Saluda – On Saturday night at Saluda High School , a standing room only crowd saw East Clarendon claim its third softball state championship with a 5-3 win over Saluda to sweep the best-of-3 AA championship series 2-0. “I am so proud of these girls," said EC head coach Jason Newsome . "It all started back in October. We had great offseason workouts in October, and January the girls really bought in to what we wanted to do. You can ask the girls and they will tell you how hard they worked this year. It is very gratifying to see all that hard work pay off.” Winning Lady Wolverines pitcher Lakelyn Gaskins said, “It feels wonderful to be state champs. The last time we won was 2017 so it feels good to win another championship.” It was a bittersweet ending for the Tigers of Saluda as they ended the season at 23-6-1. However, it was the best season in school history with a region championship, upper state championship and a runner-up finish. Along the way,p they had a 17-game winning streak after starting the year 0-3-1. SHS ead Coach Hannah Towery said, “I told the girls they have nothing to hang their heads on. We made history this year. No one thought we’d be here with such a young team. This is the first ever trophy that softball has put in the trophy case. I told our seniors to keep their heads u0, and for the younger girls this is something they will have to remember, this feeling, and learn from it and try and beat this goal.” Freshman Miller Martin got the start in the circle for Saluda and got the first batter to fly out to center field. Gaskins stepped into the batter's box and tripled to right. Right fielder Ashlyn Vereen made a great effort to catch the ball, but it was just out of her reach. EC’s Zoey Culick came up next and laid down a beautiful bunt that scored Gaskins with the first run of the game. Culick advanced to third on a wild pitch and an error. After an out and a walk, the Lady Wolverines had runners on second and third with two outs when Addison Fleming came to bat. Fleming bunted toward second base and beat the throw to first while also driving in Culick from third base for a 2-0 lead. “I could not have drawn up the first inning any better if I tried,” said Newsome. “Our game plan all year has been to get out of the gate really quickly and make our opponents chase us down.” Staked with a 2-0 lead, Gaskin’s set down the Tigers in order in the first two innings, striking out five of the first six batters she faced. Meanwhile, Martin settled down in the circle after the rough start and keep the Lady Wolverines off the scoreboard over the next three innings. In the third, the Tigers were able to scratch across a run. Amy Sorcia led off the inning with a walk and went to second on a passed ball. Gaskins seemed to get back on track after striking out the next two hitters, but then the Tigers' Nyla Jordan ripped a double in the left-center gap to drive in Sorcia with the Tigers' first run of the game. After Gaskins walked Martin, she got Karen Almarez to fly out to second for the final out of the inning. The Lady Wolverines led 2-1 after three innings. From the third inning on the game became a pitchers duel as both Martin and Gaskins were in control of the game. The Lady Wolverines were able to score another run in the fifth when Chloe Goff led off the inning with a walk. She moved to second on a sacrifice by Gaskins. Then Culick picked up her secondRBI of the game when she singled in Goff and the Lady Wolverines' lead was 3-1. The Tigers threatened in the sixth when Ava Martin walked and Sorcia singled, putting runners on first and second with two outs. However, Gaskins struck out the next hitter to end the threat. Leading 3-1 entering the seventh inning, EC's Bailey Hicks led off the inning with a single but was out at second on a fielder’s choice, leaving Gaskins on first. Culick had her third hit of the game, putting runners on first and second. Miller Martin then came up with a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but there were still two runners on base when Lake Jeffords stepped into the box. She ripped a single to left, driving in Gaskins. Then Fleming hit a bloop single over third base, driving in Culick for her secondRBI of the game and a 5-1 lead heading into the home half of the seventh. EC’s Gaskins got the first two batters out, one with her 11th strike out of the game, but then an error allowed Miller Martin to reach first bringing up Almarez. On a full count, she hit the payoff pitch over the right field fence and just like that the Tigers cut the lead to two at 5-3. “That home run is all on me,” said Newsome. “We were on a bad count. We had thrown the same pitch three times in a row. I thought we could sneak it by her. She made us pay.” Gaskins got Jayme Sheaffer to fly out to center to end the game and the celebration began. “This team never gives up and never gives in. They always fight and scrap until the very end,” said Towery. Gaskins finished the game with 11 strikeoutswhile walking four and allowing just four hits. Miller Martin struck out nine, five in the last two innings. She walked two and gave up 10 hits. Leading the way at the plate for the Lady Wolverines was Culick, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Payton Hanniford went 2-for-4 and Fleming was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Saluda was led by Almarez, who was 1-for-4 with two RBI off the round-tripper.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Florence — McBee won their 5 th Class A baseball state championship since their first one in 1981, with an 8-1 win over Lake View , at Francis Marion College on May, 31 st spoiling the final game of Wild Gator head coach Kip Herlong, who is retiring after 32 seasons at the same school. McBee head coach Josh Tiller told the HSSR, after the big win, “This is an amazing feeling right now, and it is great to see all the hard work that we put in throughout the season pay off with a state championship,” said Coach Tiller. “We are super proud of Aiden Hughes going all seven innings on the mound. He had a gutsy performance tonight. “Tonight, we were finally able to get some hits with runners in scoring position and that makes a big difference in any baseball game,” said Coach Tiller. “Other than Hughes on the mound, other seniors playing for the final time tonight (for McBee) were Landon Tedder behind the plate, headed to Coker College , Cohen Reid played third base, and Colton Wallace played at short. These guys have provided a lot of leadership for our program, not just tonight, but for several seasons. We are super proud to have had them be a part of our program.” Coach Tiller said his team being able to get on the board first, with three runs in the third inning was a turning point in the game. “Being able to get an early three run lead, it made it easier to turn around and play defense,” said Coach Tiller. “Once we got momentum the game seems to go our way the rest of the way.” Hughes, tossed a five hitter in the 8-1 win for McBee. And he is still deciding on a next level program, told the HSSR, after the game, “I am blessed to have great teammates who support each other, a coaching staff that works hard to teach us the game, and we also have a great community as you saw from the crowd tonight,” said Hughes. “It was important for me being a senior to have the ball in my hand tonight. It was a pressure situation to be in, but my team mates got us an early lead and they played good defense behind me. “I have been a member of the McBee varsity since the 9th grade and I will remember this game for the rest of the life.” Coach Herlong exits a Hall of Fame career at Lake View (633-170) that began with his first state championship in 1995. Few will ever forget Lake View’s five straight state titles between 1997 and 2001, a true dynasty era for the program. Two other state titles were won in 2016 and in 2021. The 2021 was Herlong’s 8 th title and it was very special because his son Kason, was on the team as an 8 th grader on his way to a great career at Lake View. On five occasions, including his final game in coaching, the Wild Gators have finished as runners-up. So, with a crowd of players, present and past, and family members, and fans gathered around him after the disappointing loss, Coach Herlong shared some thoughts: “It has been a great ride in such a great community and you look up in the stands tonight and you see such a great crowd,” said Coach Herlong. “It’s like this in every sport at Lake View. This community is very supportive of all the teams at Lake View. We all support each other.” “We have met with failure and we have met with success, and we treat them both the same and move forward,” said Coach Herlong. “Our motto this season was to “Keep Moving Forward” to keep one foot in front of the other and keep going. “We had some bad things happen tonight, early on, and that hurt us, but we kept working hard but it didn’t work out for us tonight,” said Coach Herlong. “It would have bene great for our players and fans had we won but things do not always turn out like you hope they might. “We had a couple more errors than we are used to having tonight, and I felt like the pressure got to us tonight and it just didn’t work-out,” said Coach Herlong. “We had an error here and there, left some runners on base early that we could not bring in, and that is not what you want to happen in a state championship but that is what the Lord willed and we will just have to accept it and move on.” Coach Herlong said in retirement he will now be able to follow his son’s baseball career (Kason) at North Greenville University. “Because I was coaching, I missed a lot of Morgan’s (older daughter) softball games at North Greenville when she played. Now that I am retired my wife will make sure we are there to see Kason play as often as possible. “It was a real blessing to coach my son for six seasons, and he worked hard, and he is all about the community. and his teammates, so we looking forward to following his college career,” said Coach Herlong. “The other night when all the players I had been blessed to coached at Lake View, showed up for our final home game, and stayed for a group picture, that just shows you what kind of wonderful people they are. That moment meant a lot to me.” This writer covered all 8 state championship games won by Coach Herlong and the Wild Gators through the years. It will be an adjustment coming to baseball games next season at Lake View and not seeing Coach Herlong in communication with his brother Chad, a long- time assistant, when things like a pitching change might be needed. After two scoreless innings, McBee plated three runs in the bottom of the third. Manning Tolson reached on an error, and then Cohen Reid reached on a fielder’s choice as Manning forced out at second. With two out JJ Melton drew a walk. Landon Tedder then singles on an infield hit to load the base with two out. Hughes then singles on a line drive hit to left field to score Tedder and Melton to make it 2-0. Reid makes it 3-0 when he scores on a wild pitch. Lake View got one-out back-to-back singles from Bryce King and Ian Capps in the top of the 4th but both runners were stranded at first and third as the next two Wild Gator batters hit short balls to the shallow outfield to retire the side. In the bottom of the 4 th McBee made it 4-0. Manning Tolson reached on a two-out double to right field. Cohen Reid then singled him to give the Panthers a four-run lead. Lake View scored their only run of the game in the top of the 5 th inning. Holden Lee reached on a hit-by-pitch. Two batters later Herlong singled to advance Lee to second. Braden Borders then draws a walk to load the bases. Lee scored on a deep sacrifice fly ball by Chris McGill to center field that might have been a grand slam in a high school park to make the score 4-1 after five innings. In the bottom of the 5 th McBee made it 5-1. Tedder draws a one-out walk and then Hughes reaches on a hit-by-pitch. Hayden Griggs loads up the bases when he reaches on an error. Colten Wallace then hits a sacrifice fly RBI that brings in Tedder from third base. In the bottom of the 6 th inning McBee adds three insurance runs. Tolson, Reid, and Evan Norris all collect singles as the first three batters of the inning. Tolson’s pinch runner (T Wright) scores on an error to make it 6-1 while Reid and Norris advance to second and third on the error. Reid then scores on a pass ball to make it 7-1. Norris scores on a sac RBI sac fly by Tedder to make the final score 8-1. For the game, McBee had seven hits and the Panthers took advantage of three Lake View errors to produce several of their 8 runs. The Panthers were led at the plate by Tolson and Reid who each had two hits with Reid also collecting one RBI. Lake View had five hits in the deciding game three against McBee. Capps led the way with two hits. Herlong, Bryce King and Holden Lee each contributed one hit. Lee scored the team’s lone run.

