SCISA Softball state championship series set

Sumter – The pairings for the SCISA softball state championships are set after the completion of the state tournaments on Saturday at Patriot Park SportPlex and Palmetto Park.

           Defending state champion Laurence Manning Academy and Wilson Hall will play for the AAAA title, defending AAA champion Pee Dee Academy and defending AA state champion Clarendon Hall will do battle for the AAA crown, Dorchester Academy and Carolina Academy will meet for the AA championship, and the Class A series will have Holly Hill Academy taking on W.W. King Academy.

           Each of the series will be best-of-3 and were all scheduled to begin on Monday, May 12. However, the AAAA and AAA Game 1s have already been moved to Tuesday because of the 100 percent forecast of rain on Monday.

           AAAA

           Laurence Manning made quick work of Ben Lippen, scoring eight runs in the first inning on the way to an 11-0, 5-inning, mercy-rule win at Patriot Park.

           The Lady ‘Cats, who improved to 22-3 on the season, were led by Lyza Prickelmyer. She went 3-for-4 with a home run, four runs batted in, one run scored and one stolen base.

           Caroline Welch and Marlee Black both had two hits. Black had a triple, scored twice and had an RBI, while Welch had an RBI. Maggie Welch had a hit, two runs and two stolen bases, while Carol Ann Briggs had a double and two RBI. Ashley Rae Hodge had a double, a stolen base and a run, while Jessica Griffith had a double, a run and an RBI.

           Laini Kosinski pithed all five innings, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out five. Kosinski also had a hit and an RBI.

           While LMA has been the heavy favorite in AAAA all season, head coach Buddy Truett said his team is pleased with the feat it has accomplished.

           “It means the world to our program,” he said. “It’s never granted to get here. I’m proud of the girls and how they’ve worked so hard to get back.”

           Laurence Manning won its three tournament games by a combined score of 44-4.

“I was very pleased with our tournament play,” Truett said. “We usually start slow and come alive about the middle of the game. We’ve started pretty good and sored a pile of runs. Hopefully it’s an indication of what’s to come.”

Seniors Isabella Valentino, Stephanie Jones and Mary Thomas each had a base hit for Ben Lippen.

           Wilson Hall waited until the second inning to put distance between itself and Hammond, scoring six runs on the way to an 11-1, 5-inning triumph at Patriot Park.

           After having played in seven straight championship series in SCISA’s highest classification, WH had that streak snapped last season by Hammond. Head coach Teresa Alexander is happy to be back.

           “It’s a huge accomplishment when you consider the amount of talented players we’ve graduated the last two years,” said Alexander, who has been at Wilson Hall for 18 seasons. “I’m proud of how the girls found a way to get there.”

           Mary Paisley Geddings, Caroline Moorman, Marsha Kate Skey, LIly Grace Przybyla and Grace McArthur each had two hits for the Lady Barons, who are 17-12 on the season. Geddings had a double and two runs, Moorman had two RBI and a run, Skey and McArthur both had a run and an RBI, and Przybyla had two RBI.

           Caroline Andrews had a hit and two runs, and Emmie Williamson had a hit and a run.

           Przybyla worked four innings, allowing one unearned runs while striking out three and giving up two hits. Skey worked a scoreless fifth.

           “Our pitching was outstanding throughout the tournament,” Alexander said. “The offense was a little tight, especially early on. We need to get in the championship series and hit the way we know we can hit.”

           Ava Sapp and Ali Dorrington each had a hit for the Skyhawks, and AG Getz scored the run.

           The first game of the series has been moved to Tuesday with a 6 p.m. start at Patriot Park. Game 2 will be played on Tuesday in Manning at Julie Skolar Field beginning at 6 p.m. A third game, if needed, will be played at a neutral site on Thursday.

           Laurence Manning didn’t get to face Wilson Hall, its longtime rival, last year in the championship series when it had its 3-year title run snapped. They are Region 3 foes and the Lady ‘Cats won this year’s two regular-season games by scores of 5-2 and 7-3.

           “It’s a big rival,” Truett said. “It’s not as bad as some people might think. They’re friends out of season, but they go at it during games. Both teams bring a crowd.”

           AAA

           The AAA series will not only be a matchup of defending state champions, but 3-time defending state champions as well. Pee Dee has won the last two AAA crowns while winning the AA title in 2022. Clarendon Hall has won the last two AA championships after winning the Class A title in ’22.

