By MONTE DUTTON

Clinton High School’s baseball team needed to step up the competition in preparation for the Class 2A playoffs. The Red Devils found a bridge too far to cross on Monday when 4A power Fountain Inn came to town and left with a 7-0 victory.

It was a typical Clinton game in reverse. Fountain Inn (23-2) just drew steadily away. The Red Devil defense hiccupped in the third inning, spotting the Fury three runs. Fountain Inn added two in the fourth, one in the fifth and one in the seventh.

The loss ended a 12-game winning streak for the Red Devils.

Clinton (21-3) put seven on base – two hits, two hit batters, three walks — but only twice did the Red Devils occupy a base with less than two out.

Lefthander Parker Davis went 5-2/3 innings on the mound, striking out 11. Fifty-nine of his 86 pitches found the strike zone.

Clinton’s three pitchers – Camden Finley (L), Isaac Cain and Tanner Finley – were less efficient, dotting the zone with 85/156.

Dominick Stopa, Davis and Dee Suber each had two of the Fury’s eight hits. Stopa and Suber doubled.

Camden Finley and Talan Campbell had the two Clinton hits, both singles.

The third inning started innocently enough. Camden Finley fanned Suber and Crayton Bagwell but walked Stopa and Daniel Rentz in between. Then Carter Kelly walked to load the bases. Finley hit Mason Guion, scoring Stopa. Davis flied to shallow left field, but Angel Vargas muffed it, and two more runs scored.

Strom Thurmond visits Clinton on Tuesday at 6:30, followed by Gaffney on Wednesday at the same time.

Laurens Academy (10-5) picked up a road win in Ehrhardt, defeating Andrew Jackson Academy (7-5), 6-4. The Crusaders and Warriors are playing again at LA on Tuesday at 6.

Riley Whittaker’s bases-clearing triple in the fourth inning helped LA overcome a 3-1 deficit.

Wren (18-6, 10-2 Region 1-4A) defeated Laurens, (5-19, 5-7), 5-1, in spite of being outhit, 7-3.

All seven of the Raiders’ hits – Noah Hughes and Ke’Allen Blackwell each had two – were singles. Wren’s Ty Davis drove in two runs without benefit of a hit.

Radford (21-19, 9-10) won its Big South series at Presbyterian College by outslugging the Blue Hose, 10-6, on Sunday.

Presbyterian (10-35, 6-12) got a homer and a triple from Bo Moody.

Right fielder Brooks Simpson was 5/5 with a double, a homer and four RBI for the Highlanders.

PC swaps dates in a three-game series versus The Citadel, playing the Bulldogs on Friday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (1) in Clinton and Saturday in Charleston (4).

Another bridge too far was in Roebuck where region champion Clinton (8-3) fell to Class 5A Dorman, 5-1, in boys’ tennis. The Red Devils open the A/2A/3A playoffs on Tuesday at home against Broome at 5 p.m.

# 1 Singles   Matthew King lost to Will Hatchett  7 – 7, 4 – 6, (10 – 5)

# 2 Singles    Edwin Orr lost to Corban Punch  6 – 4, 6 – 1

# 3 Singles    Jacob King defeated Eli Viery  7 – 5, 6 – 3

# 4 Singles    Jake Meyerholtz lost to Clay Ollinger  6 – 0, 6 – 1

# 5 Singles    Cooper Stinson lost to Van Eschembuck  6 – 0, 6 – 2

# 1 Doubles     DID  NOT  PLAY

# 2 Doubles    Malakye Brewer & Ethan Wargo lost to
Grayson Shusher & Jake Ovseck   6 – 0, 6 – 0

Clinton High School has scheduled its Athletics Awards Night for Tuesday, May 19, at 6 p.m. in the main gym.

Latest phrase I could do without: “writ large.”

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