The Class 4A Upstate baseball championship, and the accompanying opportunity for statewide glory, belongs to the Laurens Raiders, who came from four runs behind to eliminate Easley (25-6) on Wednesday night by a score of 7-6.

Right fielder Avery Madden drove in what proved to be the tying and winning runs with a two-out, scratch single in the top of the seventh inning.

After two innings, Laurens (26-6) trailed the Green Wave, 6-1. Entering the top of the seventh, it was still 6-2.

Center fielder Zay Pulley, catcher Bennett Edwards and first baseman Owen Pridgen each had two hits. Edwards drove in three runs, and Pridgen drove in two, but it was the base hit by Madden, who had previously struck out three times, that made the difference.

Five seventh-inning runs made a winner of Grayson Ledford, who pitched six innings and gave up four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Only three of the six runs charged him were earned, a result of his own error.

Connor Rice nailed down a save by the thinnest of margins.

Both teams were scoreless in the first inning, Laurens leaving Edwards on base after a two-out base hit.

After Ledford retired the Green Wave in order, Coleman Coker opened the Laurens second with a single to center field. Ben Willis bunted him to second base. Madden worked a full count but struck out. Pridgen worked it full, too, but laced Kaleb Owens’ pitch to left, scoring Coker and taking second on the throw to the plate. There Pridgen remained.

Ledford hit Easley’s Braxton Patton to open the bottom of the second, then committed an error that put Aaron Tolbert on. The Raiders had a fielder’s choice with none made to load the bases. Jackson Rampey struck out, but Peyton Anders singled to center field, driving in Ayden Beeco and Anders. By the time the smoke cleared, Easley led 6-1.

After Laurens Pulley singled to lead off the top of the second, he was out at second on Hunter Nabors’ fielder’s choice, but Edwards walked. Owens wiggled out of the jam by fanning Asher Goss and inducing a popup from Coker.

Ledford yielded only a two-out walk in the bottom of the third inning.

Willis led off the fourth inning with a ringing single to left field. Madden struck out again, but Pridgen ripped a double to left. Willis scored and Pridgen wound up on third base, the deficit narrowed to four. Jireh Brown struck out, and Pulley flied out to center. It was 6-2.

Ledford weathered Brayden Bryson’s two-out double in the bottom half, after which Easley had six runs off four hits, and Laurens two off six.

After his leadoff single in the fifth inning, Nabors reached second base with one out on Edwards’ grounder. Goss struck out, bringing up Coker, who did so, too.

Tolbert walked, with one out in the Green Wave fifth, but Ledford retired Beeco on a fly ball to Brown in left field, and Rampey popped out to Nabors at second base.

Willis flied out to right, Madden struck out for the third time, and Pridgen marred what had been a perfect night at the plate by striking out, the ninth for Easley’s Owens, in the sixth inning.

Ledford retired the Green Wave in order, leaving the Raiders with one more shot at the plate, trailing, 6-2, in the top of the seventh inning.

Brown’s infield single put the lead batter of the inning on and the leadoff batter of the lineup, Pulley, up. He singled on Owens’ 98^th pitch, advancing Brown to second base. Cole Davis entered to face Nabors and plunked him on the third pitch, loading the bases with none away.

Edwards doubled, driving in Brown, Pulley and Nabors. The tying run was on second, still with none out. Goss walked on four pitches. Coker struck out. Willis did, too, both on 1-2 counts. Edwards advanced to third base, Pulley to second, on a passed ball. Madden singled to left, his grounder evading Easley shortstop Anders, driving in two to give the Raiders a 7-6 lead. Pridgen struck out.

Connor Rice came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. He struck out Bryson and retired Owens on a popup, but then Patton tripled, on a full count, past Madden in right.

With the tying run 90 feet away, Rice richly earned a save by striking out Tolbert to end the Upstate series.

The best-of-three series to determine the state title begins on Monday, with another game on Wednesday, and a third, if necessary, on Friday.

Laurens has won 10 consecutive games, six of them in the 4A playoffs.

The state championship series, also best of three, opens on Monday with the Raiders visiting either Myrtle Beach or James Island at 6:30 p.m. Laurens hosts the second game on Wednesday, also at 6:30.

Decision time is approaching. What’s next? Do I keep doing it the way I am now? Do I amend this site? Do I continue to concentrate on local sports coverage, or do I change my priorities?

I’m thinking. I’m thinking.

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