Baseball terms come from a variety of origins.

For instance, “on deck” refers to the next batter. The one after that is “in the hold,” not the hole. They were naval terms before baseball adopted them.

It irks me that any time a player holds a bat in his hands, he is a batter, except when he is hit by a pitch, when he mysteriously becomes “a batsman”?

If so, shouldn’t the pitcher become a pitchman when he plunks a batsman?

A fastball is also “a heater.” A curve was once called “a drop ball,” which became “a sinker.”

Old ballparks in Texas must have deep fences because a bloop hit that falls just in front of the outfielder is “a Texas Leaguer.” That is, if not for “a shoestring catch.

Home runs have more cliches than lousy movies: “bomb,” “dinger,” “dong,” “clout,” “shot,” etc.

The shortstop and the second baseman form “a keystone combo.” A bunter “lays one down.”

Virtually every high-school player is “a kid.”

At some point, a coach said to one of his pitchers, “Hey, Fred, Sammy looks like he’s tiring. Take Earl down to that empty bullpen behind the fence and warm up.”

“Good idea, Skip.”

Another good idea was digging out the dugouts.

The past tense when a bird flies is “flew,” but when a batter hits a fly ball, the past tense is “flied,” because, after all, the batter can’t fly. The ball can when he hits it.

A lefty is thought to be crafty. A veteran is considered wily. An umpire is alleged to be blind.

Enough of this nitpicky trivia. Let’s get to the games.

In the last of three games at Duncan Park, technically Duncan Park Stadium because it’s inside the park, Clinton and Spartanburg swapped the lead back and forth until the Vikings managed to eke out a 5-4 victory on Tuesday.

Left fielder Tyler Stevenson’s single drove in the winning run with two out in the bottom of the fifth inning. His bloop landed just beyond the outstretched glove of Clinton shortstop Bryce Young, who minimized the damage by throwing out States Farr at the plate.

Earlier, the Vikings took the lead with two runs in the third inning. A single and an error put the first two batters on base. A wild pitch moved the runners up, and Elijah Grant’s groundout provided the game’s first run. A sacrifice fly by Farr scored the second.

In the fourth, Carson Glenn, Harrison Moore and Luke Young singled in succession, and Tanner Finley’s groundout to second drove in Zack Lawson, who was running for pitcher Glenn. Jaydon Glenn’s sacrifice tied it, scoring Moore.

Brice Young led off the fifth with a single to center. Brett Young’s sacrifice bunt was mishandled, and a throwing error by Spartanburg pitcher Andrew Babis allowed Bryce Young to score and Brett Young to run all the way to third.

Brett Young scored on J.J. Dickson’s bunt. Carson Glenn singled. Moore and Luke Young were both hit by Babis pitches. Liam Nettles came on to pitch and ended the rally with a strikeout and a groundout.

Clinton (8-7) couldn’t hold the lead. With one out in the bottom half, with one out, Gavin Squires doubled to left field, scored on Davion Hurst’s single to center. Farr’s single tied the score before Stevenson’s two-out bloop put the Vikings ahead.

Carson Glenn (L) went the distance for the Red Devils. Forty-nine of his 66 pitches were strikes. He allowed nine hits. Three of the five runs were earned, and he struck out five without walking any.

Nettles shut down the Clinton rally, retiring the only two batters he faced. Grant earned a save by retiring the Devils in order in the sixth and the seventh innings.

Carson Glenn stroked two of Clinton’s five singles.

Farr and Squires each had two hits for Spartanburg (9-9), and both ripped a double.

Thornwell (3-9) made quick softball work of Calhoun Falls, needing only three innings to dispense with the Golden Flashes, 15-0.

At the plate, the Saints made the best of the time allotted, scoring th e 15 runs off 12 hits and three walks. Eight errors didn’t help the Calhoun Falls cause.

Neither did Thornwell pitcher Camden Nelson, who allowed no hits and three walks. She fanned five of the 11 batters she faced.

Karleigh Porter was a perfect 3/3 at the plate. Landrith and Anderson each drove in three. Karleigh Porter, Adrienne Anderson and Madi Porter scored three apiece.

A disastrous fifth inning cost Thornwell (4-10) its baseball visit to the Abbeville County town, 13-12, but there was far more to it.

Griffen Raines led the Saints with five singles in as many at-bats. He scored two runs and drove in two.

Calhoun Falls selected its bats carefully in the fifth inning, which began with the Saints leading 8-3. Four hit batters, three singles, three doubles, a triple and two walks later, the Flashes led, 12-8.

After picking up a run in the sixth inning, Thornwell tied it in the seventh, which opened with two walks and a hit batter. Raines singled in a run. After a strikeout, Zack Crowe delivered a two-out, two-run, game-tying single, but the Saints left runners on second and third base when consecutive batters struck out.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Calhoun Falls also had a hit batter and two walks. The winning run scored on a passed ball, saddling the fourth pitcher, Sam Robertson, with the loss.

Robertson and Crowe each had three hits for the Saints. Robertson doubled and scored three times. Crowe tripled and drove in four. One of Parker Robertson’s two hits was a triple.

The Saints stole 10 bases, with Raines and Crowe swiping three apiece.

The Laurens JV baseball team was truly up and down in a Tuesday doubleheader at home against Woodmont.

The Raiders won, 4-1, in the first game and lost, 8-6, in the second.

In the former game, each team scored a run courtesy the other’s error in the first inning.

The Raiders then scored two more in the second and another in the third. In the second, Jaylen Buford doubled in one run and another scored on another Wildcats error. Braden Yarbrough singled in the final run in the third inning.

Samuel Adams brewed up two hits for Laurens (10-4). Yarbrough allowed three hits and a walk, striking out four.

Tables turned in a hurry as Woodmont scored eight runs in the first inning of the nightcap, and Laurens won the other four, 6-0.

Adams drove in two runs in the latter game. Preston Dixon and Tristian Buzbee had doubles. Bluford stole two bases.

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