Philip Simmons Defeats East Clarendon, 11-1, To Advance To AA Baseball Finals Against Batesburg-Leesville

Billy Baker • May 22, 2025

Phillip Ssimmons head Coach Poses With Five Senior Starters After Big Win Over East Clarendon. 


By Billy G. Baker

Publisher


Berkeley County — East Clarendon (25-8) was coming off two hard-fought one run wins over traditional power Cheraw in the Lower State AA baseball playoffs, so most observers expected a very competing game when the Wolverines visited “sit back team” Philip Simmons on May, 21st.


However, the Iron Horses pounded out 11 hits in their 11-1 victory to advance to the AA state finals at home on Saturday (May, 24th) against Batesburg-Leesville, who defeated Strom Thurmond (9-4) to advance to the finals.


“All I know about  Batesburg-Leesville, right now, is that they are a solid hitting team and they played a tough schedule, as we did, this season,” said Philip Simmons head coach Josh Kubisz. “We expect a knock-down drag-out series with them. We like the fact we are at home for game one and we hope that trampolines us to success.”


Coach Kubisz said it was not official yet, but he was hoping to start the game at 2 p.m. on Saturday.


Philip Simmoms is expected to start ace lefty Nolan Clifford. Clifford is 8-2 with a 2.23 ERA in 53.1 innings of duty. He has a team leading 82 strike-outs.  


In commenting about his team’s huge win over East Clarendon, Coach Kubisz said, “We have now won six straight games in the play-offs and I am so proud of this team,” he said. “We won a region title, and we have been building for this success around 9 seniors, with five of them starting.


“We turned three double plays today, with no errors so our defense was really good,” said Coach Kubisz. “We got 11 hits today and Daniel Ebeling had a great game with three hits, four RBI’s, with a double and one home run.


“We played a really tough schedule this season getting ready for the play-offs,” said Coach Kubisz. “We played seven teams from Virginia and a highly respected team (Providence Day) from North Carolina. 


“Pierce Mullin did fantastic job on the mound today and he had all three of his pitches working today,” said Coach Kubisc. “His curve ball was breaking really well and he was able to stay ahead in the count. He and our ace,  Nolan Clifford have given us a strong 1-2 punch all season and while Clifford broke the school record for strike-outs (172) already this season both of them are in a battle right now for the single season strike-out record at Philip Simmons which both of them have already broke. Right now, Clifford had 84 strike-outs on the season while Mullin is at 78.”

Mullin is now 6-2 on the mound with a 2.93 ERA. In 57.1 innings he has 75 strike-outs.   


   Coach Kubisz said the senior team captain type leader has been senior shortstop Charlie Helms (.354, 21 RBI’s, & 17 stolen bases).  “Charlie is a real dirt-bag on the field and he gives you a 100 per cent in the batting cage and 100 cent of effort in a game,” said Coach Kubisz. “He is everything a coach is looking for in a player. He is the epitome of what a baseball player should be.”


East Clarendon head coach Curtis Johnson told the HSSR after the game, “We just could not ever put together two hits in a row, or get that a timely hit when we needed it,” said Coach Johnson. “ We would get two guys on and then hit a ball right at them. When we get back, we will talk about what happened today and try to learn from tis game. We had some goals this season and we reached a lot of our goals and I am very proud of that.


“I am proud of our seniors and they were all unbelievable,” said Coach Johnson. “They were Cooper Goff (.314), Dawson Beard (379 & 20 RBI’s),  Whitt Nesbitt (.250), Foster Matthews (.378 & 26 RBI’s), and Hunter Mixon (.400 & 19 RBI’s).


“They led by example and came to work everyday and they were the foundation of what we had going on over the past two seasons,” said Coach Johnson.  “I have been here two seasons now and we have won 47 games, so we are super proud of what this senior group was able to help us build.


“We played some really good baseball teams down the stretch and we had a good run,” said Coach Johnson. “This team competed hard every time they went out. They feel like they can win every time they step between the white lines.”


Philip Simmons sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning scoring five runs to gain early momentum. Right field lead-off batter Alex Romanski reached as a hit batter and then with one-out left fielder Kyle Bachman reached after being hit by pitch giving the Iron Horses two base runners. First baseman clean-up batter Daniel Scarth then singled to center  scoring Romanski for a 1-0 lead.


Catcher Daniel Ebeling then singled to center scoring Bachman to make it 2-0. Third baseman Brian Ebeling drew a walk to put runners at first and third. Pitcher Pierce Mullen came up next and hit a line drive double to center field that scored Scarth, and D. Ebeling to make the score 4-0. Second baseman Blake Johnson drew a walk and two batters later B. Ebeling made it 5-0 when he scored on a passed ball.


