ben Lippen in the semifinals Thursday night.
