Owen Pridgen (Monte Dutton file photo)

NORTH AUGUSTA – Comebacks are in style. Owen Pridgen’s two-run single in the top of the seventh inning gave Laurens an 8-6 Class 4A baseball playoff victory Friday night over North Augusta after the Raiders trailed by five runs after an inning.

A night earlier, Clinton came from six runs down to win 7-6 in the 3A post-season.

Center fielder Zay Pulley, left fielder Mason Hamby and third baseman Jack Yarbrough each had two hits for the Raiders. Hamby drove in three runs.

It was almost 8 p.m. when the game started after a weather delay. In the top of the first inning, all three Laurens batters popped up: Pulley to first base, Hamby to second and Jackson Martin to third.

The Raiders’ starter, Ryland Paxton, walked North Augusta’s first batter, Bryson Nuckols. Jaxon Jean followed with a double to right, driving in Nuckols, and Brodie Chapman walked. Briggs Watkins struck out, as did Isaiah Trull, but Walker Geddes walked to load the bases. Parker Pugh’s infield hit produced another run. Evan Waldhauer reached on Hamby’s error in left, and Paxton hit Zach Hardy. Nuckols, batting for the second time in the inning, singled, and by the time Jean flied out for the third out, the Yellow Jackets led, 5-0.

Hardy retired the Raiders in order again in the second inning. Paxton got through the second, stranding North Augusta’s Watkins at third.

A two-base error put Jaedon Goodwin on second base to lead off the third. Hunter Nabors struck out, but Yarbrough’s single to right put runners on first and second. Pulley’s single to left loaded the bases. Hamby stroked a single that scored Goodwin and Yarbrough. Martin struck out and Willis flied to center.

Paxton struck out the first two batters in the bottom half but hit Hardy, yielded an RBI single to Nuckols and a walk to Jean before inducing a Chapman flyout to end the inning trailing 6-2.

The first two Laurens batters of the fourth, Pridgen and Bennett Edwards, flied out, and Goodwin lined to short.

Grayson Ledford relieved Paxton in the fourth. Paxton allowed four hits and five walks and hit two batters. Three of the six runs he yielded were unearned. Ledford retired Watkins but gave up a double to Trull before retiring Geddes and Pugh.

A Nabors walk quickly turned into a Laurens run on Yarbrough’s double to left. Yarbrough scored on Pulley’s bunt single to pull the Raiders within two runs. Pulley stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. On a full count, Hamby’s ground ball to short drove Pulley in, and the Yellow Jackets’ lead dwindled to 6-5.

Pridgen drew a walk to lead off the sixth inning, but Edwards grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, and Goodwin flied out to center field.

Laurens (17-9-1) got out of the sixth as North Augusta (12-9) stranded two baserunners. Ledford pitched four strong innings, allowing three hits and a walk but no runs.

Hardy (L) went the distance for the Yellow Jackets. With one out, Yarbrough reached on North Augusta’s second error, and Pulley walked. Hamby’s single loaded the bases. Martin struck out, but Willis tied the game with a walk, and Pridgen’s single to left drove in Pulley and Hamby.