In the second inning the Iron Horses made it 7-0 adding two insurance runs after the first two batters were retired. Daniel Scarth drew a walk and stole second. Then Daniel Ebeling hit a towering home run over the right field fence to add two runs on the scoreboard for Philip Simmons.


In the bottom of the 4th inning shortstop Charlie Helms reached on a single to left field and then Bachman n reached on an error. Scarth then had an RBI single to bring in Helms and make the score 8-0. Two batters later B, Ebeling had an RBI single to score Bachmann making it 9-0.


East Clarendon scored their only run of the game in the top of the 5th.  Left-fielder Whitt Nesbitt drew a walk and then Cooper Goff was hit-by-pitch giving the Wolverines two base runners. Catcher Kenley Sullivan then singled to bring in Nesbitt for EC’s only run  of the game.


In the bottom of the 6th inning Philip Simmons added two runs to win the game 11-1 as the game was over at that point due to the 10-run after five innings rules. Bachmann reached second base on a two base throwing error. Two batters later D. Ebeling doubled Bachmann in to make it 10-1. The game ended on a single RBI by B. Ebeling that scored courtesy runner Tavien Orellana for the final run of the game.  


Philip Simmons comes into the game with B-L with the following stat leaders: Bachmann (.425 & 28 RBI’s) while Helms is at .354 with 21 RBI’s. D Ebeling is at .315 with 24 RBI’s and two home runs. B. Ebeling is at .308 with 19 RBI’s. Scarth is at .297 with 19 RBI’s and two homers and Romanski is at .254 with 10 RBI’s including 18 stolen bases and four home runs.


Philip Simmons packed their side of the stands against East Clarendon, and Coach Kubisz said the team’s fan support has been very much appreciated by the team.

 

Andrews beats East Clarendon to reach Lower State finals

By Billy Baker • May 21, 2026
Andrews—East Clarendon out-hit Andrews 6-5 on May, 20, on the road in the AA Lower State softball semi-finals, but the Yellow Jackets took advantage of two errors and six walks to come out on top 5-1, as they advance to play Chesterfield on Friday in the Lower state finals. Joy Weisner is the Andrews head coach, and she told the HSSR after the game: “What we have tried to do all season is take advantage of any opportunities a team gives us,” said Coach Weisner. “We hit the ball better today and that is very important.” Andrews last won a state title in 20218. Andrew had five players earning all-region honors. They were center fielder Sarah Jennings, pitcher Addyson Davis, who will also play in the North-South game. Other all-region selections were junior catcher Chloe Skipper who was the Region MVP, senior Addison McCants, Region MVP outfielder Skipper, and talented sophomore shortstop Tori Smith. Andrews lost to Chesterfield 7-3 this past Monday (May 18). “We have to hit the ball better when we go to them this Friday,” said Coach Weisner. “We didn’t hit the ball well at all this past Monday when we played Chesterfield. We hit the ball well today, so we just have to keep that momentum going into Friday. “We have to go to Chesterfield and beat them twice,” said Coach Wesiner. “We have to play some of our best softball this season in order to that, so I hope we are focused. We need to start the game with momentum and end the game with momentum when we play at Chesterfield. East Clarendon (25-8) head coach Jason Newsome closed out his third season in the loss. “I thought our pitcher hung tough (Addyson Davis) today and she is just a freshman and she has been learning by fire all year long,” said Coach Newsome. “She is extremely talented and she is a good pitcher now, but she is going to an even better pitcher in the future.” Coach Newsome. “In the playoffs the margin of error is very thin and the mistakes we made, they took advantage of,” said Coach Newsome. “On the other hand, the mistakes they made, and the opportunities they gave us we didn’t take advantage of them and that was a key in the game. They did a good job of keeping us off-balance.” All region players from EC included: Region POY Peyton Hanniford, Bailey Hicks, Riley Atkinson, Layke Jeffords, and Zoey Culick. The score was tied 0-0 until the bottom of the third when Andrews scored four runs. Karaline Gainey singled to start the inning and was advanced on a sac bunt by Lauren Stump to second. Sarah Jennings next singled to left field advancing Gainey to third. Torian Smith drew a walk. Then Jenna Cook hit a ball deep into the corner down the first base line that resulted in an inside the park grand slam. Andrew added an insurance run in the bottom of the 4thwhen B. Walker singled and advanced on a single by Gainey. Stump was then Hit by pitcher to load the bases. Sarah Jennings then hit an RBI ground out that brought in Walker to account for the Yellow Jackets’ five runs.

