The soft rivalry between Clinton and Laurens — I always do it alphabetically except when it refers to the site, at which time it is Clinton-Laurens in Laurens and Laurens-Clinton in Clinton, and never the twain shall meet – in softball was a rootin,’ tootin’ dandy on Thursday at CHS.

Where was I at the exciting conclusion? Back at the house, dickering with photographs.

You live, you learn … and then you learn some more.

I’m weary of playing Hercule Poirot to find out the first names of baseball and softball players, so, with apologies, the winning pitcher of Newberry Academy is just going to have to stay M Jackson.

As Larry Munson might have said it, Carly Edwards! Carly Edwards! Carly Edwards!

And so on.

With the score tied, 1-1, in the top of the eighth inning, Edwards, the Laurens catcher, on an 0-1 count, blasted a game-winning homer to propel the Raiders, 4-1.

Summer Nations more than earned the victory in the circle, toiling all eight innings, touched for nine hits but only a run. She only fanned two but walked no one.

Me-Me Smith of Clinton slogged the distance, too. She allowed just three hits, the Edwards clout being the disastrous one.

Halleigh Luke, Smith, Sierra Templeton and Cat Wilkie each had two hits for Clinton (6-3).

All of the Red Devils’ hits were singles. All but one of the Raiders were. The big one.

Clinton broke on top in the fourth on Wilkie’s RBI single. Laurens (4-2) tied it via a Nations groundout in the sixth.

Then they played two extra innings, and the bus ride home was happy.

In baseball, Clinton defeated Gaffney for the second time in a week, defeating the Indians, 17-5, in five innings.

Extra bases fueled the Red Devils. Harrison Moore, Tanner Kyko and Zane McLendon all belted doubles, with Kyko and McLendon driving in three runs apiece.

None of the five runs charged Kyle, the winning pitcher, was earned. He worked 2-2/3 innings, both walking and striking out two.

Clinton (4-3) scored two inn the first inning, two in the second, six in the third, six in the fourth and one in the fifth. Scott Gilfillin took the loss for Gaffney (4-4), which has lost three of four games.

Laurens Academy (1-3) lost its third straight game, falling, 11-0, at Newberry Academy in five innings.

M Jackson stopped the Crusaders on two hits, a double by Ethan Collins and a single by Caleb Hardy. The Eagles put four runs on the board in the second inning and seven in the game-ending fifth.

Braydon Burke took the loss.

Catcher Thomas McLean went 3/3 for Newberry Academy with two doubles, two runs scored and four batted in.

In Great Falls, Thornwell (2-6) ran into a faraway team of Red Devils, falling, 16-0, as the home team scored 12 times in the third inning.

First baseman Sam Robertson rapped the only Saints hit, a single. The game ended after three innings. Robertson never got to bat a second time.

Brown was the winning pitcher for Great Falls (1-4). Among 10 hits, the Red Devils laced two doubles and a triple.

Zach Crowe took the loss.

Riverside traveled to Laurens to play the Raiders in Region 2-4A boys’ tennis, shutting out the Raiders, 6-0.

The Raiders travel to Union County on Monday a non-region match at 5 pm.

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