I retired to the house so that I could watch Presbyterian College play women’s basketball on TV, but I regretted leaving the baseball being played by the ancestral Laurens County rivals on Wednesday night.

The Blue Hose won, so I can’t really say I misplayed it.

I took a plethora of snapshots of Raiders and Red Devils running around.

Then I watched PC and and multitasked the aforementioned county rivals via phone.

What’ll they think of next?

Oh, what a rip-roaring, batting, bunting, stealing, pitching ripsnorter the Raiders and Red Devils played on Wednesday night down in the Clinton High valley.

Laurens (11-2) came from behind with four runs in the sixth inning after Clinton (4-4) came from behind with four in the fifth, and thus did the Raiders prevail, 7-6. The lead started changing as soon as the Raiders’ Tori Patterson and the Red Devils’ Sean McCarthy shook hands and the ump yelled, “Play ball!”

It wasn’t slick – Laurens made six errors – and it wasn’t efficient – each team struck out 10 times – but it was fun enjoying the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat among people who knew each other.

The Raiders made the very best of four hits, six walks and four batters beaned. The hits, all singles, exited the bats of Hunter Nabors, Ben Willis, Asher Goss and Coleman Coker.

For the Red Devils, Carson Glenn stroked three hits and Luke Young slapped two. One of each was a double. Harrison Moore and Camden Finley had the others. Third baseman Zane McLendon got intensive care from wary Laurens hurlers who walked him four times, and he stole two bases.

Laurens scored in the top of the first. Clinton tied it in the bottom. The Raiders retook the lead in the third. The Devils tied it in the fourth. Clinton grabbed the lead with four in the fifth. Laurens took it back with four in the sixth.

In the seventh, both ran out of gas scoreless. Clinton had runners on first and second when Bryce Young flied out to center field to end the game.

Nabors got the win and Edwards got the save after Jordan Hudson worked the first 4-1/3 innings.

For Clinton, Carson Glenn pitched the first three innings, Jaydon Glenn the middle two and Tanner Finley, who toiled the final two, took the loss.

Brayden Patterson drove in two runs with a single and a triple, leading Laurens to a 3-1 victory in the junior-varsity game between the county rivals.

Preston Dixon drove in the other run with a sacrifice fly.

Laurens (8-0) pitchers Braden Yarbrough and Noah Hughes limited Clinton (5-3) to singles by center fielder Owen Glenn and right fielder Avery Barnes.

The winning pitcher was Yarbrough. Hughes earned a save. Zack Lawson took the loss.

One team of Red Devils won in Clinton. Great Falls, which goes by that moniker, vanquished Thornwell, 19-0, amid the wooded greenery of the charter school.

Fourteen runs in the sixth inning lengthened the proceedings.

Sam Robertson collected both Thornwell (3-7) hits and stole a base.

By contrast, Trenton Trotter scored four runs for Great Falls (1-7). Kamden Wood had four hits. Trotter and Jayden Brown each drove in three. The pitcher of a 5-2/3 inning complete game,Kolby Price, struck out 14.

Five Saints served shifts on the mound.

Southside Christian defeated Thornwell in softball, 20-10.

Madi Porter drove in four runs in a losing cause. The Saints (2-8) scored two runs in the top of the first inning, but the Sabres responded with four in the bottom half, and 13 more in the second.

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

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