The final games Saturday are crucial to Presbyterian College’s seedings in next week’s Big South Basketball Tournament in High Point, N.C.

For Quinton Ferrell’s men’s team, a victory over Charleston Southern on Saturday at Templeton Center is particularly important. PC is in a tie with Radford for seventh place in standings, a half game behind Winthrop and a half ahead of USC Upstate, which edged the Blue Hose, 74-72, in Spartanburg on Wednesday night.

The eighth and ninth seeds must face each other in a “play-in” next Wednesday at Qubein Arena, which is a fitting venue since High Point is the regular-season champion in both men’s and women’s play. A loss to Charleston Southern (10-18, 6-9 SoCon) puts PC (13-17, 5-10) in the play-in and a win doesn’t guarantee bypassing it.

Longwood (17-12, 5-9) visits Gardner-Webb (14-15, 9-5) on Thursday night.

Alaura Sharp’s women are in much better position entering the final regular-season game.

Presbyterian (17-13, 8-7) is in a tie with Radford for third place in the women’s standings, five games behind High Point and 1-1/2 behind USC Upstate – the Rifles have completed their regular season – while sitting a game ahead of Winthrop and Charleston Southern.

Saturday’s game at CSU (10-18, 7-8) is likely to affect tournament seedings, but the PC women, who have won five games in a row, won’t have to open the tournament until next Thursday.

Clinton junior-varsity baseball is off to a gaudy start, having captured its two games thus far by a combined score of 28-4.

On Tuesday, Clinton took advantage of four Abbeville errors to pound the Panthers, 11-0.

Zack Lawson and Rhett Gilliam combined to render the Panthers hitless, but the game only lasted three innings due to a run rule.

Owen Glenn rapped three of the Red Devils’ eight singles, driving in three runs. Lawson collected a pair.

Clinton also needed just three innings to dispatch Greenwood Christian, 17-4, on Saturday. Gilliam scored a pair of singles, and William Addison doubled and scored two runs. Lawson and Clayton Kyko shared the pitching chores.

Laurens opens its varsity season on Thursday at the 34^th annual International Paper Baseball Classic in Georgetown.

The Raiders take on the Berkeley Stags at noon.

Play on Wednesday at Clinton High’s preseason softball tournament was rained out, meaning that the games are to be played on Thursday at both CHS and LDHS.

In Clinton, Blacksburg plays Newberrry at 5 p.m. and the Red Devils at 8. In Laurens, Spartanburg takes on Greenwood at 5 and Laurens at 7.

Friday finds all games back in Clinton, where the Red Devils meet the Raiders at 5, and Blacksburg plays Spartanburg at 7.

After Whitmire plays Spartanburg at 10 a.m., on Saturday, the tourney’s championship game is at noon.

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