Day 1 of SCISA softball state tournaments

               Sumter – The Laurence Manning Academy softball team came out and took care of business in its one game in the SCISA AAAA state tournament on Friday at Patriot Park SportPlex. Now all the Lady ‘Cats have to do to earn a berth in a state championship series for a third straight year is win one game on Saturday.

               LMA whipped Augusta Christian School 15-0 in four innings to set up a matchup with Hammond at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Patriot Park for a spot in next week’s championship series. In AAA, 2-time defending state champion Pee Dee Academy and defending state runner-up Orangeburg Prep appear to be on a collision course again, while defending AA champion Clarendon Hall has itself in position for another state championship series. In Class A, Cross Schools, which beat defending champion Holly Hill Academy, and Jefferson Davis Academy are the last two undefeated teams.

               The AAAA and AAA games were played at Patriot Park on Friday while the AA and Class A games were played at Palmetto Park. All of the Saturday games are scheduled for Patriot Park.

               AAAA

               Laurence Manning improved to 15-4 on the season as it pounded out 15 hits while Laini Kosinski tossed a no-hitter in the 4-inning contest.

               Kosinski struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. She missed a perfect game when the Lions’ Avery Sheppard reached on a 2-out error in the second inning.

               "She pitched well," LMA head coach Buddy Truett said of Kosinski.  "I’m very happy about that. 

               The Lady ‘Cats took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on run-scoring singles by Lyza Pricklemeyer and Kayleigh Parmenter-Avins. LMA had runners on first and second with two outs and the same score in the second when it strung together four straight hits and two more hits around an ACS error to make it 9-0. Ashley Rae Hodge had a 2-run double and Hailey Truett a 2-run single while Lilly Welborn and Pricklemeyer had run-scoring singles.

               In the third, Truett had another 2-run single and Pricklemeyer had another run-scoring hit. Laurence Manning won via the 15-run mercy rule with three more runs in the fourth. Pinch hitter Savannah Feagin led off with a double and scored on Hodge’s run-scoring single. A 2-run single by pinch hitter Sarah Madelyn Fleming put the game on ice.

               Hodge was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three runs batted in, while Pricklemeyer was 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI. Truett was 3-for-3 with four RBI and a run, Welborn was 2-for-3 with 2 runs and an RBI, and pinch hitter Jessica Griffin scored the game-ending run after drawing a walk.

              "Our timing was off at the beginning, but they did what they were supposed to do – put it in play," Coach Truett said.

               LMA will take on Hammond with the winner advancing to the championship series. Hammond upset 3-time defending state champion Wilson Hall 7-6. Wilson Hall got back on track with an 11-1 win over Ben Lippen in an elimination game.  

                Eighth-grader Lilly Grace Przybyla got the win, limiting the Falcons to two hits while striking out two and walking two.

                "It’s been a while since we’ve been in a position where we didn’t win our first playoff game," said Wilson Hall head coach Teresa Alexander. "So that was a little bit of an unfamiliar feeling for my veteran players and certainly for all of my new players. To be able to settle the disappointment from the first game – that was a tough game, lost by one run. I thought we played well, Hammond played well, we just didn’t come out withi the win. To be able to come back and win by 10, that says a lot about what we are capable of doing in this tournament."

               Wilson Hall, which is 12-12, plays Augusta Christian at 9 a.m. in an elimination game. The winner of that game will face the loser of the LMA-Hammond game. Whoever wins that contest will advance to the state championship series.

               AAA

               Orangeburg Prep had a pair of mercy-rule victories, beating Carolina Academy 11-1 in its first game and John Paul II 13-3 in the second game. Pee Dee got a first-round bye and came away with a 17-0 victory over Thomas Sumter Academy.

               OP and PDA can set up a rematch of the championship series with just one victory apiece on Saturday. Pee Dee will face the winner between John Paul II and Spartanburg Christian Academy, while Orangeburg Prep will go up against the TSA-Carolina Academy winner.

               It was all senior Payton Schurlknight for OP in the win over Carolina. Schurlknight scattered two hits over five innings with nine strikeouts against just one walk. At the plate, she was 2-for-4 with a double, five RBI and two runs.

               Prestan Schurlknight and Katherine Lambrecht were both 2-for-4 with two runs. Lauren Ballew, Hannah Lambrecht and Calee Hartzog all had a hit and an RBI. Layla Garrick had a hit and Jane Walker Yonce had an RBI.

               Prestan Schurlknight had the big offensive game against JPII. She had five RBI this time, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Katherine Lambrecht, Hannah Lambrecht, JuliAnn Griffith and Payton Schurlknight all had three hits as the Indians finished with 18.

