In the small town of Clinton, some folks are aghast that the local college has such a tough path to the women’s basketball championship.

Why must the Blue Hose have to be in a play-in? And, if they manage to defeat Sacred Heart, next is the No. 1 team in the nation, the University of South Carolina.

No fair!

PC is considerably better since the Gamecocks slipped past, 99-29, early in the season.

This is the way the system works. Inevitably, the tournament begins with the best teams playing the worst teams. South Carolina is 32-0. PC is 20-14.

If PC gets past Sacred Heart on Wednesday at 7, it takes on the Gamecocks on Friday at 2 p.m.

It won’t be easy, but the Pioneers aren’t the Gamecocks.

It makes sense. Harsh sense, but sense. It would make no sense for No. 1 to open the tournament against No. 2. The 68 teams begin their trek with the last four compacting themselves into four, which is the point where the winner of Presbyterian-Sacred Heart gets to play South Carolina, defend the Alamo and charge with the Light Brigade.

Alaura Sharp brought her Blue Hose a long way. They found lightning in their bottles at the Hercules Tires Big South championships, where, in High Point, N.C., they won from the No. 5 seed.

This is what happens. Presbyterian College is never going to be anything but an underdog when hobnobbing with the Amazons.

They are underdogs against Sacred Heart (24-9), located in that hotbed of Pioneer spirit, Fairfield, Conn., but at least they’ve got a fighting shot, women to women and Presbyterians to Roman Catholics.

The Pioneers have an active 14-game winning streak. The game is to be shown on ESPNU. Ny’Cera Pryor, a 5-3 sophomore guard from Baltimore, Md., leads Sacred Heart with an average of 18.9 points and 7.1 rebounds.

Enjoy it for what it is, a wondrous reward for the unlikely completion of a daunting task.

The next task is so daunting that it’s completion would bring a national investigation.

Don’t worry. Be happy.

The Presbyterian Blue Hose men’s basketball team’s season continues after accepting a bid to play in the Ro College Basketball Invitational (CBI). This will mark the second time that Presbyterian has participated in postseason play during the Division I era, the Blue Hose won two games in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2019.

The Blue Hose accepted a bid to play in the CBI. It’s March 23-27 at Daytona Beach (Fla.) Ocean Center, where I personally once attended an auto-racing trade show.

The Blue Hose (14-18) are the 12^th seed and will play the fifth-seeded Montana Grizzlies in the first round on Sunday, March 24 at 1 p.m.

The CBI, which has been around since 2008, is a single-elimination, “fully-bracketed” men’s basketball postseason tournament featuring 15 teams from across the country competing for a championship in Florida.

Thank goodness it’s not just partially bracketed. That could be confusing.

The opening and quarterfinal rounds will be broadcast on FloHoops (paid subscription) with the semifinals and championship game to be broadcast on ESPN2.

The acceptance of the bid seems to signal that Quinton Ferrell is to remain head coach of the PC men for a sixth season.

Which brings me to Wednesday’s conflict between the Blue Hose and the Pioneers in Columbia and the Laurens-Clinton baseball game in Clinton.

I have a few hours to decide.

Just how much do I yearn to see Sacred Heart play in something?

The Raiders and Red Devils are highly regarded. Both are ranked in the top 10 of their classifications, according to the S.C. Baseball Coaches Association.

Laurens (8-2, 3-0 Region 2-4A) is ranked third in its class. Clinton (4-3) is the reigning Class 3A champion, now ranked seventh.

5A
1. Summerville
2. Berkeley
3. Boiling Springs
4. Blythewood
5. Lexington
6. River Bluff
7. West Ashley
8. J.L. Mann
9. Fort Mill
10. Dorman/Chapin

4A
1. Catawba Ridge
2. North Myrtle Beach
3. Laurens
4. Airport
5. James Island
6. West Florence
7. Easley
8. Greenville
9. North Augusta
10. Hartsville

3A
1. Hanahan
2. Blue Ridge
3. Crescent
4. Belton-Honea Path
5. Beaufort
6. Powdersville
7. Clinton
8. Seneca
9. Gilbert
10. Camden

2A
1. Gray Collegiate
2. Oceanside Collegiate
3. Mid-Carolina
4. Andrew Jackson
5. Fox Creek
6. Cheraw
7. Bishop England
8. Strom Thurmond
9. North Central
10. Buford

A
1. Southside Christian
2. Lewisville
3. Lake View
4. St. Joseph’s
5. Latta
6. East Clarendon
7. Christ Church
8. Johnsonville
9. Ware Shoals
10. McBee

On Sunday, Presbyterian won its first Big South softball series by the margin of Kendall Owens’ eighth-inning, two out base hit that lifted the Blue Hose to a 3-2 victory over Winthrop and a 2/3 series win.

For the second time in the past four home games, PC won in the form of an eighth-inning walk-off.

The Blue Hose made it three years in a row of beating their in-state rivals at least twice.

David Williams’ unit takes a quick break from the conference in a Wednesday visit to Furman, the first of two straight Southern Conference foes.

Furman (11-14) plays its first game in eight days with a 4 p.m. game at Greenville’s Pepsi Stadium.

Looking considerably ahead, baseball holds it Big South tournament on May 23-25 at Truist Point in High Point, N.C.

Only the top four teams in the conference facing off in a three-day, double-elimination showdown to determine the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.

Tickets are general admission and are priced at $11 for a one-day pass when purchased in advance through May 22. Starting May 23, tickets will increase to $15 for adults, while seats for high school/college students with ID, as well as children 12 and under, will cost $12.  To purchase advance tickets, call 336-888-1000.  Fans can email info@highpointrockers.com for additional information and/or check the availability of stadium suites.

Behind two doubles and five singles wins, Presbyterian Blue Hose (6-7, BSC 1-0) began defense of their Big South regular-season title with a 6-1 win over the Longwood Lancers (5-5, BSC 1-2).

For the seventh time this season, the Blue Hose captured the doubles point with wins at the number two and one positions. At number two doubles, Presbyterian’s Marco Foglieni and David Mamalat posted a 6-1 win. The doubles tandem of Matos and Denim Yadav clinched the doubles point for PC with a 6-4 win at the number one spot.

Presbyterian won five of the six singles matches to claim the overall victory. At number five singles, Presbyterian’s Evgenios Vasilakis collected a 6-3, 6-3 win. At number three singles, PC’s Pedro Cardoso recorded his ninth win of the season with a 6-1, 6-2 victory. Yadav gave the Blue Hose their match-clinching fourth point with a 7-5, 6-1 win at number four singles. Matos tallied his seventh win of the season with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 victory at number one singles. Longwood collected a win at number six singles. Mamalat closed out the Blue Hose win with his eighth victory of the season after gutting out a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision at the number two spot.

Presbyterian continues Big South Conference play on the road at Gardner-Webb on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.

Laurens’ junior varsity baseball team remained unbeaten with a pair of tense victories over Hillcrest, 2-1 and 4-3.

The Rams had no one to blame but themselves in game one. Laurens (7-0) managed to prevail in spite of only a hit by Brayden Yarbrough, taking advantage of three Hillcrest errors.

Trailing 1-0, Laurens tied the score on an error after William Nunley was hit by a pitch. Yarbrough drove in the winning run after Noah Hughes walked. Hughes tossed a no-hitter, though not a shutout. He walked one and struck out six.

Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Brayden Patterson singled to left, driving in Tristian Buzbee. Hughes went 2/2 with a double and two RBI.

Ke’Allen Blackwell and Nunley shared the mound duties.

Will work for food, but contributions would be better. They’re both good and good for me.

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