Gray, AC Flora softball set for title showdown. River Bluff baseball wins wild one
It will be an all-Midlands matchup for the Class 4A softball championship.
Defending state champion Gray Collegiate and AC Flora earned their spots in next week’s title series with wins Wednesday night. Nationally ranked Gray (32-0) defeated South Florence 4-2 to win the Lower State championship.
AC Flora earned its first trip to the title series with a 6-1 win over Seneca in the Upper State championship.
The best-of-three state championship series is scheduled to begin Monday at Gray with Game 2 at AC Flora. Game 3, if necessary, will be at a neutral site.
The two teams have played twice this season with Gray winning 7-0 on April 1 and 15-2 on April 7.
“Those two games mean absolutely nothing. It is a different game and different day,” Gray coach Doug Frye said. “AC Flora is good. Coach (James) Marlow has a good team over there. Pressli (Reynolds) is one of the best players around. They are solid and are a good team.”
Gray Collegiate has won 34 straight games dating to last season. The War Eagles are No. 6 in MaxPreps’ Top 25 high school softball poll. Two more wins will give Gray a school-record 34 wins and first unbeaten season.
The Falcons are in the midst of a historic season with their first trip to the championship. AC Flora has won 23 games in each of the past two seasons.
AC Flora made it to the state semifinals last year before losing to York.
“I am so proud of these young ladies,” AC Flora coach Marlow told The Columbia Star after the game. “The way they represent the school. They work hard, grind hard every day. They are going to leave their mark, no doubt. Right there, where we have all the records and stuff, their names are going to be up there forever.”
First inning helps Gray Collegiate
South Carolina signee Aspen Boulware led off the first inning with a solo homer on a 3-0 pitch and Gray tacked on two more runs in the first on its way to a win over the Bruins.
It was Boulware’s 11th homer of the season and 63rd of her career.
“I was just excited. We came out here excited for this game,” Boulware said. “So, I was really grateful to hit that first (home run) and start the momentum. But it was really a team effort.”
The War Eagles scored two other runs in the inning on an error and passed ball to lead 3-0.
Ella Griffin added an RBI single in the third to make it 4-0.
South Florence made it interesting late as Page White and Blakely Blue hit back-to-back homers in the sixth to cut it to 4-2.
The Bruins got the tying run to the plate in the seventh but Peyton Hendrix struck out Tinley Blue to end the game.
Gray starter Mackenzie Sease pitched four no-hit innings and struck out three to pick up the win. Hendrix struck out six in three innings of relief.
Reynolds pitches gem in AC Flora win
Pressli Reynolds struck out 12, allowing a run on four hits in helping the Falcons clinch their trip to the state championship.
The Falcons took control of the game with three runs in the second and two in the third to lead 5-0. AC Flora benefited from Seneca miscues in the inning. The Bobcats finished with four errors in the game.
Karson Riddle and Abby Brown each had two hits. Riddle also had an RBI, along with Kayleigh Moore.
Baseball
Wild River Bluff rally forces deciding game
River Bluff rallied from a nine-run deficit to defeat James Island 11-10 in Game 2 of the Class 5A Division I Lower State baseball championship series.
The deciding Game 3 will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at James Island.
The Trojans, who won the opening game Monday, led 9-0 going into the bottom of the third before the Gators began their comeback.
Catcher Banks Alexander had a three-run homer in the third inning, and River Bluff scored five runs in the fourth to tie it 9-9.
James Island scored in the top of the fifth to take a 10-9 lead. But Walker Godwin’s two-run homer in the bottom of the inning put the Gators up 11-10.
James Island had a chance in the top of the seventh. With two outs, River Bluff intentionally walked Taj Marchand, one of the top players in the state, who had four hits and four RBIs. Then, Connor Dantzler doubled to left field but second baseman Ab Wilkerson’s relay throw from Andrew Rye to Alexander at home got Marchand at the plate to end the game.
Dalton Corley got the win in relief, allowing one earned run on five hits while striking out eight in 4.2 innings.
Godwin was 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Ashley Powell was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Sam Turner was 2 for 3. Wilkerson also had an RBI.
Clinton 4, Batesburg-Leesville 3
Jayden Glenn’s RBI single in the sixth inning helped the Red Devils past the Panthers in the 2A Upper State championship game.
Clinton advances to the state championship series to face Atlantic Collegiate.
Defending state champion Batesburg-Leesville trailed 2-0 before scoring three runs in the top of the sixth to take a 3-2 lead. Landon Soper had a two-run single and Braydon Hallman had an RBI single in the inning.
Clinton tied it up on Camden’s Finley’s single in the bottom of the sixth and took the lead on Glenn’s hit.
Tanner Finley got the win for Clinton.