               Hartzog had a double among her two hits, scoring three times and driving in two runs Yonce had a homer and Ballew had a double and two RBI.

               Payton Schurlknight worked 5 2/3 innings in this one, scattering three hits and striking out 12 while walking none.

               “I felt like it was a total team effort,” OP head coach Marty Kinard, whose team is 18-2. “We had some players come up with big hits in both games, Payton and Lauren in the first game and then JuliAnn, Katherine, Hannah, Prestan and Calee in the nightcap. Jane Walker also got going with a solo shot to lead off the big inning in the sixth.

               “Payton threw well and we are just ready to come back tomorrow to play another day of softball.”

               Pee Dee, which improved to 19-2, scored 11 runs in the bottom of the first on nine hits. It added six more runs in the second and won the game on the 15-run mercy rule after three innings.

             "We hadn't seen Thomas Sumter this year, so we didn’t know what to expect," said PDA head coach Will Eskridge. "We felt like if we played our game, we’d be OK."

               Maddie Coward hit a 3-run homer and finished with two hits and three runs. Baxleigh Arnette had a double and a triple and scored three runs, while Lizzie McCaskill had two doubles and scored two runs, and Claire Eskridge had two hits and two runs.

                Azeleigh Barnette and Savanna Baker both had a triple and scored a run. Anna Cooke had a double and two runs, and Leah Nettles had a hit, two runs and two RBI.

                 Coward also threw a no-hitter. The left-hander faced just 10 batters, walking one in the first inning. She had seven strikeouts.

               Carolina rebounded from its loss to OP with an 8-4 win over Williamsburg Academy in an elimination game.

               AA

               Clarendon Hall rolled to an easy victory in its opener, beating St. John’s Christian 18-0 as Collen McIntosh pitched a perfect game in the 3-inning contest. The Lady Saints had a more difficult go of it in the second game, beating Dillon Christian School 7-3.

               Clarendon Hall, which is 16-4 on the season, scored twice in the first and three times in the second to take a 5-0 lead against Dillon Christian. They then held off a game Warrior team down the stretch.

               Macie McIntosh and Calli Yount both hit home runs. It was the second of the day for Macie, a 3-run shot in the second. She finished this game 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run. Yount was also 2-for-3.

               Mandy Wells and Brynli Brewer were both 2-for-4, Wells finishing with a run and an RBI and Brewer scoring twice. Skylar Dymond had CH’s other hit.

               "I’m just glad that one’s over with," said Clarendon Hall head coach Jeffrey Bays. "My girls hit the ball hard. They changed pitchers and we weren’t quite as selective at the plate. We played hard and hit the ball hard when we needed it. 

               Yount went the distance on the mound, scattering four hits while striking out 12 and walking just one. She also benefited from a tremendous play by leftfielder Collen McIntosh tracking down an inning-ending fly ball in the top of the sixth with two runners on in a 6-3 contest.

               "Colleen can track a ball down," Bays said. "I love having her in the outfield. Really she’s just a good ball player all around."

               Molly Andrews and Hayleigh Atkinson hit consecutive home runs in the fourth to bring the Warriors within 5-2. Lillie Shooter had a hit and scored the Warriors’ other run.

               “If we clean up the errors, we can play with anyone here in the tournament,” said DCS head coach Tommy Sherman. “We hit the ball well, just made some critical errors.”

               In the first game, not only did Colleen McIntosh face the minimum of nine batters, she struck out eight of the nine.

               Clarendon Hall scored eight runs in the first and 10 in the second. Yount, Harrington and Macie McIntosh each hit homers. Yount was 2-for-3 with four RBI and three runs, and both McIntosh and Harrington had three RBI and two runs.

               Wells was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBI and two runs. Sidney Berry was 2-for-2 with three runs and an RBI and Brewer had a hit and three runs.

               In Dillon Christian’s win over Dorchester, Andrews smacked a 3-run homer in the bottom of the first to give the Warriors a 3-1 lead. Dorchester cut the lead to 3-2 in the top of the fourth, but DCS score four times in the bottom of the inning to make it 7-2. Andrews drove in two more runs on a hit to finish 2-for-3 with five RBI.

               Erika Williamson was 2-for-3 with three runs and three stolen bases. Atkinson had two hits and an RBI, while Braylin Carter had two hits and a run. Shooter scored twice, and Kara Hunt had a hit and an RBI.

               Dorchester rebounded with a 12-1 win over St. John's Christian in an elimination game. Paige Shelton hit a home run in each game for DA.

