Sports Update: Raiders take Upper State series lead over Green Wave
LDHS outfielder Jireh Brown lays down a bunt single during the Raiders’ 3-2 victory over Easley in Game 1 of the Class 4A Upper State Championship series Monday night at Ed Prescott Field.
Green Boys 1, Green Wave 0.
Laurens began its best-of-three Class 4A Upper State championship series with a 3-2 victory over Easley Monday night at Ed Prescott Field.
The Raiders – who have embraced the “Green Boys” nickname – got a two-out, bases-loaded walk from Coleman Coker to drive in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Coker worked back from a 1-2 count to earn the walk-off walk.
Pinch-hitter Avery Madden led off the home seventh with a base hit – only the second of the game for the Raiders and the first since the fourth inning. Zee
Williams replaced Madden on the base paths, advanced to second when Hunter Nabors was hit by a pitch and made it to third on an Easley error that loaded the bases with catcher Bennett Edwards on first.
The run came despite the Raiders’ struggles at the plate as three Easley pitchers combined on an ill-fated two-hitter. LDHS was helped by five walks, three hit batters and two Green Wave errors.
“It wasn’t going to be easy – it’s Upper State baseball, and we knew they were going to be good,” said LDHS head coach Tori Patterson. “I knew it was going to take somebody making a mistake, and we didn’t play great, but we pride ourselves on doing the little things, and that’s what got us through tonight.”
Laurens’ Josh Hughes returned from offseason surgery on his pitching shoulder and now has two playoff wins in relief.
Josh Hughes pitched two scoreless innings to earn his second playoff victory – his first two wins of the season. The senior Erskine signee has worked back from shoulder surgery this past September and adds playoff experience to the Raiders’ bullpen.
“It’s been a long process,” said Hughes. “After the surgery, to be honest, I didn’t know if I’d be able to throw a baseball again, but I did the (physical therapy) and worked hard, and I’m just thankful to be able to be out here throwing.”
Hughes threw a season-high 26 pitches in his two innings of relief. Patterson said he had no doubt about who he would call out of the bullpen first after Easley tied the scored at 2-2 in the fifth.
“(Hughes) is battle tested,” Patterson said. “He’s been in that position before, so he came in and did what I thought he was going to do.”
Easley starter Walker Cox struggled with is control early, throwing 36 pitches in the first inning and walking the bases loaded before settling in and going five innings.
LDHS pushed across a pair of runs in the first – both unearned. Zay Pulley led off the game for LDHS by reaching on an error and scored the first run of the game on Asher Goss’s RBI groundout.
Hunter Nabors reached on a fielder’s choice and later scored when Jireh Brown drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Raiders ahead 2-0.
Goss made that lead stand up on the mound until the fifth inning when Brayden Bryson’s RBI single tied the game at 2-2.
The Green Wave had cut the LDHS to 2-1 with a run in the fourth.
Game 2 of the Upper State Championship series will be played at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Easley. If necessary, Game 3 will be played Friday at top-seeded LDHS. Left-hander Grayson Ledfort is expected to get the start on the mound for LDHS (25-6) in Game 2, while Easley ace and Anderson commit Kaleb Owens will start for the Green Wave (25-5).