Larry Gamble HSSR, Photo Editor Fort Mill - The Berkeley Stags came into Game 2 of the Class AAAAA Division 2 State Title game with a mission. The only thing to stop them was an equally determined Catawba Ridge Copperheads team. The first inning reflected that completely. Berkeley, sporting a 10-0 winning streak that got them through the region play and to this game, went to their tried and true small ball game. Head coach for Berkeley, Landy Cox told the HSSR the team took a while to come together but “we had to play small ball, like we always do, that’s what we do. We pitch, we play defense, and we play small ball.” In the second inning, they got the bats working with a Devon Hogue single to reach first followed by Easton Little sacrifice bunt putting Hogue on second. Bryson Heath singles to move Hogue to third as he gets to first. Brady Proctor bunts and reaches first on an error that scores Hogue and moves Heath to second base. Trading an out for a run, Braylend Booker grounds out but gets Heath across the plate giving the Stags a 2-0 lead. They would get Ryan Richardson around the bases for one more run in the third which Catawba would match with J ack Shelnut scoring on a wild pitch before a double play ending the inning. The Stags bat got to work in the fourth producing 5 runs the Copperheads could not match. Easton Little singled with an RBI plus scored another run on an error. Bryce Olheiser placed a single over the head of the first baseman resulting in two RBI’s. In the fifth, Catawba managed 2 runs but Berkeley also got a run to go up 9-3. The only scoring in the sixth and seventh innings came from Catawba’s Tyler Causey putting a home run ball over the left field fence for the final score 9-4. After the game, this HSSR reporter interview Catawba head coach Stas Swerdzewski has this to say, “I could not be more prouder of this group… anytime you have to replaced seven (seniors) of their caliber, there are going to be growing pains and some people wrote us off. I’m proud of the guys for staying with it and working hard. We were within two games of accomplishing the mission that every high school program sets out to do.” When asked about getting to championship series this season when team was just staying above .500 going into the playoffs, coach Cox said, “the key to is getting hot at the right time, and we got hot at the right time.” Winning game two for the Title marked an 11-0 playoff run for the fabulous Stags this season. Game 1 R H E Berkeley 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 3 Catawba 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 4 Game 2 R H E Berkeley 0 2 1 5 1 0 0 9 12 0 Catawba 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 4 7 3

Jay Hendrix Contributing Writer Columbia - The Batesburg-Leesville Panthers jumped out to a 6-2 lead after two innings and never looked back as they rolled to an 8-5 win in the Class AA State Championship’s third and deciding game at Founders Park in Columbia. The B-L faithful made the 30 mile trek to Columbia and created a home field advantage for the Panthers as they would celebrate their first baseball championship since 1949 and fourth overall. With an announced paid attendance of 1,271 the B-L fans made the Gamecocks home their own for the evening. The Panthers were led by junior Braydon Hallman who started and picked up the win as he pitched four innings and struck out nine while allowing three runs. Hallman also led the Panthers at the plate going 1-3 with three RBI include a huge two run double in the second inning. The Iron Horses led off the first with Alex Romanski getting hit by a pitch, stealing second and scoring on an RBI single to go up 1-0. In the bottom of the first Reese Boehnke scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Hallman to tie the game. The Iron Horses’ starting pitcher Nolan Clifford would struggle with his control early with three walks in the first inning, including a bases loaded walk to make it 2-1. B-L would add another run on a sacrifice fly from Gavin Parrish which scored Jack Bouknight to make it 3-1 at the end of the first. Philip Simmons would plate a run in the second as Peirce Mullen hit a seeing eye single up the middle and scored on a long double off the wall by Romanski to make it 3-2. In the bottom of the second the Panthers resumed their assault and would run Clifford from the game with just one out. Landon Soper led off the inning with an infield single to deep shortstop to bring up the top of the order. Soper would steal second and Boehnke then laid down a perfect bunt towards third base for a single to put runners on the corners with no outs. Hallman would then double to leftfield to score two to make it 5-2. Jack Bouknight’s RBI single up the middle would make it 6-2 and close the book on Clifford’s outing as he turned the ball over to Charlie Helms who would go the distance. In the third the Iron Horses would again manufacture a run after a leadoff walk to Kyle Bachmann was followed by a double down the leftfield line by Daniel Scarth to put two on. A looping single by Daniel Ebeling drove in a run to make it 6-3 and leave runners on the corners. Hallman would then battle his way out of the inning without any further damage thanks to fly outs as the Iron Horses left the bases loaded. The game would remain 6-3 until the fifth inning. B-L would turn to Soper in the top of the frame and the change of pace keep the Iron Horses off balance with a 1-2-3 inning. In the bottom of the frame the Panthers got back on the board with two more runs. Carter Bouknight led off with a single to centerfield and Preston Smith drew a walk. An error, on what looked like a double play ball, allowed a run to score and extended the inning. A fielder’s choice on another ground ball allowed the Panthers to extend the lead to 8-3 at the end of five. In the top of the sixth the Iron Horses would plate two runs of their own to make it 8-5 as Tajaun Gibbs drew a leadoff walk and the run scored on a two out single by Helms. Scarth would later drive in Helms but again the Panthers would work out of the jam as the Iron Horses left two runners on base to end the inning as Hallman made an acrobatic catch from his shortstop position on a ball down the leftfield line. In the top of the seventh the Iron Horses were unable to rally as the Panthers allowed just one baserunner before Hallman hauled in a soft liner for the final out as the Panthers won 8-5. On the night Scarth led all hitters as he went 3-4 with two RBI and Romanski went 2-3 with an RBI. For B-L seven different players collected a hit each with Hallman leading the way with three RBI. Hallman and Gavin Parrish each had doubles while Scarth and Romanski had doubles for the Iron Horses.