           This series will start on Tuesday with PDA at home in Mullins with a 6:30 p.m. start. Game 2 is set for Wednesday in Summerton at 6:30 p.m. with a third game, if needed, to be played at a neutral site on Thursday.

           Clarendon Hall beat Orangeburg Prep 10-0 in five innings at Patriot Park to win its bracket and improve to 14-5. By winning a fourth straight title, CH would accomplish something that is likely unprecedented: winning state championships in three different classifications over four consecutive years.

           Senior Calli Yount shut down OP’s potent offense, limiting it to two hits. She struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter. Yount also had two hits, one a double, and two RBI.

Ashlee Berry was CH’s leading hitter, going 3-for-3 with a doble, two runs and two RBI.

Aubree Richardson was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, and Skylar Dymond was 2-for-2. Maggie Harrington hit a home run, Brynli Brewer had a hit and an RBI, and AC Martens had a hit, a run and an RBI.

“I was really pleased with the way we hit the ball today,” said Clarendon Hall head coach Jeffrey Bays. “When we played them earlier in the year as a region (1) opponent we had very competitive games against them. We had seen their pitching earlier in the season, and we made some adjustments for this game, and it worked out well for us today.

“Calli pitched really well throughout the tournament, and she had 15 strikeouts against Williamsburg Academy last night (a 9-0 win on Friday) when she pitched a phenomenal game. She had eight strikeouts against OP, and they did put the ball in play some, but she stood tall today. Before the game today, I asked her if she was ready and she replied that she was all in and focused. I could not be prouder of her.”

Hannah Lambrecht and Jane Walker Yonce had the two hits for OP, which finished 15-10.

In a 9-4 win over Dillon Christian School earlier on Saturday, OP was led by Prestan Schurlknight and Lambrecht. Schurlknight was 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI, while Lambrecht was 3-for-3 with three runs.

Yonce scored a run and had an RBI and was also the winning pitcher. She went the distance in the circle, scattering five hits and allowing just three earned runs. She struck out four.

Natalie Hall was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI.

           First-year OP head coach Shaniya Thomas hopes to take a step up next season after falling short of playing for a state title for the third straight season.

           “We hope to develop stronger overall pitching for next season, along with a lineup that hits well 1 through 9,” said Thomas. “For the most part, we had some really strong bats on the team this season, and we only lost two players from last year, coming into this season. We will work hard in the offseason to have continued success next season.”

           Molly Andrews had two hits and three RBI to lead DCS, while Lilli Shooter had two hits. Braylin Carter had the other hit.

Pee Dee advanced with a 10-1 win triumph over Colleton Prep Academy on Saturday at Patriot Park. The Golden Eagles will take a 24-1 record into the title series.

Junior Nylee Causey and sophomore Azeleigh Arnette both had two hits to lead PDA. Causey scored twice, while Arnette had a run and an RBI.

           Eighth-grader Addison Hasty had a homer and scored twice, junior Leah Nettles, had a triple, a run and an RBI, and senior Katie Estes had a hit and a run.

           Junior Maddie Coward worked the first five innings, allowing four hits and the one run. She struck out 11 and walked one.

           Arnette was in the circle for the final two innings, allowing two hits and two walks while fanning four.

Elena Mathis was 2-for-3 with a double to lead CPA. Sydney Silvender had a double, and Bre Cain had a triple and scored the lone run.

Pee Dee and Clarendon Hall met twice in the regular season with the Eagles winning both times. They claimed the first game 4-1 before taking the second 10-0.

“We are going to have to tweak a few things against Pee Dee,” Bays said. “We played them twice this season and in the 4-1 loss Calli had 12 strikeouts. “We need her to have that type of performance when we play them in the championship series this week.

“We are hitting much better now and I think with this group of seniors (standout shortstop Mandy Wells along with Harrington, Dymond Berry and Ava Cribb) we will play much better against Pee Dee than we did during the season.”

AA

While the AAAA and AAA finalists make a habit of winning state titles, it’s been a while for the AA finalists, Carolina and Dorchester. The Bobcats haven’t won a state title since 2010, while DA hasn’t won one since winning the third of a 3-peat in 2019.

