I just heard a broadcaster say at the end of a tournament game, “They’d like to keep this run going!”
Who doesn’t?
The theme of Wednesday night’s games was Run, run, run, run, runaway!
In Taylors, a red-hot gang of Laurens Raiders left Eastside green with envy, grounding the Eagles, 10-2, in baseball on Wednesday evening.
Laurens (7-2, 2-0 Region 2-4A hit its fair share in the air, too, as in doubles by first baseman Owen Pridgen and third baseman Coleman Coker and a home run by the latter. The Raiders laced 10 hits, and lefty Jordan Hudson was again money on the mound.
Hudson went the duration, limited Eastside (1-5, 0-2) to two hits and two runs, both unearned, walked three and fanned the same.
The Raiders encountered more resistance on Monday, Eastside fell, 5-4.
Coker missed the cycle by a triple as he doubled in the first inning, homered in the fourth and singled in the seventh. He drove in four.
Laurens scored four in the first, one in the fourth and five in the seventh. Coker was the only Raider with more than a hit as he went 3/4 and scored three, too.
Otherwise, the hits ran down the batting order with few exception. The remainder Laurens’ hits, in addition to the double by Pridgen, were thumped by second sacker Hunter Nabors, center fielder Zay Pulley, catcher Bennett Edwards, shortstop Ben Willis, DH Asher Goss and right fielder Jireh Brown.
Peter Mershon and Dalton Smart managed the Eastside hits. Gregory Bryant drove in a run. Bryson Bishop, who took the loss, lasted 4-1/3 unfortunate innings, allowing eight hits and five earned runs.
Eastside and Laurens meet for a third time, this time at Ed Prescott Field, on Friday at 6 p.m.
Joseph Terry’s Clinton softball team crushed Newberry, 20-1, on the road Thursday.
What allowed this to happen was the Red Devils putting 11 runs on the board, perhaps breaking it, in the top of the fifth inning, undoubtedly eliciting some early exits.
Then again, Clinton already led, 9-1.
The Red Devils ran up 20 hits to go along with the 20 runs. First baseman Me-Me Smith drove in five runs, accumulating four hits, including a double and a homer.
Smith and Catcher Halleigh Luke each had four hits. Left fielder Cat Wilkie, center fielder Taylor Davis, Ella Adair (3) and Second baseman Kamryn Campbell eached rapped multiple hits.
Luke, Campbell and Smith swiped bases.
In the circle, Sierra Templeton allowed six hits in a complete game, giving up a run and a walak and striking out six.
Seventeen of the 20 runs charged Newberry’s M Garrer – wouldn’t you just list an initial, too? — were earned. Two had two hits each.
Laurens (3-2) and Clinton (5-2) are playing softball on the Red Devils’ home diamond on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Raiders are coming off three victories in their last four games, while Clinton won its first four game but has since split four.
Thornwell broke into the softball win column with a 7-3 victory over Emerald at home.
A dropped third strike enable the Saints to tie the score at 1 in the second inning. Thornwell (1-6) took the lead on Adrienne Anderson’s inside-the-park home run drove in three. Adrianna Bouslay singled in another, and it was 5-1.
Camden Nelson earned the decision, allowing three runs in 4-1/3 innings.
Thornwell also turned a triple play.
Emerald (1-5) scored three runs off three hits, Thornwell seven off seven. Both teams committed three errors.
Clinton junior-varsity baseball swept Union County, 2-0 and 7-2, at home Wednesday.
Rhett Gilliams pitched a one-hitter in game one, striking out five and electing not to yield a walk. The runs crossed the plate on a ground-out and an error.
T.J. Salter took the loss. Clinton had one hit, too, but he walked two, struck out only one and walked one. One of the two runs charged him was earned.
The nightcap was quite the contrast.
Clinton had only five hits, but Owen Glenn’s was a triple. The others with hits were by Gilliam, Zack Lawson, Landon James and Clayton Kyko.
Talan Campbell nailed down the decision, allowing one earned run and a hit in three innings. He walked and struck out three.
Kade Griffin took the loss.
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