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - The Gray Collegiate Academy softball bats overcame the solid pitching of York Comprehensive in a 5-2 victory in the third and deciding game of the 4A softball state championship series Saturday, and the War Eagles now have a 4A state championship to go along with 2A crowns the team won in 2022 and 2024. Leadoff batter and home run champ Aspen Boulware got the team started in the first inning with a solo home run, her 22 nd of the year, while seniors Maddox Long and Kayley Anderson delivered 2-run shots in the fourth and fifth innings. Long started the game in the circle for the War Eagles (32-3) and gave up the Cougars’ only two runs, one apiece in the second and third innings. Makenzie Sease came on in relief to pitch four innings of 1-hit ball to claim the win. Both pitchers struck out three apiece. “They work so hard. People wouldn’t believe how hard these kids work,” Gray Collegiate head coach Doug Frye said. “There ain’t that many teams that can outwork us. They may beat us, but they don’t outwork us. We lose, we come back and get better. We’re done today, and I’ll bet half these kids will be practicing tomorrow, trying to get better. They’re hungry for it.” The War Eagles got on the scoreboard early with Boulware’s longball in the first inning. York (25-5) senior and Erskine signee Layla Clayton singled in A.C. Lingerfelt with one out in the second. Long struck out Emma Farrell and got Sullivan Littleton to pop out to end the inning. The Cougars took a 2-1 lead off of Marisa Reyes’ one-out solo home run in the third, but that was all the runs York could get across. Long got Natalie Dover and Lingerfelt to pop out to retire the side. “I thought we’d be fine,” Frye said. “We’re just waiting for the right pitch. (York starter Peyton Brooks ) threw a good breaking ball off the plate, and we worked hard on trying to go with the pitch, being patient and don’t chase things. 2-1 you’re always in the game.” Gray showed that were very much in the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, when they got to Brooks. Sease led off that inning with a single to leftfield and promptly came home on Lane’s 2-run homer that soared over the fence in left and gave the War Eagles a 3-2 lead. “I knew it was my time to step up for the team,” said Long, who will attend Charleston Southern as a student in the fall. “I just went up to the plate and did what I was supposed to do. It always feels better when the bats are moving. It helps us when we have a little bit of runs, makes us feel a little bit better.” With no one out, Anderson singled after Long’s homer, which brought Brooks’ time in the circle to an end in favor of York’s ace, Clayton. Clayton, who threw 209 pitches in games one and two for the Cougars, gave up Maliah Wright’s bunt single, but managed to get out of the jam with outs attributed to Elizabeth Robinson’s sacrifice bunt, Braelyn Triplett’s pop fly, and Kaylan Boudreau’s inning-ending fielder’s choice. Clayton and the Cougars weren’t so fortunate in the fifth inning. With one out, Sease singled and put her courtesy runner, Madison Bumgarner , at first. Gracie Porter bunt sacrificed Bumgarner to second, and Anderson took her the rest of the way on a high 2-out home run that skimmed the fence in centerfield before it went over. “It was a great feeling to know that my team had already put up the runs and we were ahead,” said Anderson, who will play for Converse College in the fall. “But just to add to that was really cool, and to know that they were behind me was a really cool feeling.” After that homer the Gray lineup livened up significantly, as three-run leads with two innings left to play tend to do. “It was really great, we all worked together,” said Boulware, who had just one hit on the afternoon but was intentionally walked and reached base three times on walks and being hit. “I feel like we hit a lot better in this game compared to the other two games, I was glad we were able to string our hits together.” Boulware added about Anderson, “The energy she brings to the team is great, and on top of that she hit a home run. I was so glad she got to finish off her career with a home run, so that’s really great.” Sease closed out York’s sixth and seventh innings in quick fashion. She needed just six pitches to get three outs in the sixth, and fourteen pitches in the seventh. Eleven of those pitches were to Brooks, who with two out fouled off five pitches on a full count before going down on a called strike three to end the game. “I can’t believe it. I’m shocked but I knew we could do it,” Sease said. “I don’t know how to feel right now. Those last pitches I was just focusing and trying not to get too excited, to stay calm and focused.” The Cougars gave Gray Collegiate everything they had and came close to reaching the state crown, but second place is not something to be sad about, York head coach Danny Mazell said. “Cherish the moment, because it’s hard to get there,” Mazzell said. “I don’t care if it’s softball, baseball, basketball, football, it’s hard to get to the state finals. We were in the state finals and we were the No.2 best team in the state.” Mazell added, “No excuses, they beat us. And you’ve got to make the fundamental plays. I think we had four errors in this game and one of those errors they capitalized on it. But I’m excited for these girls and what’s coming up next year. I’ll miss Layla Clayton, her ERA’s probably the best in the state in all classifications (0.62 in 20 appearances). She’s going to the next level and it’s up to our girls to pick it up.” Frye said that Gray Collegiate’s seniors made game 3 a treat, and will give the returning teammates something to remember as they get back to work for the 2026 season. “The best thing was the seniors and they were going out with their last at-bats as a home runs, that’s pretty impressive,” Frye said. “Boulware, she’s just special anyway, she got probably 35 intentional walks this year because she’s hit like 22 home runs this year. She’s just special kid, a special player.” On Anderson’s tension-breaking homer in the fifth inning, Frye added “She hit it good. It’s being disciplined and waiting on the pitch going with the pitch, don’t try to do too much with it, I think we did a good job of that today. We hit the ball pretty hard.” Tuesday-Wednesday Game One York Comprehensive 002 000 0 – 2 6 1 Gray Collegiate 010 000 0 – 1 5 3 WP: Layla Clayton, 7 IP, 5H, 1R, 0ER, 3BB, 6K. G – Kaylan Boudreau 2B. Y – Kayla Johnson 3-4, HR. Wednesday Game Two Gray Collegiate 100 102 0 – 4 9 2 York Comprehensive 000 000 0 – 0 3 1 WP: Peyton Hendrix, 7 IP, 3H, 1BB, 8K. G – Makenzie Sease 2-3. Peyton Hendrix 2-3, 2B. Aspen Boulware HR. Kaylan Boudreau 3B. Y – Peyton Broom 2B. Friday Game Three York Comprehensive 011 000 0 – 2 4 4 Gray Collegiate 100 220 x – 5 7 0 WP: Makensie Sease, 4 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 3K. Y – Marisa Reyes 2-3, HR. G – Kaley Anderson 2-3, HR, 2 RBI. Maliah Wright 2-3. Maddox Long HR, 2 RBI. Aspen Boulware HR.

Kaylee Hannon had the pitching win for Byrnes on May 31.

Jake Amman singles home Collin Anderson with winning run as Trojans win 2nd staright title

Berkeley Sweeps Catawba Ridge for the Class AAAAA Div. 2 State Title.

The Summerville vs Byrnes game is rescheduled for Saturday ! The neutral site, Game 3, is being played at White Knoll High School . First Pitch, May 31st at Noon White Knoll High School 5643 Platt Springs Rd Lexington, SC 29073

Updated: 5:30pm, May 30th  With the storms and resulting field conditions. Here are the SCHSL game changes and what we know. All Friday games are postponed and rescheduled for Saturday. Softball: Summerville vs Byrnes - Game 3 - rescheduled for Saturday , May 31st at White Knoll at Noon. Aynor vs BHP - Game 2 - now scheduled for Saturday , May 31st at 6pm York vs Gray Collegiate - now scheduled for Saturday , May 31st at 3pm East Clarendon vs Saluda - Game 2 - rescheduled for Saturday , May 31st at 7pm Baseball: Lexington vs James Island - Game 3 - scheduled for Saturday , May 31st, at Riley Park in Sumter at 1pm Lake View vs McBee - scheduled for Saturday , May 31st at Francis Marion University at 6pm Batesburg-Leesville - Game 3, Saturday , May 31st at USC Founders Park at 6pm Berkeley vs Catawba Ridge - Game 2 - rescheduled for Saturday, May 31st at 6:30p Seneca vs Airport - Game 2, rescheduled for Saturday , May 31st at 7pm

Head Coach Kip Herlong with four senior starters after recent 6-2 win over McBee.

