By Thomas Grant Jr.
The regular season came down to two final games on April 26 to decide not only the Region 4-5A champion, but the top seed out of the region.
Chapin, Dutch Fork, and Lexington all had an opportunity at either winning the region outright or claiming a share of the title. A tiebreaker would then come into play to determine the final standings.
In the end, the Lady Wildcats shared the region title with the Lady Eagles. However, because of the run differential tiebreaker, Chapin claimed the top seed for the Class 5A playoffs and opened at home Wednesday against Cane Bay.
Chapin rolled past host team River Bluff 15-2 as it jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first inning. Both Sami Stephenson and Riley O’Mara had two-run doubles and Nicole Stockwell connected on a 2-run homer.
Starting pitcher Ella Majchrzak had a 2-run double as part of a 6-run fourth inning. Despite giving up a run, she recorded three of her 11 strikeouts to end the game on the mercy rule.
Chapin opened the Class 5A playoffs at home Wednesday against Cane Bay.
Over at Lexington, the Lady Silver Foxes visited the Lady Wildcats competing for the other share of the region title. Dutch Fork scored 10 unanswered runs to rally from a 6-0 deficit to defeat Lexington 10-9 in the first meeting.
This time around, Haley Manz drew 6 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out five. Iyanna Russell had a 2-out, 3-run home run to end the shutout bid.
Maggie Hinz went 2-3 with 3 RBI, Livi Warren was 4-4 with 2 RBI and Allison Hoffner. The Lady Wildcats entered the Upper State as a two seed and played at home Wednesday against Dorman, while third seed Dutch Fork played at Gaffney.
BASEBALL
Defending Class 5A champion River Bluff found themselves in the loser’s bracket following a 4-3 loss at Wando.
The game was tied in the bottom of the seventh when Austin MacAnanny scored on a walkoff error at second base.
Garrett Sanders had a 2-run double and Colby Reynolds had two hits for the Gators. Up next is a Thursday elimination game at either Ashley Ridge or Sumter.
Fellow Region 4-5A teams Chapin and Lexington rolled to home victories in their opening round games. The Eagles defeated Cane Bay 12-2 in five innings led by Caden Reeves who went 4-4 with three RBI and Jack Colletti who batted 3-4 with four RBI.
Winning pitcher Trevin Garner went 2-2 with 2 RBI and struck out seven batters.
Lexington also made short work of Spartanburg in a 12-2 victory in five innings. Brayden Jeffcoat drove in four runs, including a 3-run homer in the first inning. Will Burgess went 3-4 with two RBI and Christian Spivey drove in two runs as Jackson Burton allowed just four hits in four innings.
The Wildcats play host to either Rock Hill or T.L. Hanna on Thursday.
In Class 2A, Mid-Carolina defeated Pelion 7-2 as both Brady Davenport and Klip Mobley went 2-3 with three RBI and a home run each.
GOLF
Lexington edged Chapin by three strokes on Monday to claim the Region 4-5A title.
The Wildcats finished with a team score of 616, followed by the Eagles (619), River Bluff (627) and Dutch Fork (729).
Chase Cline took individual honors with a score of 142. River Bluff’s Nathaniel Caughman (146) and Howard Vroon finished second and third place, respectively, and Lexington’s Braydon Hileman and Gage Gaskins were fourth and fifth place, respectively.
The Lower State tournament is scheduled for May 6.
Last week, Cline and the Eagles won the Lake Murray Cup. Chapin beat out Lexington by two strokes with a score of 293.
Cline, Gaskins and Lexington’s Roman Mullinax were named to the South roster for the North-South All-Star golf matches May 17-19 at the Greenville County Club.
SOCCER
The final playoff run for Phil Savitz as River Bluff boys soccer coach opened with an 8-0 win over Goose Creek.
The Gators have homefield advantage through the Lower State playoffs and played host to West Ashley on Monday. The Lady Gators traveled to J.F. Byrnes and won 3-0 to advance to the second round.
Lexington was also victorious Monday with a 3-2 win over Boiling Springs. The Lady Wildcats also played host to Boiling Springs on Tuesday.
High School Sport
In Class 2A, the Mid-Carolina boys defeated Saluda 7-6 on penalty kicks after going scoreless through regulation and overtime. The Rebels next traveled to top seed Gray Collegiate Wednesday.
