Laurens baseball wins playoff opener; Clinton falls

The Laurens Raiders’ baseball team opened Class 5A playoff action Tuesday night with a hard-fought victory over the Hanna Yellow Jackets, 4-2, at Ed Prescott Field in Laurens. Meanwhile, in Camden, the Clinton Red Devils were pushed one loss from elimination in the Class 3A playoff bracket with a 5-0 loss in its opener.

Laurens will face Boiling Springs, which knocked off Clover in another District III game in the Class 5A bracket. The winner of that game will advance to Monday’s district final series.

Clinton will visit Pendleton in Thursday’s elimination game in Class 3A District IV. A victory there would leave the Red Devils to play either Powdersville or Camden on the road Saturday.

Softball: Laurens swept a doubleheader with Wade Hampton Tuesday at home, winning 11-1 in the opener and 13-3 in the nightcap. As a result the Raiders clinched the Region 2-5A title and will host Westside Thursday night. Laurens will play either Byrnes or Nation Ford in its second game of the tournament, with the game likely to be moved to Friday from its Saturday scheduling due to the Laurens High prom.

Look for this weekend’s Laurens County Advertiser Extra for more details on all these games.