By Joel Beachum Special to the HSSR LATTA - As with any good championship softball game, there are two key components - clutch pitching and timely hitting. That is exactly what Latta (20-5, ranked No. 14 in SC) got on Wednesday night in a 5-2 victory over Lewisville to capture the Class A state title at home. Maddie Berry , the Wofford commit, started the game in the circle for Latta, but got injured in the fourth inning. She was replaced by Paisley Jackson , who normally plays right field. Jackson provided the energy to shut down the Lewisville (21-11) bats. Berry finished with nine strikeouts. Jackson added five strikeouts. Latta head softball coach Anna Rogers commented on how elated she was of the team's performance. "I'm so proud of these girls. We've definitely played some tough competition, even in our region," said Rogers. "That prepared us for this moment and we knew Lewisville was a good team. Their pitcher ( Sarah Owens ) is really strong." Junior catcher Samantha Townsend was the catalyst for the Lady Vikings, going 2-for-3 in the win with two singles, a Run Batted In and a run scored. She also added a stolen base and was hit by a pitch in the contest. "Samantha always brings energy. She's so aggressive," Baker said of Townsend. "We are just thankful for her getting things started and pushing us to get all that we could." This came after Latta lost a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Both Owens and Aubree Smith added a hit. Kyleigh Fletcher of Lewisville added the needed RBI. Latta got things going in the bottom half of the fourth after Sarah Bryant drew a walk and then stole second. That was followed by Madison Kersey making it first on a passed ball and then she added a steal. Rylan Hunt then came through with a key sacrifice bunt. Townsend then went to work with a single up the middle for Latta. "It didn't start off how we wanted it to, but in the end we came through. We weren't trying to drive it hard, but just get good solid contact out of the infield," Townsend said after the win. That put the Lady Vikings ahead 3-2 going into the top of the fifth inning. With two more runs in the sixth to increase their lead to 5-2, that was all the offense needed. Jackson, who had come into the game, quieted the Lewisville bats for the win. "It feels great to win the game. When I came into the game, I was ready because I knew my defense was there behind me," Jackson said. "My team was backing me up all the way." Berry allowed one hit and two runs in three and a third innings. Jackson pitched three and two thirds innings allowing no runs. Owens allowed four hits and five runs in the loss. Berry commented on the win and how amazing it felt to win the state title. "First of all I want to give all of the glory to God. We have prayed so hard for this very moment from day one. We have worked so hard, day in and day out. There's no other team that I would want to win this with," Berry said about the accomplishment. "We came so close when I was a freshman - just to have this full circle moment as a senior just means everything." She also praised Jackson for her performance coming into the game in relief. "I've always known Paisley was going to be something special," Berry added. "When I went out, I had so much confidence in her and I knew she was going to be great." For Latta at the plate, Hunt had two walks in the contest for the Lady Vikings. Latta had five walks for the game. The team finished the contest with five stolen bases. Townsend also praised Jackson and her team while expressing her elation in the victory. "I can not express to you in words what it means to me (to win states). It was our whole team and a total team effort," Townsend added. "Paisley really came through for us (coming in after Maddie went out)." Lewisville finished the game with two hits, two runs, one RBI and one walk. Lewisville coach Jerry Thomas spoke after the game. "We started out the year great, but then we lost a couple of players. We got back one and then we finally got another back before the end of the season. It has been an up and down season with injuries that we've had," Thomas said. This was their (Latta) year. My hats off to them. I'm proud of our girls making it to the state finals. That's a tradition that we started."

Gray Collegiate sophomore Peyton Hendrix pitched all seven innings in their 4-0 win over York in game 2.

Byrnes players celebrate as Maddie Wiant (#14) comes down the third-base line on her fifth-inning home-run trot.

Berkeley courtesy runner Gavin Barb just gets back to third base bag before Catawba Ridge's Alex Downes tag.

York senior Sullivan Littleton makes the catch at first base against Gray Collegiate.

By: Jay Hendrix Special Writer Batesburg - The Batesburg-Leesville bats were kept in check until a three-run rally in the sixth inning turned a 1-0 Philip Simmons lead into a 3-2 B-L victory in game two of the Class AA State Championship series at Batesburg-Leesville. The win forces a decisive game three at Founders Park in Columbia on Saturday at 6pm. The pitching duel between B-L’s Carter Bouknight and Philip Simmons’ Peirce Mullen saw the two players go back and forth with only one run through five innings. Carter Bouknight would give way to Braydon Hallman who allowed a run in the seventh but struck out three as he claimed the win in relief. In the first inning the leadoff batter for Iron Horses, Alex Romanski , was hit by a pitch, stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice and scored on a single from Daniel Scarth . That 1-0 lead would hold up until the sixth inning. Meanwhile, Mullen was perfect through three innings and then managed to strand three runners over the next two innings. B-L Head Coach Rob Bouknight stated “it was a very frustrating game for our guys. We didn’t strike out one time the whole game. We didn’t hit a lot of balls hard but everything was right at them and they were frustrated. We kept going and stayed the course and we found a hole here and there.” Carter Bouknight, a senior who has been the Panthers’ ace all season, battled through five innings and allowed just the one unearned run before turning the ball over to Hallman. Coach Bouknight stated “you can’t say enough about what he (Carter Bouknight) has done all year. He has been that guy all year. He told us in the third inning his arm was bothering him a little bit and we were ready to go to Hallman and he said ‘I’m not going to college to play ball, I want to finish it’ and he bought us two more innings.” In the critical sixth inning the Panthers jumped out quickly as the top of the order produced against Mullen on their third trip through the order. Reese Boehnke lead off with a walk. Tanner Watkins then laid down a bunt back to the pitcher but the throw to first was wide and Boehnke and Watkins ended up at third and second respectively. Hallman was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Jack Bouknight then battled back from an 0-2 count to rip an RBI single to centerfield to tie the game. John Sawyer followed with a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score another run and give B-L a 2-1 lead. With one out Tyler Kneece laid down a bunt to the pitcher who got the out at first but the throw home wasn’t in time as Hallman just beat the tag to make it 3-1 at the end of six innings. Head Coach Rob Bouknight pointed to the bunt as the biggest play of the night, stating “the bunt when we made the pitcher get off the mound and they threw it away would have to be the biggest moment.” The Iron Horses wouldn’t go away without a fight in the top of the seventh. Tajaun Gibbs singled to centerfield before Hallman retired the next two batters. The top of the order then came up and Romanski and Charlie Helms singled to leftfield, with Helms driving in Gibbs to make it 3-2. The final out came on a sharply hit line drive to centerfield with Watkins gloving it to seal the victory and force game three. Coach Bouknight, an alumnus of Batesburg-Leesville, is in his 13 th season as head baseball coach at B-L. When asked about how special it is to lead his alma mater to the state championship series he stated “it means the world. This program and the guys I played with meant the world to us. The community has always backed us. I hope our guys are realizing these guys they are playing with a truly their brothers and the support they get from the community is outstanding.”

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - Coming off a 5-4 walk-off loss in eight innings to James Island Tuesday night in game one of the 5A Division 1 state championship series, the Lexington baseball team wanted to leave no doubt Wednesday at the Wildcats stadium. Christian Spivey , Logan Blight , and Graham Coleman all doubled off of James Island junior pitcher and Ole Miss commit Taj Marchand in Lexington’s 4-run first inning, and the Wildcats never looked back in a 9-4 victory over the Trojans in game two. “That’s an incredible arm we faced tonight,” Wildcats head coach Brian Hucks said. “I told our guys that it was an amazing show of grit and toughness to lose a heartbreaker like we did the night before and know you’re facing that guy and come back and swing it like that.” The best-of-three series concludes Saturday, as Lexington (22-10-1) and James Island (29-4) will battle it out in Sumter’s Riley Park at 1 p.m. “We’ve got everybody available except Grant ( Kisner ), I believe. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of managing our pitching staff and our pitch counts. Reidar ( Carlson , the starting pitcher for game one) will be available to go, I’m not sure if we’re going to start him or not, but we’ll figure out how to piece it together and see what we can do.” Wildcats fans and Trojans fans packed the perimeter of the Lexington ballfield Wednesday, and everyone saw what the home team could do at the plate. James Island opened the scoring in the first inning with Connor Dantzler’s 2-out RBI single. That hit scored Luke Maxwell , courtesy runner for lead-off man and catcher Stow Rogers , who was hit by a pitch to get on base. With Trip Ostergard at third base and Dantzler at first, Hayden Little struck out to retire the side and bring Lexington to bat. The Wildcats wasted no time. Lead-off man Toby Sobieralski drew a walk, and with Sobieralski’s courtesy runner Jonathan Waldrop on base, Spivey hit a line drive double into centerfield to put runners at second and third. Marchand struck out Brandon Cromer and Lincoln Hill , but Blight’s double into centerfield scored Waldrop and Spivey to give Lexington a 2-1 lead. Kissner drove in Blight with a single to rightfield, and Coleman’s double into rightfield scored Kissner to make it 4-1. Coleman got stranded when Allen Hegler struck out to end the inning, but the Wildcats hits kept on coming in the second inning. Brandon Mobley led off the bottom of the second with a double to left field, and Sobieralski promptly singled him home to make it 5-2. Marchand struck out Spivey, but Cromer’s single put Waldrop at second, and Hill drew a walk to load the bases. Blight was ruled out on the infield fly rule, but with two out, Kissner’s base hit into centerfield scored Cromer and Waldrop to make it 7-1. By then Marchand left the mound in favor of Colt Hernandez , but the James Island reliever didn’t last the inning. Bishop Nixon came on the mound for the Trojans to face Coleman, butHill bolted home from third and was picked off to end the inning. “You knew this was coming, Lexington is too good of a team to lay down,” Trojans head coach Matt Spivey said. “Coach Hucks and his staff do a great job and they’ve got some really talented players, and you’re coming into a tough environment. A couple of things didn’t go our way early on and we didn’t make a couple of routine plays that I thought would have gotten us out of the inning, and all of a sudden you’re staring at a 7-1 deficit.” Marchand was off the mound but stayed in the game, and in the top of the third inning he led off with a solo home run over the fence in leftfield to cut the lead to 7-2. Lexington got two more runs in the third inning. Spivey led off the frame with a solo homer, and later Kissner’s 1-out RBI single scored Cromer to give the Wildcats a 9-2 lead. Kissner, Lexington’s starter, lasted into the fifth inning. He gave up four hits over 4-plus innings. Jack Cooper came on early in the fifth and gave up two earned runs in the sixth inning, but lasted till one out in the seventh. Ahead 9-4, Jake Epps took the mound for Lexington with one out and two men on. He struck out Collin Anderson for the second out and closed out the game getting Finn Pratt out on a flyball to centerfield. While Wednesday didn’t go the Trojans way, Coach Spivey said the team will shake it off and get down to business on Saturday. “We’ll shake this as soon as we get back to the bus,” he said. “We’ll get back to James Island and regroup and we’ll be ready Saturday.” Saturday’s game between Lexington, the 2024 5A champion, and James Island, the 2024 4A champion, will likely electrify Riley Park. “I’m just incredibly proud of our toughness and our grit, and we forced a game three,” Hucks said. “They held serve at their place and we held serve in our place, now let’s play for it all.” Game 1 Lexington 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 – 4 7 1 James Island 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 – 5 9 0 WP : Colt Hernandez, 0.2 IP, 1K L – Toby Sobieralski 3-4, HR. Christian Spivey HR. J –Trip Ostergard 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI. Jake Amman 2-3, 2B, 3B. Taj Marchand 2B. Game 2 James Island 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 – 4 9 0 Lexington 4 3 0 2 0 0 x – 9 11 1 WP: Grant Kissner, 4 IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 3K. J – Taj Marchand 2-4, HR, 2 RBI. . L – Grant Kissner 3-4, 2B, 4 RBI. Christian Spivey 2-4, 2B, HR. Logan Blight 2B. Bryce Mobley 2B. Graham Coleman 2B.