Hanahan wins lower state in softball

By David Shelton • May 21, 2026
This is a subtitle for your new post

Wilson Hall Softball Finishes With 21-7 Record

By Dennis Brunson • May 20, 2026
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – The Wilson Hall softball team came up short of reaching the SCISA AAAA state championship series, which is a goal for everyone at the start of the season. Only two can get there though, so while not fun to come up short, it is bearable. However, the way things went down for the Barons this season didn’t help at all. Wilson Hall just needed one victory on Day 2 of the state tournament at Patriot Park SportPlex in Sumter to punch its ticket to the title series. Instead, the Barons lost to archrival Laurence Manning Academy twice by the scores of 12-0 and 6-4. LMA advanced to the best-of-3 series instead and swept Pinewood Prep to win a third straight championship. In retrospect though, Barons head coach Teresa Alexander finds it hard not to be proud of the season her team had. “The season’s ending didn’t turn out how we had hped, but I’m really proud of the tough schedule we played and the success we had all year.,” said Alexander, who guided Wilson Hall to a 21-7 record. “I’m excited to see this young bunch return with the experience they now have under their belts. But we will truly miss our seniors, Addie Griffin and Marymae Lampron .” The Barons had four players selected to the All-Region 3-AAAA team in Griffin, freshman pitcher Marsha Kate Skey , sophomore shortstop Mary Paisley Geddings and junior catcher Caroline Moorman . Griffin, who played left field, had a .279 batting average to go with an on-base percentage of .423. She had one double, one triple, one home run, 13 runs batted in and 18 runs scored. Skey was a standout in the circle as Wilson Hall’s primary pitcher. Shd had a `1.69 earned run average to go with 115 strikeouts. At the plate, Skey batted .400 with an OBP of .489. She had three doubles, two triples, 17 RBI and 33 runs. Geddings batted .317 with a .406 OBP to go with seven doubles, one triple, four homers, 26 RBI and 28 runs. Moorman had 14 RBI, 17 runs and four doubles to go with a .354 batting average and an OBP of .429. Other returning starters are freshman second baseman Tatiana Erichsen , freshman outfielder Anna Meldrim , sophomore third baseman Lilly Grace Przybyla , freshman outfielder Emmie Williamson and eighth-grade centerfielder Caroline Andrews . Meldrim hit .412 with three homers, 31 RBI and 24 runs, Przybyla hit .373 with 21 runs and 15 RBI, Williamson batted .263 with an OBP of .500, and Erichsen batted .324 with 19 RBI and 23 runs.

Stallions Reach SCISA Class AAA Baseball Title Series In Morris’ First Year

By Dennis Brunson • May 20, 2026
Williamsburg runners makes diving slide for the plate in the playoffs. (Photo by Mara Feagin)

Warlaw’s Lady Patriots Fall 5 Runs Short Of Winning State Title

By Gerald Doolittle • May 20, 2026
Lady Patriots Katherine Trotter, Bailey Sturkie, Ellie Yonce, Taylor Hilll and Brianna McNeill (not pictured) were selected to the North-South All-Star Team!

Wolves Boys’ Track Team Finishes Fourth At AA State Meet

By Rob Gantt • May 20, 2026
By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR ST. STEPHEN - Timberland High School’s boys track and field team finished fourth in the state Saturday, May 15, at Richland Northeast High School. The Wolves, who finished with 45 points, produced state champions in multiple events. They placed three points out of a tie for second place. Hurdler Malyk Goodman won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.63 seconds and jumper Carter Hawkins soared to victory in the triple jump with a mark of 14.24 meters. Goodman also placed third in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.82 and Hawkins finished second in the long jump with an effort of 6.65 meters.  Timberland’s boys sent three more to the awards podium. Hurdler Day’vian Bennett placed third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.89 seconds. Jumper Antaun Faison finished sixth in the long jump with a mark of 6.51 meters. The boys’ 4x100-meter relay team posted a time of 43.17 seconds to place seventh. For Timberland’s boys, jumper Robert Roberts finished 11th in the triple jump with an effort of 12.11 meters, while the 4x800-meter relay placed 11th and 4x400-meter relay team 13th. The Timberland girls finished 10th in the state and sent quite a few to the awards podium (top 8). Kennahdi Murrell placed third in the 400-meter hurdles, sixth in the 100-meter hurdles and seventh in the high jump. Kemani Lampkin finished fifth in the 800-meter run and Jermanee Washington placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles. China Greene recorded a sixth-place finish in the 400 hurdles and teammate Kiana Glenn was two spots back in eighth. Tiana Jefferson finished 12th in the long jump and 13th in the 400-meter dash. Zoe Cooper was 13th in the discus. Timberland’s girls placed eighth in the 4x400-meter relay and 10th in the 4x100 relay.

Thomas Heyward Has Good Season In Golf

By David Shelton • May 20, 2026
The THA golf program is relatively new but interest seems to be gaining each year.

Summerville Softball Wins District 3 Title

By Roger Lee • May 20, 2026
Senior Jayden Bennett has had some key turns at bat for Summerville during the playoffs.

