By MONTE DUTTON

I was up until the wee hours, which are not that wee for me, failing to get Tuesday night’s results posted. Folks have more wi-fi than wife problems nowadays. Oh, wait. I don’t have a wife. It could be that my perspective is skewed.

Undoubtedly, wives also have wi-fi problems, as do a broad spectrum of men and women in all fields of endeavor.

Optimistically I brewed the coffee, powered up the laptop and considered playing “Nightrider’s Lament” on my guitar. The yodeling at the end clears the voice in the morning.

When I turned on the TV – people have been doing this for many, many years – I discovered all hell had broken loose about something. I took a sip of coffee and rubbed my eyes.

College students nationwide are wild in the streets! Fights! Arrests! Tear gas! Tasers!

I took it well. As disasters go, student protests are less worrisome than mass murder, epidemics, hurricanes and wildfires. No disrespect to student protests, but there are worse ways to wake up in the morning.

I vaguely remember my long-gone daddy and a few chums strolling over to Presbyterian College to witness the streaking craze.

Those crazy kids.

They’ve gotten serious again. Their passions extend beyond the raising of the drinking age, though some might demonstrate for the legalization of pot. Such demonstrations are inherently peaceful.

College is supposed to be about exposing oneself to a wide range of beliefs. It can be a lot to process. It’s supposed to be. Eventually, education provides a balance.

The students are a sign of these strange times, and they’re not alone.

Hey! How’s about some sports?

After 17 eggs remained intact, Laurens finally cracked one on Wednesday night at Ed Prescott Field with Ed Prescott there.

The Raiders remained unbeaten in the Class 4A baseball playoffs by edging Greenwood, 1-0, in nine innings.

It’s a lucky man who sees major-league pitchers put on a duel like the one between Laurens’ Jordan Hudson and Greenwood’s Luke Godwin. Neither was around for the decision, but both threw over 100 pitches.

In fact, one major difference in the outcome was that when Hughes departed after seven shutout innings – one hit, six walks, nine strikeouts – Joshua Hughes picked right up for the final two. When Godwin bowed out, after eight innings, conditions instantly deteriorated for Greenwood (15-11). Godwin allowed five hits but struck out 15. He struck out Zay Pulley and Avery Madden three times apiece.

Godwin couldn’t go forever, and it was Will Bice’s unfortunate task to succeed him.

Owen Pridgen immediately walked. Josh Goodwin immediately ran for Pridgen. He stole second. He reached third on a wild pitch. Coleman Coker singled past short. Game over.

For 8-1/2 innings, the game was a Hitchcock thriller. Then, suddenly, it ended merrily.

Laurens put the leadoff hitter on base in every inning after the fifth. Hudson worked his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out Greenwood jam in the seventh.

Luke Hannah was Greenwood’s top batter, though he was not a hitter. He walked three times. Jayden Adams and Marnarien Chamberlain each singled.

Third baseman Coker was 3/4, collecting half the Laurens hits. Pridgen’s double was the game’s only extra-base knock.

It was the Raiders third victory over the Eagles this season.

Next up for Laurens (22-6) is Catawba Ridge (24-3) on Friday evening at 6:30, once again at LDHS. The Copperheads eliminated Laurens in the Upstate Class 4A finals last year and defeated the Raiders, 9-5, on March 3 in Georgetown.

Catawba Ridge defeated North Augusta, 8-4, in Fort Mill on Wednesday night.

None of the baseball players gathered at Clinton High School were demonstrating, and certainly not Carson Glenn, Zane McLendon and Harrison Moore, who were finalizing college destinations.

Pitcher Glenn is headed to Spartanburg Methodist College, there to be a Pioneer, third baseman McLendon to Newberry College, where Wolves howl, and Moore to Montreat College, where the Cavaliers engage in swordfights and other forms of swashbuckling.

Glenn intends to major in sports management, McLendon in business and Moore in physical education, and their reasons all seem sound.

They are all exceptional players intent on testing their skills where success comes harder and young men whose heads seem exceptionally straight.

Head coach Sean McCarthy extolled their virtues, tangible and intangible alike, and while they still have urgent matters at hand, it was a pleasant send-off to the first experiences of real life.

Their day in the sun was in the gym, and family, coaches, teammates, teachers, friends and anyone else who wanted one posed for pictures afterward.

The Red Devils take on Travelers Rest in a Class 3A playoff elimination game on Thursday night at Clinton High, beginning at 6:30.

Palmetto defeated Clinton, 11-1, in the Red Devils’ 3A playoffs softball opener on Wednesday.

The Red Devils, who are 2-8 in games decided by three runs or fewer, were unburdened by this trauma as the Mustangs scored two runs in the first inning, three in the second and six in the fourth.

Catcher Halleigh Luke and center fielder Taylor Davis had the only Clinton hits, both singles.

Clinton (12-11) visits Travelers Rest, which lost to Daniel, on Friday.

E.K. Fowler went 3/4, with two doubles and four runs batted in, to lead Palmetto (18-5).

Lewisville similarly throttled Thornwell Charter, 15-1, in a Class A softball playoff game lessened to three innings after the Lions scored three, four and eight runs in the ones played.

Pitcher Camden Nelson had the Saints’ (7-15) only hit.

The Lewisville catcher, identity unknown, was 3/3 with two runs scored and three driven home.

Also on Thursday night, Pickens visits Laurens in a Class 4A elimination softball game, and Thornwell baseball travels south to play North (it’s in Orangeburg County) in a Class A baseball elimination matchup.

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