Game 2 is set for Thursday at 7 p.m. in Saluda

Seneca - The Airport Eagles moved a step closer to a state baseball title after beating Seneca , 4-3, in game one of the Class AAAA state championship series. The Eagles, 26-6. will look to sweep the best-of-three series at home on May 29. Cash Epps turned in a solid pitching effort, allowing one run on four hits in five innings work. Hunter Epps earned the save and had two hits in the game. Airport scored single runs in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings to take a 4-0 lead before the Bobcats struck for three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Airport got RBI's from Landon Jeffcoa t, Braden Gross and Justin Sightler .

Breaking News: Check your Baseball games due to weather conditions. Philip Simmons vs. Batesburg-Leesville, moved to Wednesday at 6p Mcbee at Lake View, moved to Wednesday at 6p  Oceanside Collegiate at Southside Christian, moved to Wednesday at 7p

Shortstop Katie Guilliam scored two of Summerville’s three runs May 26.

Catawba Ridge freshman Keira O’Brien gets the win in game one.

James Island – Game one of the Class AAAAA Division baseball state championship series lived up to the hype as James Island defeated Lexington , 5-4, in eight innings to move within a game of clinching a state title for the second straight year. Both teams are defending state champions. James Island won the AAAA state title last season while Lexington won the AAAAA championship. Both schools were bumped up to the new division by the South Carolina High School League. Senior Stow Rogers delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth to lift James Island to a 5-4 win. The 29-3 Trojans will look to win the title at Lexington on Wednesday night. “We obviously felt good with Stow coming to the plate in that situation,” said James Island coach Matt Spivey . “He’s a senior and seniors do what seniors do. He’s a kid that works really hard and it’s good to see the hard work pay off in a big situation.” Rogers’ single to left with the bases loaded and no outs ended a back-and-forth battle that both teams had chances to win. Lexington got going early against James Island freshman starting pitcher Brayden Easterling , a surprise starter by Spivey. Lexington catcher Toby Sobieralski opened the game with a homerun to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. Sobieralski finished the night with three hits. “It worked out for us,” said Spivey of the decision. “The freshman gave us three innings and kept us in the game early.” The Trojans answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the first, getting a two-out RBI double from sophomore second baseman Trip Ostergard . A line drive double down the left field line scored Jake Amman , who reached on a walk. Another solo homerun, this from sophomore Christian Spivey , gave Lexington a 2-1 lead in the top of the third. James Island had another answer in the bottom of third. After Amman tripled to left, Taj Marchand delivered a sacrifice fly to tie the game 2-2. The Trojans earned their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Amman doubled in a run to make it 3-2 but the Trojans left the bases loaded. This time it was Lexington’s chance to answer and the Wildcats did in the top of the fifth on a Lincoln Hill sacrifice fly to center, tying the game at three. In the top of the seventh, Lexington loaded the bases with no outs. Sobieralski singled, his third hit of the game, and reached second on a passed ball. He then reached third on a ball in the dirt, leading to Intentional walks to load the bases. A ground ball to Marchand resulted in the first out at home but Landon Blight delivered a single to right to score a run and give the Wildcats a 4-3 lead. Ostergard relieved Cooper Jones on the mound and got his team out of further damage. Marchand led off the bottom of the seventh with a double down the line in left and moved to third on a wild pitch. Ostergard tied the game with a single to left. After a flyout, Ostergard was picked off by Lexington southpaw Brayden Studebaker. In the eighth, Lexington put two runners on with an out for Spivey, who was struck out by Colt Hernandez, James Island’s fourth pitcher of the night. Hernandez got USC signee Brandon Cromer to flyout to center, ending the threat. “Big moment there,” Spivey said. “Really proud of the way he responded.” Braden Deprill opened the eighth for James Island with a single. Brady Dantzle r bunted for a single. Pinch-hitter Collin Anderson walked to load the bases, bringing up Rogers. The College of Charleston signee ripped a single to left for the game-winner. “The bottom of the order came through for us,” Spivey said. “We felt good about our chances if we could get back to the top and we did. If we leave the bases loaded and don’t score there, we don’t win the game.”

Oceanside Collegiate rising junior QB Aiden Manavian - Class of '27

SCHSL Championship Series got started on Saturday with 12 teams in each category striving to earn a state title. It's looking to be a wet week for most of the state, we'll see how the forecast holds up for these games to be completed. Softball 5/26 - Class 5A Div 1. - Byrnes @ Summerville 5/26 - Class 5A Div. 2 - Catawba Ridge @ St. James 6p 5/27 - Class AAAA - York @ Gray Collegiate 6:30p 5/27 - Class AAA - BHP @ Aynor 6p5/27 - 5/27 - Class AA - Saluda @ East Clarendon 7p 5/27 - Class A - Latta @ Lewisville 6p 5/28 - Class 5A Div 1. - Summerville @ Byrnes 5/28 - Class 5A Div. 2 - St. James @ Catawba Ridge 6p 5/28 - Class AAAA - Gray Collegiate @ York 5/29 - Class AAA - Aynor @ BHP 6p 5/29 - Class AA - Lewisville @ Latta 5/29 - Class A - East Clarendon @ Saluda 7p Game 3s (if needed) on 5/30 Baseball - Games Started Saturday, May 24 th with games 5/27, 5/29, and 5/31 5/24 - Class AAA - Southside Christian 14 , Oceanside 1 5/24 - Class AA - Philip Simons 5 , Batesburg-Leesville 3 5/24 - Class A - McBee 5 , LakeView 3 5/27 - Class 5A Div. 1 - Lexington @ James Island 6:30p 5/27 - Class 5A Div. 2 -Catawba Ridge @ Berkeley 5/27 - Class AAAA - Airport @ Seneca 5/27 - Class AAA - Oceanside @ Southside Christian 5/27 - Class AA - Philip Simons @ Batesburg-Leesville 5/27 - Class A - McBee @ Lake View 5/29 - Class 5A Div. 1 -Lexington@ James Island 6:30p 5/29 - Class 5A Div. 2 -Berkeley @ Catawba Ridge 5/29 - Class AAAA - Seneca @ Airport Game 3s (if needed) on 5/31

