On Friday night, I watched football, and in a way, it felt like spring practice for me, too.
I started out at Clinton High School watching baseball, and when I got home from the Presbyterian College spring football game, I had two sets of photos to process, select and lay out. Seven high-school baseball and softball games were played. When I got them all put to bed, I went to bed at 2:30 a.m., which isn’t uncommon during football season, but it had been a while.
I’m not in midseason form. In football season, I’d have had to get up this morning go. to a college game.
I didn’t get the PC football and baseball done until about noon Saturday. I got up at 9:30, made coffee, sat down and went to work. Friday night’s work was done at about 1 p.m.
I caught a break. The Masters is the absolute best sporting event to watch in a coma. From about 3 to 5, I was dimly aware that someone named Cam seemed to be putting all the time. Surely there was more than one Cam.
I’d hate to be the guy on the broadcast crew in charge of coordinating all the bird recording. That tournament is played in an aviary.
Since I pay rapt attention to golf’s major titles and no others, each time I play the game, “Which ones are American?” Almost any name can be American, with the possible exception of a player whose name has a vowel this laptop is ill equipped to type. There’s probably a way, but life’s too short.
Now back to the alert world …
Presbyterian is playing Winthrop in baseball, but through two of a three-game Big South series, the Blue Hose, not the Eagles, are soaring.
Look, Ma, Elton Pollock and the lads are riding the wave!
The Blue Hose, after winning 20-3 on Friday night, plucked the Eagles again, 13-1, on Saturday afternoon.
It’s not like Winthrop (13-19-1, 4-7 conference) hasn’t won games.
Presbyterian (18-17, 9-2) is hotter than a $2 pistol (pre-inflation).
Who hit? Who didn’t? Thirteen players participated in the batting order and five, only two of whom started, didn’t get a hit.
In the interest of merit, Joel Dragoo and Noah Lebron had three. Jay Wetherington, Jack Gorman, Jackson Hugus and Brody Fahr had two, and Jake Randolph and Adam Featherstone had two.
The splendid center fielder, Dragoo, doubled, tripled and homered. Fahr and Hugus homered, too. Wetherington doubled.
Charlie McDaniel (W, 6-0) pitched a creditable seven innings, giving up five hits and a run. He walked one and fanned five. Kyle Mueller, Sean Hollister and Tanner Smith finished up in small increments.
Reese Lumpkin (L, 2-6) allowed PC’s first seven hits and first four runs in five frames. PC scored eight in the eighth inning, riddling the Winthrop bullpen.
The Blue Hose have won five straight league games and five of six overall.
Catcher Cole Griffith stroked two singles for the Eagles. Chancellor Jennings, presiding over left field, homered.
The Blue Hose go for a sweep on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Take a look at the box here.
USC Upstate swept PC in softball, 4-2 and 14-1, extending the Blue Hose’ losing streak to five.
The opener was rife with missed opportunities. PC scored two runs off 11 hits. Three were doubles. The Spartans needed eight hits for its four runs.
Sierra Maness (W, 12-6) yielded the 11 hits but didn’t walk anyone and struck out nine. Jenna Greene (L, 7-11) gave up the eight but walked five and struck out four. Neither team committed an error.
Carson Shaw was 2/4 for USCU. Cassie Norris was 2/2. Shaw and Abigail Pippen laced doubles.
Shortstop Emma Yanes singled three times in as many at-bats for the Blue Hose.
The dam burst early in the nightcap as USC Upstate (21-15, 9-2 Big South) as the Spartans torched Presbyterian (14-28, 4-7) with nine runs in the first inning and two in the second. Four in the fifth took care of matters.
Maddie Drerup (W, 7-7) mastered the Blue Hose, stopping them on three hits and a walk. She struck out six.
All three PC visitors – Peyton Duncan (L, 3-8), Kasey Wolfe and Lanie Ruscoe – allowed runs.
Kelby Goodrum, Mallory Fletcher and Logan Grice shared the PC singles.
Center fielder Denver Lauer was 4/4 with a double for Upstate. Abby Polk and Norris each had three hits. Taliyah Thomas and Pippen had two apiece.
Three games at North Carolina State are penciled in for next weekend.
It was a rare day in Boiling Springs, N.C., where PC won its second lacrosse match on Saturday, 12-4 over Gardner-Webb.
The Blue Hose shut out their opponent in a first half for the first time in school history and ended a six-match losing streak against the not-quite-so Runnin’ Bulldogs.
The loss kept Gardner-Webb (0-14, 0-5) in sole possession of last place in the BSC. PC and Winthrop both have one league win.
PC (2-11, 1-4) outshot the Bulldogs, 33-20. Kylie Sullivan burned GWU at the net six times. Willow Hammond scored three goals, and Alyssa Perez, Abby Edmiston and Kaylie Rittmueller each scored one. Four Blue Hose divided four assists.
Brittany Sherrod led the Bulldogs with two goals.
The next two matches are at home, the next being next Saturday versus Radford at 2 p.m.
Claudia Sanchez and Mathilde Delaney collected singles and doubles wins but Radford collected a 4-3 victory over the Blue Hose on the Virginia school’s courts.
Presbyterian (9-11, 1-3) won the doubles point.
Presbyterian’s Sanchez and Valentina De Sousa posted a 6-3 win. The tandem of Madison Dennett and Lucianna Piedra clinched the doubles point for PC with a 6-3 win. Radford (4-16, 1-4) clinched its first Big South win by prevailing at Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5.
The Blue Hose wrap up the conference season with a visit to UNC Asheville on Monday.
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