               CLASS A

               Defending state runner-up Jefferson Davis and Cross Schools came through the first day as the two undefeated teams in the 6-team bracket. They will play at 9 a.m. on Saturday with the winner advancing to the state championship series.

               The loser will then have an opportunity to earn a spot in the championship series with a win in a game at 1 p.m.

               Jefferson Davis had a great day, beating Wardlaw 16-4 in its first gam,e and following that with a 17-1 win over Laurens Academy. Cross Schools routed Richard Winn 15-0 in its opener and followed that with a 7-4 victory over defending state champion Holly Hill Academy.

               Holly Hill stayed alive with a 29-26 slugfest win over Wardlaw. The Raiders will take on Laurens, which stayed alive with a 10-0 win over Richard Winn. The winner of that game will face the loser of the JDA-Cross Schools contest with the state championship berth at stake.

AAAA

At Patriot Park

Friday

Game 1 – (5) Augusta Christian 10, (4) Ben Lippen 9

Game 2 – (3) Hammond 7, (2) Wilson Hall 6

Game 3 – (1) Laurence Manning 15, (5) Augusta Christian 0

Game 4 – (2) Wilson Hall 11, (4) Ben Lippen 1 (Ben Lippen eliminated)

Saturday

Game 5 – (5) Augusta Christian vs. (2) Wilson Hall, 9 a.m.

Game 6 – (1) Laurence Manning vs. (3) Hammond, 9 a.m. (winner advances to state championship series)

Game 7 – Game 6 Loser vs. Game 5 Winner, 1 p.m.(winner advances to state championship series)

AAA

Upper Bracket

Friday

At Patriot Park

Game 1 – Pee Dee gets bye

Game 2 – Thomas Sumter 5, Spartanburg Christian 1

Game 3 – Spartanburg Christian gets bye

Game 4 – Pee Dee 16, Thomas Sumter 0

Saturday

At Patriot Park

Game 5 – John Paul II vs. Spartanburg Christian, 11 a.m.

Game 6 – Pee Dee vs. Game 5 Winner, 1:30 p.m.

Game 7 – If Necessary

Lower Bracket

Friday

At Patriot Park

Game 1 – Orangeburg Prep 11, Carolina Academy 1

Game 2 – John Paul II 6, Williamsburg 4

Game 3 – Carolina Academy 8, Williamsburg 4 (Williamsburg eliminated)

Game 4 – Orangeburg Prep 13, John Paul II 3

Saturday

At Patriot Park

Game 5 – Thomas Sumter vs. Carolina Academy

Game 6 – Orangeburg Prep vs. Game 5 Winner, 1:30 p.m.

Game 7 – If Necessary

AA

Upper Bracket

Friday

At Palmetto Park

Game 1 – Clarendon Hall 18, St. John’s Christian 0

Game 2 – Dillon Christian 7, Dorchester 4

Game 3 – Dorchester 12, St. John’s Christian 1 (St. John’s Christian eliminated)

Game 4 – Clarendon Hall 7, Dillon Christian 3

Saturday

At Patriot Park

Game 5 – Calhoun Academy vs. Dorchester, 11 a.m.

Game 6 – Clarendon Hall vs. Game 5 Winner, 2:45 p.m.

Game 7 – If Necessary

Lower Bracket

Friday

At Palmetto Park

Game 1 – Calhoun Academy 18, Lee Academy 7

Game 2 – Colleton Prep 10, Marlboro Academy 4

Game 3 – Lee Academy 15, Marlboro Academy 13 (Marlboro Academy eliminated)

Game 4 – Colleton Prep 10, Calhoun Academy 0

Saturday

At Patriot Park

Game 5 – Dillon Christian vs. Lee Academy, 11 a.m.

Game 6 – Colleton Prep vs. Game 5 Winner, 2:45 p.m.

Game 7 – If Necessary

CLASS A

Friday

At Palmetto Park

Game 1 – Cross Schools 15,  Richard Winn 0

Game 2 – Jefferson Davis 17, Wardlaw 1

Game 3 – Cross Schools 7, Holly Hill 4

Game 4 – Jefferson Davis 17, Laurens Academy 1

Game 5 – Laurens Academy 10, Richard Winn 0 (Richard Winn eliminated)

Game 6 – Holly Hill 29, Wardlaw 26 (Wardlaw eliminated)

Saturday

Game 7 – Cross Schools vs. Jefferson Davis, 9 a.m. (Winner Advances to State Championship Series)

Game 8 – Holly Hill vs. Laurens Academy, 9 a.m.

Game 9 – Game 7 Loser vs. Game 8 Winner, 1 p.m. (Winner Advances to State Championship Series)