McBee comes back and holds on to win Game 1 in the Class A title series 5-3

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Mt. Pleasant – Through the first three innings Saturday night’s first game of the AAA championship series was looking like it would a pitcher’s duel between Oceanside Collegiate’s Aiden Culler and Southside Christian’s CJ Aubuchon but that changed in the fourth and fifth innings as Southside Christian erupted for 13 runs to win game one 14-1 in five innings. Game two will be Tuesday at Southside Christian. The Sabres can claim their fourth consecutive state championship with a win. An Oceanside win would force a deciding game three for the AAA state championship. “We swung the bats well tonight. We struggled in the third a bit, made some adjustments in the fourth and were able to jump on them and put seven on the board. They made a few mistakes and we were able to take advantage. I’m just proud of our guys and their approach to the game,” said Southside Christian’s head coach Scott Freeman. Oceanside Collegiate’s head coach Britt Reames said, “I told our guys we have another game so forget this and move on. This was a poorly executed game all around; we didn’t play defense, we didn’t hit, we didn’t pitch. It is hard to win a game when you don’t execute.” The Sabres were able to manufacture a run in the first thanks to a Landshark error. Tyler Bolemon singled up the middle with one out. Bennett Candler came in as a pinch runner and then got caught by Culler on an attempted pick off move, however, first basemen Aiden Brusman threw the ball into left field and Tyler Bolemon ended up on second base. After Culler struck out the next better before Aubuchon singled to right driving Tyler to score the game’s first run. Culler then took over the next two innings as he struck out five of the six batters he faced. The Landsharks had a chance to get on the board in their half of the second as they loaded the bases on three walks with one out. Aubuchon struck out the next batter and then third basemen Cole Atkins made an outstanding play as he dove left and snagged the hard-hit ball and threw it to first for the third out of the inning. The score was 1-0 Sabres heading into the fourth inning as Culler and Aubuchon had settled down to strike out 12 batters between them. In the top of the fourth the state’s top ranked junior player Carson Bolemon led off with a single to left. Carson went to second on wild pitch before Aubuchon walked. Jacob Wiggs singled to drive in Carson. Mike Hotinski walked to load the bases. Atkins kept the inning going as he singled in Aubuchon. Matt Cauthen walked to reload the bases for the Sabres. An Oceanside error scored Atkins before Tyler and Carson Bolemon drove in two runs each with a single and double respectively to give the Sabres 8-0 lead. Oceanside attempted a comeback in the bottom of the fourth as Charlie Johnson led off the inning with a walk and then stole second base. Charlie Becker singled to move Johnson to third before he scored on a fielder’s choice. Aubuchon then got the next two batters with a fly out to center and he struck out his sixth batter. The top of fifth inning started well for the Landsharks, after Wiggs walked he was thrown out attempting to steal by Oceanside catcher Scott Henry. The next hitter struck out for the second out but then disaster struck for the Landsharks. Third basemen Cade Griffith lost a high fly ball in the lights and dropped the ball allowing Reeves Israel to reach base with two outs. Then Landsharks relief pitcher Tyler Mellison could not find the strike zone as he walked six of the next seven batters he faced. During that stretch Cauthen had the only hit for the Sabres. When the dust settled, Sabres had but six more runs on the board to break open the game at 14-1. Southside Christian brought in Chandler to finish the game SC - 1 0 0 7 6 14 OC- 0 0 1 0 0 1

By Billy Baker Publisher Berkeley County — Batesburg - Leesville head baseball coach Rob Bouknight got right to the root cause of his team’s 5-3 loss, against host Philip Simmons in game one of the SCHSL AA state baseball finals, played on May, 24 in Berkeley County. “When you have 8 walks, and your defense makes three costly errors, you usually don ‘t win a baseball game, and that is what happened to us today, against a quality opponent who took advantage of those two things,” said Coach Bouknight. “Our challenge on Tuesday, at our place, is to throw strikes, and don’t make errors. If we improve on those two things we will be a much better team for sure.” Philip Simmons, on the other hand, got six innings of stellar pitching from senior lefty Nolan Clifford. He scattered five hits, allowed one earned run, and had seven strike-outs. Clifford came into the game as the school’s all-time strike-out leader (around 172). Philip Simmons was founded 8 years ago. After the game, Philip Simmons head coach Josh Kubisz shared some thoughts on his team’s game one win. “The fact that they had that many walks, and a few errors, and we only won by two runs let’s you know that they are a real good baseball team,” said Coach Kubisz. “Clifford had a good game on the mound, but honestly I do not think he had his best stuff today, but he still managed to get a bunch of outs and get his curve ball over for strikes,” said Coach Kubisz. “I still think he has a little more in him.” One concern for the Iron Horses is a freak injury to number two pitcher Pierce Mullen who tripped and fell as he rounded first base, on his solo home run, as the lead-off batter in the bottom of the fourth inning. Mullen did not return to the game and he was replaced by junior Braden Ward. “We fully expect Mullen to be ready to start the game on the mound on Tuesday,” said Coach Kubisz. “His injury appears to be minor and he should be ready to go in game two.” Mullin is 6-2 on the year. In 57.1 innings on the bump he has 76 strike-outs with a 2.93 ERA. “This was also Charlie Helm’s second save of the year and I can not think of a bigger one,” said Coach Kubisz. “He’s been a step-up leader for us his entire career with us.” Coach Kubisz hopes his teams improves on not popping up the ball so much in game two. “I think we can improve on not popping up the ball so much for easy outs like we did early in the game today,” said Coach Kubisz. “We were underneath the baseball on a lot of swings earlier in the game and we hope to correct that on Tuesday.” The Panthers are expected to throw ace pitcher Carter Bouknight on Tuesday. He is 7-1 on the season with a 1.80 ERA with 75 strike-outs in 57.1 innings of work. “He’s been one of our best guys all year so we need for him to have a good outing on Tuesday,” said Coach Bouknight. “Hopefully, we can catch some breaks on Tuesday that we did not get today. We left too many runners on base today.” B-L led 1-0 after the first inning. Right fielder Reese Boehnke led of the game by hit by pitch and he advanced to second on a stolen base. Two batters later Boehnke scored on an RBI single by Braydon Hallman to give the Panthers an early lead. Philip Simmons tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third. Center fielder Alex Romanski drew a one-out walk and then Charlie Helms reached on a hit by pitch. Then a two-base error on an over-throw to first base on a ground ball hit by Kyle Bachmann brought Romanski in to tie the score. In the bottom of the 4 th inning the Iron Horses pulled away for a 4-1 lead. Mullin led off with a home run to make it 2-1. Second baseman Blake Johnson then drew a walk. Clifford reached safely on a bunt. Romanski reached safely on a fielder choice as Johnson was out trying to advance to third. Helm then drew a walk to put two runners on. Clean-up batter Daniel Scarth then delivered a single RBI, scoring Helms to make it a 4-1 lead for the Iron Horse. In the top of the 5 th the Panthers cut the deficit to 4-2. Second baseman Landon Soper reached on a one-out error and then right fielder Boehnke reached on a hit-by-pitch. Two batters later Hallman delivered an RBI single to score Soper to make it a 4-2 game. In the bottom of the 6 th Philip Simmons added an insurance run to the make the score 5-2. Helms delivered a one-out single and then stole second. Bachmann drew a walk to put runners on first and second with one-out. Scarth came through with an RBI single, scoring Helms to make it a 5-2 game. Helms relieved Clifford in the top of the 7 th . The Panthers got a lead-off single by Soper and then Boehnke walked to put two on with no-outs. Two batters later a single RBI by Jack Bouknight brought in Soper to cut the deficit to 5-3. The next B-L batter flew out to left field to end the game. For the game the Iron Horse collected five hits. Scarth led the way at the plate with two hits and two RBI’s. Other hitters were Helms, Bachmann, and Mullen each with one hit. Mullen had the big home run. B-L had seven hits. Hallman led the way going 3-for-four with two RBI’s. The other solo hits were contributed by J Bouknight, first baseman John Sawyer, center fielder Tanner Watkins, and Soper. Starting B-L pitcher Tyler Kneece worked 3.1 innings giving up two hits and four runs while striking out one batter. Other pitchers for B’L were Soper and Brody Lephart who combined to limit the Iron Horses to just one run while striking out two batters in the 2.2 innings they worked. Clifford was the winning pitcher for Philip Simmons and he allowed five hits and two runs while striking out seven. Helms worked one inning and picked up the save.

