Red Devils rally, stun Hurricanes, 7-6; Raiders keep rolling

Wren’s Ben Gambrell (20) slides safely past Clinton catcher Luke Young Thursday night. The Red Devils rallied from a six-run deficit to win 7-6.

• Raider 9 heads to North Augusta

• LDHS softball ends run vs. Easley

• Lions topple Red Devils

Clinton dug itself a huge hole early but rallied back furiously from a 6-0 deficit for a 7-6 victory over visiting Wren Thursday night.

Brett Young’s two-out RBI single in the seventh inning scored courtesy runner Tyler Kyko. Wil Stewart, who started the game shakily only to return to the mound in relief to pick up the win, walked to lead off the home seventh and was replaced on the base paths by Kyko.

Justin Copeland followed with his fourth hit of the game, advancing Kyko to second. Kyko went to third on a fielder’s choice. Following the second out of the inning, Young delivered the game-winnng hit.

Young went 1-for-3 with the game-winning RBI. Copeland went 4-for-4 with two runs scored, and Brice Young went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a double.

After working through the first inning with no problems, Stewart was unable to find the strike zone in the second, walking in two runs as part of a four-run second for Wren. The Hurricanes added two more runs to go up 6-0 in the third. Stewart, Taylor and Carson Glenn combined for eight walks and our hit batters on the mound, but also held Wren scoreless over five innings, including the final four.

But the Red Devils (20-3) began chipping away at the Wren lead with four runs in the fourth when Stewart, Copeland and Caleb Taylor started the inning with three successive singles. Harrison Moore followed with a two-run single that scored Stewart and Copeland. Zane McLendon followed that with a single to left that scored Taylor, and Moore scored from third on a Zach Fortman fly ball that Wren turned into a double play to end the inning.

Clinton added a run in the fifth inning and another in the sixth. Brice Young doubled, reached third on a ground out and scored the game-tying run on a passed ball.

With the win, the Red Devils stay in the winners’ bracket in the Class 3A District 2 playoffs, while the Hurricanes fall into the losers’ bracket. Clinton will have to be beaten twice to be eliminated from the district playoff round while Pendleton and Wren play Saturday for the chance to face Clinton Monday night.

Raiders make big lead stand, thwart Eagles comeback

Laurens remained unbeaten in the Class 4A Upper State playoffs with an 11-9 win over Greenwood Wednesday night in Greenwood.

The Raiders led 8-1 after four innings and had to shut down an Eagles rally that ended with three runs in the eighth to cut the Laurens lead to 11-8 and a single run in the ninth before Jackson Martin recorded the final out.

Owen Pridgen’s grand slam in the fourth broke the game open for the Raiders, who pounded out 16 hits on the night.. Pridgen went 2-for-4 with the Raiders’ only extra-base hit on the night, while Bennett Edwards went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI, and Ben Willis went 3-for-5 and drove in two runs. Mason Hamby continued his torrid pace at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Lead-off hitter Zay Pulley went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, and Hunter Nabors was 2-for-4.

Hamby also pitched five innings, walking six and striking out six. Martin earned the save, striking out four in 1 2/3 innings.

With the victory, LDHS (16-9-1) advances in the District 1 winners’ bracket to take on North Augusta tonight (Friday) at 7 p.m. at Riverside Park in North Augusta.

Lions stop Red Devils in Upper State finals

Host Daniel defeated Clinton 5-1 Wednesday to win the Class 3A Upper State championship.

Eli Brewer captured the Red Devils’ only match victory, beating Daniel’s Ian Burton 6-4, 7-6 at No. 4 singles.

The previously unbeaten Red Devils end their season with a 15-1 record.

Green Wave wipes out Raiders

Easley scored five unearned runs as part of a 6-1 Class 4A playoff victory Thursday night that ended Laurens’ season.

LDHS committed six errors on the night.

Peyton Herring went 2-for-4 and drove in the Raiders’ only run in the seventh.

Senior Kauree Munyan, a S.C. State signee and reigning Region 2-4A Player of the Year, was intentionally walked four times by the Green Wave.