By MONTE DUTTON

Clinton High’s baseball team ransacked the Low Country as if led by Francis Marion, not Peyton Spangler.

In three games at the Hanahan Invitational, the Red Devils cleaned out Hickory Grove Christian, Berkeley and Bishop England by a combined score of 25-10. Berkeley won the 5A state title last year.

On Wednesday night, Tanner Finley, who had earned a save the night before, pitched four innings, allowing one hit and one walk. He struck out three. Zack Lawson retired the Battling Bishops in order to end the game via a 10-run rule. The score was 10-0.

On the offensive side, it was quite the team effort. The first eight batters in the Red Devil order had a single apiece. Six of them scored at least a run. Six of them drove in at least a run.

Only three of the 10 runs charged losing pitcher Jackson Radcliffe were earned. The first batter in the bottom of the first inning, John Carr, had the only hit of the night for Bishop England (8-7).

Angel Vargas and Talan Campbell each drove in two runs for Clinton (14-2), which returns to Region 3-2A next Tuesday at Fairfield Central.

Brian Ebeling drove in four runs with a single, a double and a triple, and Philip Simmons (14-3) outslugged Laurens (4-14) by a score of 12-10 on Wednesday night.

All 10 of the Raiders’ hits were singles. Nine LDHS batters had them; only Logan Bragg had two. Laurens led, 9-4, after three innings, but the Iron Horses scored five runs in the fourth and three in the fifth.

Ebeling was also the winning pitcher, hurling the last three innings. Hunter Richardson took the loss.

Excepting three forfeits over Southside, the Raiders have dropped eight straight games.

Sophomore Katie Peeler delivered a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh inning to score A.B. Cipalla from first base as Furman rallied to down Presbyterian 7-6, and earn a doubleheader split with the Blue Hose Tuesday afternoon at Pepsi Stadium in Greenville. Presbyterian earned a 5-1 victory in game one.

Ansley Chiang drew a four-pitch walk to put the tying run on base to begin the bottom of the seventh. After she swiped second and Duncan notched a strikeout for the first out of the frame, Cipalla singled to right field to plate Chiang with the tying run. Duncan got Embler to fly out to right field, but Peeler followed by lacing the first pitch she saw into the left-center field gap to drive on Cipalla with the winning run.

The victory marked the first collegiate win for freshman Jamison Noonan (1-9). Duncan (8-12) absorbed the loss for PC after giving up seven runs on eight hits over 6-2/3 innings in the circle. Hali Duke, Avery Robinson, Darby, and Arnette each collected two hits apiece for the Blue Hose.

Presbyterian took a 5-1 victory in the opening game of the day behind a stellar effort in the circle from Robinson. She held Furman to one run on seven hits over seven innings to improve to 6-6 on the season. Robinson did not allow a walk while fanning six Paladins.

After Furman grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Embler’s RBI double into the right-center field gap, Robinson put up six straight scoreless frame. Her offense got to work by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. The Blue Hose loaded the bases with two outs and Audrey Burton gave PC a 2-1 lead on a single to left field.

In the top of the sixth inning, Presbyterian opened the frame with four consecutive hits, including a two-run single from Morgan Farthing, to push the margin to 5-1.

Embler (5-10) took the loss for Furman, allowing five runs on 10 hits over seven innings. Cipalla went 2/3 at the plate to lead the Paladins in game one.

Furman (7-31) returns to Southern Conference play on Saturday when it opens a three-game series at Mercer. Presbyterian (15-25) goes back to the Big South, visiting Gardner-Webb for a single game Friday and a Saturday doubleheader.

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