J.L. Mann’s Nico Ortiz and Ashley Ridge’s Joshua DeSouza battle for possession May 23

Columbia – The 2025 state championships for boys soccer were contested May 22-24 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia. Two titles in class AAAAA, as well as titles in AAAA, AA, AA and Class A were decided. The championships included one team finishing with an undefeated season and another win its first title in school history. Here’s a recap of the weekend. (will be updated) Dixie coach Brian Gamble expects a slow start to most seasons. Many of his players participate in basketball and wrestling so time is needed early on to get the team chemistry right. The chemistry was right in 2025 as Dixie won the Class A state title with a 2-1 victory over Hardeeville. It was Dixie’s first title since 2019. “We graduated eight seniors from the team last year so we knew we needed some time to get these kids some experience,” Gamble said. “We definitely got better as the year went on and we thought we had a shot to have a great finish.” Garrett Atkins gave the Hornets a 1-0 lead, finishing off a nice pass from Josh Beiler . Hardeeville tied the game with six minutes gone in the second half but Beiler broke the tie with his game-winner just two minutes later. Both teams battled cramps as the temperatures began to rise and Dixie had just enough to hold off a frantic Hardeeville finish. “We were hanging on by a thread, running on fumes at the end,” Gamble said. “I remember thinking we’d be in trouble if they got the equalizer. But we were able to hang on and survive.” Riverside made history in the AAAAA Division II championship, winning their fifth consecutive state title, 3-1, over Lucy Beckham . It was Riverside’s 17 th boys state title, which tied Bishop England for the most in SC prep history. Will Knight scored two goals inside a minute of each other to break a 1-1 tie about 15 minutes into the second half to give the Warriors the lead for good. Lucy Beckham scored first as Thomas Smith gave the Bengals a 1-0 lead with six minutes left in the first half but Riverside’s Gavin Weidman tied the game with :42 left in the half. Riverside was just 10-8 during the regular season but won five playoff games to win the title. Riverside's history-making win lasted only a few hours. Bishop England defeated Daniel, 2-1, in two overtimes to break the tie with their 18th state championship. It was the first title for second-year coach Brandon Costa. “We’re a defensive team,” said Costa, a 2010 graduate of Bishop England. “The strength of this team is the backline. We have three all-state defenders on this team. We had to change what we do some after we fell behind but the guys did a great job of keeping Daniel off the scoreboard again to give us a chance.” Rowan Pennell’s g oal with 1:06 remaining in the second overtime proved to be the game-winner. Jonah Cooker sent the game into the extra 10-minute sessions, scoring with six minutes remaining to knot the score at one. Earlier this season, Bishop England lost a regular season matchup with Daniel on penalty kicks so Costa expected a defensive battle in the finals. Daniel’s Luka Gasic gave the Lions an early lead, getting a goal five minutes into the contest. After falling behind, the Bishops dominated the play, turning up the offensive push and keeping constant pressure on the Lions. “We name our plays after our coaches and Costa is all-out attack mode,” the coach said. “The guys really did something special.” Despite dictating the pace of play for most of the game, Bishop England trailed, 1-0, after Daniel's :Luka Gasic scored in the fifth minute of play. The Lions, seeking a fourth consecutive state title, opted to play defense for the rest of the night and it worked until late. The Academic Magnet boys team capped a 23-1 season with an impressive 4-0 win over Andrew Jackson in the Class AA finals. Coach Jason Hamil won his fourth state title with the program, their first since 2018. “It’s incredible, these seniors and what they overcame after Covid and all the restrictions, this is the group that sort of brought us back,” Hamil said. “ I can’t say enough about this senior class in particular, batting through all and culminating with this.” Jaden Daley scored six minutes into the match and later added a second goal in the first two minutes of the second half. Cesar Ramirez added a goal off a free kick 21 minutes into the match. Aiden Ruggiero closed out the scoring late in the match. Two-time defending state champions Oceanside Collegiate was unable to capture a third crown as Powdersville won their first title in school history with a 1-0 victory in the Class AAA boys finals. Powdersville was in their first final after losing in the Upper State championship twice prior to this season. The play was physical as both teams battled for an edge. The lone goal of the contest came with 12 minutes remaining in the contest as Ethan Piel found success. Piel also had the only goal in a 1-0 win of the Upper State championship. Powdersville was 23-3 this season. “I am super proud of this group,” Coach Jeremy McCall said. “These boys, they deserve it. It’s a dream come true for them and for me.” OCA appeared to have scored the equalizer as time expired but the goal was waved off by the official, who said the ball touched a player’s hand. The Patriots also lost a goal in the first half when J.P Spearman’s header was nullified due to offsides. “It was a good season,” said OCA coach Collin Phillips . “We didn’t have our best game today but that’s what the game is. You have to show up every day. I wish we could have sent our seniors off with another championship but that’s the way it goes.” Seeking a perfect season, the J.L. Mann Patriots took on Ashley Ridge for the AAAAA Division I title. Ashley Ridge was seeking its second state title in three years after winning their first title in school history in 2023. The Patriots were impressive throughout, building an early lead on their way to a 5-3 victory. The Patriots finish with a 26-0 record while Ashley Ridge was 22-4. Mann scored two goals in the first 18 minutes to take early control of the contest. Timmy Reardon tallied two of those goals and Pietro Bono added a score as the Patriots led 3-1 at halftime. Josh DeSouza scored two goals for Ashley Ridge to keep his team within striking distance but the nation’s third-ranked Patriots had an answer each time. Austin Fuller found the net late to bring Ashley Ridge closer but Smith Darby sealed the deal for J.L, Mann. It was Mann’s first state title since 2015. “All credit to the boys. They worked hard all season,” said J.L. Mann coach Brendan Jones , a former player at Mann. “They don’t quit and that’s something they can hang their hats on. This is something historic for this program, something these kids will never forget.”