This series is still scheduled to start on Monday with Dorchester traveling to Lake City for a 7 p.m. game. Game 2 is also set for a 7 p.m. start on Tuesday in St. George.

CA got there by beating The King’s Academy 7-2 at Palmetto Park, improving to 16-8 on the season.

“We haven’t been there in a while,” said Phillips who has won five state titles in his 26 seasons at Carolina. “It’s been a long dry spell for us. We weren’t that good at the start of the season, but we’ve really improved so much every game, and they’ve just kept on fighting. They’ve gotten better and better and started playing their best ball at the right time.”

Raylee Frye had a strong performance in the circle against TKA. She struck out 10 and didn’t walk a batter while allowing five hits.

“Raylee did a good job,” said Phillips, whose team outscore the opponents 36-4 in three tournament games. “She struggled a little bit at the first of the year, but she’s just gotten better and better. She’s totally different than she was at the first of the year. She’s turned into a really good pitcher. Her control has been good, her movement has been good. She’s just made a tremendous amount of improvement.”

           Carly Ann Smith led the Bobcats offensively, going 2-for-3 with three runs. Paisley Coker had a double, two RBI and a run, and Frye scored two runs.

           After a slow start, Dorchester advanced with a 15-5, 6-inning win over Lee Academy. LA took a 4-1 lead in the top of the third with three runs before the Raiders answered with five in the bottom of the inning to go up 6-4. They added three more in the fourth, five in the fifth and closed it out with a single run in the sixth.

           Emery McClure got the victory in the circle and also had three hits, including a double and a home run, to go with three runs and two RBI.

           Alyssa Grooms had six runs batted in to go with two hits, one a double, and two runs. Lily Canady had two hits, three runs and an RBI, Briley Pope had a hit, three runs and two RBI, Lyla Owens had a double and an RBI, and Ryann Martin had a double, two runs and an RBI.

           “I’m proud of these girls for doing this,” said first-year DA head coach Justin McClure. “We’ve worked with these girls (in rec ball) since they were little, and they’ve worked really hard.

           Ansley King, Presleigh Greene, Ansley Nesbit and Jameson Collins all had two hits for the Cavaliers, who finished 5-15. Greene had a double, two RBI and a run, while Nesbit and King both scored runs, and Collins had an RBI. Addie Grace Wilkes had a double and a run, K Melton had a hit and a run, and Karagan Melton had a hit and an RBI.

           In a 16-6, 6-inning victory over Laurens Academy earlier o Saturday, King, Beth Whiteside and Nesbit both had two hits and Collins smacked a solo homer. King scored twice and had an RBI, while Nesbit had two RBI and a run, and Whiteside had a double and two runs.

           Wilkes had a double, two RBI and a run, and the Meltons both had a hit with Karagam scoring three times and Kaisley twice. Bristol Baker had two runs and an RBI.

           After Laurens scored five runs in the top of the first, Kaisley Melton came on in relief and allowed just one run over four innings. She struck out three and walked three while allowing four hits.

           Braylee Burke had four hits, one a double, and a run to lead Laurens. Mackenzie Runyans had a triple and a run.

           CLASS A

           After winning the state title in 2023, Holly Hill made a quick exit in the state tournament last year, going 0-2. The Raiders made it back to the title series on Saturday, beating Marlboro Academy 11-10 at Palmetto Park.

           HHA, which improved to 14-4, jumped out to an 8-3 lead before the Dragons rallied. They tied the game at 10-10 in the top of the sixth before Holly Hill got the winning run in the bottom of the inning. Taylor Wright shut MA down in the seventh to secure the win.

           Raiders head coach Kally Knight is proud of his team.

           “The team gelled so much this year,” Knight said. “This is probably the hardest working team I’ve had. They run all the time, they’re in shape. They hit really well. They’re just demanding in how they play for each other.

           “When we’re on, were a pretty hard team to beat.”

           Abigail Burleson had a big game for HHA, hitting a homer and a sacrifice fly to finish with five RBI. Wright was 3-for-4 with two RBI, Kayley Bell was 2-for-4 with a double, three runs and a stolen base, and Shelby Hinson was 2-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases.

           King beat Richard Winn Academy 13-6 at Palmetto Park to win its bracket. The Knights will bring a 21-5 record into the championship series.

           The first game is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m. in Holly Hill. The second game is set for Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Batesburg-Leesville.