Stratford’s Kowlok Repeats As State Champion In Pole Vault

By Rob Gantt • May 20, 2026
Lukas Kowlok headlined by repeating as the state champion in the pole vault soaring over the bar at 4.85 meters.

Tough Loss to Stags in Playoffs Doesn’t Dilute an Otherwise Great White Knoll Softball Season

By Worthy Evans • May 19, 2026
By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - The pain of falling out of the 5A Division 2 District 4 tournament May 11 was still fresh when longtime White Knoll softball head coach talked about the season the next day.  The Timberwolves (14-13, 7-3) faced Berkeley for the second time in the tournament. The Stags held a 6-3 lead but White Knoll rallied for two runs in the seventh. After Melinda Veler drew a walk, Reginae Porterfield swatted a 1-out double to put runners at second and third. Lillian Priest lined out on the next at-bat, but Berkeley first baseman Emma Drawdy misplayed Adelynn Lewis’ ground ball, enabling Veler and Porterfield to score and cut the Stags’ lead to 6-5. With Lewis on base representing the tying run, Jaida Gray struck out swinging to end the hopes of an upset, and close out an otherwise great Timberwolves season. “It’s hard to shake it off. In the season you go to the next game but at the end of the season you can’t,” said Farr, who watched her team take a 3-0 lead only to be hit with Berkeley’s run in the third and a five-run fourth. “I could see my kids kind of feeling it, you could see it in my kids eyes,” she added. “We’ve got to fight to survive and they rallied around those seniors. They knew their time was coming and for two outs we were down 6-5. And that last pitch, it’s a hard way to go out. We’ve got to regroup and build off of what we did this year.” White Knoll beat Socastee 8-7 May 4 to get into the bracket, then upset Berkeley 3-2 May 6. West Florence , led by phenomenal pitcher Annie Eliason (19-0, 0.00 ERA, 309 strikeouts; who gave up two hits and struck out 20) beat White Knoll 7-0 May 8 to set up the rematch with the Stags. While the season ended on a sour note, there was much to praise about a team that Farr said few people would look to as contenders. After a young Timberwolves team battled through trials and tribulations, injuries and other issues, Farr said she watched her team come together in the second half of region play. “On senior night we really started playing for each other and giving it everything we had,” Farr said. “They worked their tails off to get better every single day and it showed. We have 12 players who fought their hearts out. We got to that fourth game, and our losses were close. We were right there, and it really was just one lucky pitch and that’s how the runs ended up.” White Knoll loses just two seniors in Priest and Gracie Fisher , but those seniors made a huge impact on the team. Priest had three home runs, 11 RBI, 34 hits and a .405 batting average. Fisher batted .311 with a double and 14 RBI. “Those two seniors have left their legacy, and we’ll continue with what they started on this swing upward,” Farr said. “We’re really excited that everyone else is returning.” Among the returners are freshmen Veler and Porterfield, and sophomores Charity West and E.G. Birchmore . Porterfield finished with a .393 batting average and a team-leading four home runs and six triples, six doubles and 20 RBI. Veler had 31 hits and 17 RBI to go with a .360 batting average an a .415 on-base percentage. West hit .323 with 11 hits and 10 runs batted in. “Mindy Veler started out in left field since seventh grade and she’s fantastic,” Farr said. “She’s got speed and runs down everything in the outfield but she’s really a good infielder, can play shortstop without missing a beat. An unbelievably great kid who won’t talk very loud but she’s a leader. “Reginae, that kid is small but she’s strong and compact. She can fly and you can’t get anything past her in centerfield,” Farr said. “Charity has been our DP and catcher. She puts the ball in play and has quality at-bats.” Birchmore caught fire in the circle late in the game and finished the season with a 2.23 earned-run average. She was 3-1 in five appearances. “E.G. is a pitcher and utility player, one of those kids in the past couple of years who was always there,” Farr said. “We didn’t expect her to be our starting pitcher but in the back half of the season she started to pour it on and keep us in games. She’s a battler along with our other pitchers.” The White Knoll baseball team finished 10-14 and 5-5 in Region 4-5A, but had a bounce-back season after going 7-22 and 0-10 the year before. The Timberwolves reached the play-in series of the 5A Division 2 District 3 tournament, but fell two games to zero in the best-of-three series with Lugoff - Elgin . White Knoll fell 4-1 in game one, but rallied for six runs in game two after falling behind 7-0. The Timberwolves had a 4-run rally going on in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and two men on, but a strikeout closed out the game and the season. Senior Dillon Woods led the team with a .465 batting average, five home runs and a .573 on-base percentage. Senior Jean Maldonado batted .364, and junior Tra Johnson batted .329. The team loses six seniors but has plenty of younger hitters, fielders, and pitchers to put together another successful season next year.
More Posts