Columbia – State championships in girls soccer were decided at Memorial Stadium in a three-day event that featured 11 state title games. Here is a recap of the championships. (will be updated) Oceanside Collegiate won a fifth consecutive state championship in girls soccer, claiming the Class AAA title with a 3-0 win over Christ Church on Friday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in Columbia. For the third straight season, Oceanside Collegiate faced Christ Church in the championship and for the third straight year the Landsharks won by 3-0 scores. “All three years the matches went pretty much the same,” said coach Mark Meyer . “It was 0-0 all three years at half. We were able to get control early in the second half and it just carried over. Once we got that first goal, we settled down and pretty much played our game.” Neither team scored in the first half but a more settled OCA dominated the final 40 minutes, doing their damage over an 11-minute span. OCA took a 1-0 lead on sophomore Hailey Piesner’s goal midway through the second half. Junior Ella Petry added a goal six minutes later and junior Hayden Wamboldt scored five minutes after Petry for the commanding 3-0 lead. “We lost 11 players, nine that went to play in college, so I don’t think anyone expected us to be here,” Meyer said. “We’re a young team but we are talented. With our youth we feel like we can be back next year.” Academic Magnet’s girls team capped off an impressive playoff run with a 5-0 win over Dixie High School in the Class AA championship. The Raptors out-scored their playoff opponents 32-1 during their run to a seventh state title in school history. It was their first since the 2018 season. “We had 13 seniors who had not experienced this so I am really happy for them,” said coach Alister DeLong , who won his third title. “Some of them have been four-year varsity players and they’ve worked so hard to reach this point. We had a great day, a great playoff run.” Academic Magnet dominated early play, getting off numerous shots on goal with any success. However, Bridget Lee scored in the 15 th minute of play and the rout was on. Hanna Ismail scored off a rebound five minutes later for a 2-0 lead. The Raptors looked to have scored on a corner kick later in the first half but the goal was nullified by the officials. Sophia Benich found the back of the net two minutes into the second half for a 3-0 lead. Just minutes later, Madeline Moye made it 4-0 and Mattie Vermette closed out the scoring in the 63 rd minute of play. DeLong began to empty the bench for the final 10 minutes of the contest. Eastside won a third straight championship, and seventh overall, with a 3-2 overtime win over Chapin in the AAAAA Division II title game. All-stater Payton Nutzman scored two goals, including the game winner in the first of two overtime periods. Camille Carter also scored for the Eagles. When asked what makes his team so solid in key moments, coach David Craig had an answer. “These girls are so religiously grounded in all aspects of their life, the only secret sauce needed is Jesus,” Craig said. “On and off the field, these girls demonstrate what it really means to give 100% of themselves selflessly, and whatever the situation they will give it all for each other as a representation of complete servitude that Jesus put on display. “At the beginning of the season, we had four freshmen make the team and they all got a lot of playing time at the Viking Cup and subsequent games. I even had one of my senior captains ask me why they were getting so many minutes, to which I replied, ‘something tells me we are going to need them down the stretch.’ My daughter and senior four-year starter, Kennedy tore her ACL in the fall, made it back for three games before re-injuring the same knee (surgery coming up Friday). Four-year senior starter, Maryn Holmes tore her ACL before spring break, and 3-year starter Haley Knarr tore her ACL in the last regular season game. And just like that, 3 of the 4 four freshmen found themselves in the starting line-up. The dedication to each other through thick and thin was on full display Saturday when we entered OT, yet again. Each girl sacrificed every bit of energy they had for each other.” Craig says the comeback and performance in overtime is something he has come to expect from a team with great heart and determination. “Chapin is a phenomenal team and extremely dangerous in the attack. We knew that if we could contain their attack or at least slow them down, and work forward from there, we would be okay. Going down 1-0 in the first half and coming back to take the lead 2-1 showed the same resilience I have seen from the girls in this program for 10 years now. We never give up and believe that we are in it. When they tied it up, I figured we would be going to OT. It's what we do and we do not lose in OT, so once we got there, I felt very good about where we were, even with only playing 12 players during the game. “My heart is so happy for them, especially for my eight seniors. I have known most of them for the 10 years I have been back at Eastside with the girls’ program and even some of them since they were born. They knew when they started as Freshmen that these four years were going to be special and they delivered. four straight state championship appearances and winning the last three. The first team in program history to win back-to-back and then to up the ante and conquer the three-peat. While players graduate each year, the foundation is set in stone, and everyone comes in knowing who we are and what we are about.” Chapin got a goal from Mayson Donahue to grab a 1-0 lead in the 17 th minute of action. Chapin’s other goal, from Cat Hagler , came in the 71 st minute to tie the game 2-2. Chapin did not allow a playoff goal until the finals but coach Chad Bridges knew his team would be challenged. “We knew Eastside was a good team,” the coach said. “We had a lead at halftime and they came out and answered. I hate it for girls but we had a great season. We got it to overtime and felt we had a pretty good chance but they answered pretty quick. We just came up a little short.” The class AAAA championship between A.C. Flora and Bishop England proved one thing. It’s not how many shots you take that matters. It’s how many go into the net. A.C. Flora managed just two shots on goal and only one made it into the net, but that one goal was enough for the Falcons to win the first state title in school history with a 1-0 victory. Eric Navarro took over the Flora program last year, moving up from his position as the junior varsity coach, and knew he had a program with potential. “I knew there was something special about this group,” he said. “As we progressed through the season we had some bumps, some hiccups. Every single time we faced a challenge, they stepped up. They got closer and stronger This was the best defensive performance we’ve had all season.” Flora’s only score came from Samantha Lawther , who successfully played a corner kick into paydirt with 22 minutes left in the game. Flora keeper Kennedy Bagley held up her end with a clean sheet despite Bishop England getting 13 shots on goal. Bagley is in her second year as a soccer player. “With every save I got more and more confident. I just didn’t want to lose because this team worked so hard for this,” Bagley said. Bishop England dominated play in the first half, dictating pace of play but failing to score on seven shot attempts. A.C. Flora was the more aggressive team in the second half, limiting the Bishops to just one shot on goal in the first 14 minutes. J.L. Mann and Wando met for the girls title in AAAAA Division I. It was the ninth time the two powerhouses had clashed in the state finals, each team having four wins. J.L. Mann took the series advantage, posting a 3-1 win to claim their fifth title in school history and their first since 2019. “We started out a little shaky to the season but when it really mattered they went out and won games,” said Mann coach Anastasios Georgopoulos . “It’s an amazing feeling. We finished the season with a great moment.” Mann scored all three goals in the first 21 minutes of the contest, the first coming on an own goal when an Ashley Gonzales corner kick bounced off a Wando player’s leg and into the net. Minutes later, freshman Caroline Ray tallied her 14 th goal of the season for a 2-0 lead. Laney Keith’s header, her 15 th goal of the season, made it 3-0. Wando avoided the shutout late with a goal from sophomore Mikayla Humplik. Wando finished 21-6 on the season with only one senior. The roster included 11 sophomores and four freshmen. “We weren’t expected to be here,” said Wando coach Shannon Champ . “We lost eight seniors, six of them went on to play collegiately. To me this was a rebuilding year, just bring them along and maybe get here in a year or two, but here we are playing for the AAAAA Division I state championship. I couldn’t be prouder of the work they put in.”

Berkeley players storming the field after their hard fought win!

Congratulations to all these student athletes!

Phillip Ssimmons head Coach Poses With Five Senior Starters After Big Win Over East Clarendon.

Green Wave to face Byrnes for the state title beginning on Monday

Game 2 of the SCHSL Class AAAAA D-1 Softball Regional series, Summerville at Sumter for the decisive conclusion to a fantastic year for both teams. Enjoy this sample of images, click the link here for the full gallery.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher  Florence ---The AAAA Lower State softball playoff game between region foes South Florence and Hartsville was likely a “Good News Versus Bad News” situation for the winner, and that honor goes to the host Bruins, who rallied for a 6-2 win after trailing early in the game. The Good News is the win itself, and the Bad News is that South Florence has to travel to Gray Collegiate later this week, needing to defeat the War Eagles twice in order to advance to the gold medal round that starts next week. The Bruns lost to Gray Collegiate on Monday 8-2 in the double elimination play-off. After the game, South Florence head coach Bobby Jones, drew his comparison of his team versus Gray Collegiate , the top ranked AAAA softball team in the state with these comments. “First of all, Gray has college prospects sitting on their bench who don’t even start,” said Coach Jones. “As a charter school they draw their players from all over Columbia, and our players all come from South Florence. “They have four Division I college prospects starting on their team, and in all my years coaching softball, I have never had a Division I signee,” said Coach Jones. “Gray is strong one through 15, all the way down the line. “We played a tough schedule against teams like Summerville and Catawba Ridge to get ready for them,” said Coach Jones. “We knew at the start of the season they were the team to beat in AAAA. Our goal is be very competitive and paly our best game of the season when we fact them again.” In reflecting on the Bruins win over Hartsville, Coach Jones said. “Our pitcher ( Payton Perry ) had a good night and our batters came through with key hits when we needed them the most,” said Coach Jones. “Our little 8 th grader ( Rylee Rowsey ) got a triple in the bottom of the 6 th that scored two runs when the game had been tied at two. It was a solid team win tonight.” Coach Jones, in his 29 th year of coaching, said the Bruins will miss all three senior starters from this year’s 24-8 team. Perry is headed to Coker College after a solid career . The other two starting seniors are outfielders Alaina Floyd and Riley Owens and they have been hard workers on the team.” Hartsville (23-6) is head coached by Amber Harvey, concluding her 6th season as the head coach at her alma mater . “ Unfortunately, we have averaged one bad inning on defense, in several of our games this season, and that is what happened again in this game, that cost us the game,” said Coach Harvey. “We have a total of four seniors on the team, and three of them start. Carter Shumate starts at first while Allie Bailey is our main pitcher, and Jaysha McCullough is our starting center fielder. Our other senior is Jenna Storm . Shumate came in to the game batting .513. “Allie Bailey really had a good year for us pitching and she sort of waited her turn and it was her time to shine and we are really proud of her contributions this season,” said Coach Harvey. “Carter has helped us on both defense and at the plate and she had a great throw to the plate from first base to get an out, and we practice that throw from first to home a lot in practice and she executed it very well,” said Coach Harvey. “We are proud of our season this year and with six starters returning for next year we are looking forward to further success.” The Red Foxes were led at the plate by junior shortstop prospect Myah Harvey who batted .522 with 8 home runs, 25 stolen bases, and 39 RBI’s. Shumate was second at .513 and 28 RBI’s followed by McCullough at .488 with 18 RBI’s. Hartsville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Sophomore Emma Kate Hudson led off with an infield single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by 9 th grader Claire Smith . A ground-out by freshman Aliyah Smith moved Hudson to third. Junior catcher Mary Ellyn Hickey then singled in Hudson to give the Red Foxes an early lead. Hartsville extended the lead to 2-0 after batting in the 4 th inning. Shumate led off with a single and advanced to third on a double by Hudson. Two batters later Shumate scored on an RBI ground-out by Smith. South Florence tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the 5 th . Riley Rowsey reached on a one-out single. She advanced to second on a walk to Riley Owens . A single by Page White scored Rowsey to cut the deficit to 2-1. Two batters later Ryleigh Hux doubled in White to tie the game. SF was hoping to make it a 3-2 lead but Hux was gunned down at the plate on a perfect throw by Shumate. In the bottom of the 6 th inning, the Bruins sent 8 batters to the plate when they broke the game open with four runs. Blakely Blue drew a one-out walk. Ava Black then reached on an error to put runners on first and second. Ryle Rowsey delivered the big hit of the game, a triple into the deep corner of left field that scored Blue and Black to give SF a 4-2 lead. Riley Owens then singled in Rowsey to make it 5-2. Owens scored the Bruins final run on a throwing error to give SF the final margin of 6-2. South Florence has players batting .354 or better. They are Hux (.395 & 24 RBI’s), Perry (.391 & 28 RBI’s) White (.388 & 24 RTBI’s), R Rowsey (.364 & 21 RBI’s) while Black and Owens are hitting .354.