By MONTE DUTTON
One night after being shut out for the first time, Clinton High (22-3) was back to its devilish baseball ways on Tuesday when Strom Thurmond (3-18) came to visit.
Shortstop Logan Johnson went 3/3, scoring three times and driving in four runs as the Red Devils turned the Rebels’ trip from Johnston into a 16-1 whistlestop. Thurmond spent more time on the road than it did on the diamond.
Three other Clinton batters – center fielder Camden Finley, third baseman-pitcher Jaydon Glenn and left fielder Graydon Watkins – cracked two hits, not that there were many opportunities. The Red Devils hit .542 (13/24) as a team. The game ended with one out in the bottom of the fourth when Jaydon Glenn drove in the 16th run, giving the Red Devils a 15-run lead.
It was quite enough.
On March 10, Clinton defeated Strom Thurmond, 9-0.
With one out in the top of the second inning, Thurmond’s Knox Rauton hit a 3-1 pitch over the left-field fence. The Rebels’ catcher exuberantly circled the bases and touched off a celebration outside the dugout.
It was Thurmond’s only hit of the game.
In the bottom half, Clinton stretched the bounds of ways to score. Thurmond’s Tyler Grant hit Tanner Finley and William Addison. Watkins’ bunt single loaded the bases.
Owen Glenn singled. Talan Campbell reached on an error. Johnson singled to center. Camden Finley bunted for a base hit. Jaydon Glenn singled to left. Luke Young doubled to left. Tanner Finley sacrificed. Addison’s sacrifice fly to left drove courtesy runner Clayton Kyko home.
It was 9-1.
Zack Lawson and Jaydon Glenn handled the pitching chores with two innings apiece.
Grant took the loss.
Gaffney (6-15) visits on Wednesday (6:30 p.m.) for the final regular-season game. Clinton beat the Indians on their home field, 9-0, on April 22. A victory would be the Class 2A Red Devils’ 10th against schools from higher classifications.
Andrew Jackson Academy (8-6), which lost to Laurens Academy, 6-4, on Tuesday, bounced back to win, 7-5, on Wednesday.
The visiting team won both games.
Five fourth-inning runs doomed the Crusaders (10-6).
First baseman Walker Terry led the Warriors with a single, a double and four runs batted in. Winning pitcher Landon Johnson.
Ethan Collins, Evan Asalone and Caleb Hardy singled for LA. The Crusaders couldn’t fully capitalize on 12 bases on balls.
Wren’s Austin Vinson stopped Laurens on three hits over five inning as the Hurricanes defeated the Raiders (5-20, 5-8 Region 1-4A), 10-0, in Piedmont.
Wren (19-11, 10-2) produced a hit apiece from the first eight batters in its lineup and two from Tyler Youngblood at the bottom. Colton Motley drove in three runs.
Braden Yarbrough doubled for the Raiders, who also got hits from Logan Martin and William Nunley.
Thornwell (8-9) defeated Laurens Academy, 22-15, in softball on Monday.
The game had a wild ending. The Crusaders scored eight runs in the top of the sixth inning to pull within a run, but the Saints answered with six runs in the bottom half. Then LA (3-10) went down in order in the seventh.
Lexi Hazel had three hits for Thornwell, which was recipient of 14 walks.
Clinton opened the A/2A/3A boys’ tennis playoffs with a 6-0 victory over Broome on Tuesday.
The Red Devils, who host Belton-Honea Path on Thursday at 5 p.m.
# 1 Singles Matthew King defeated Mario Garcia 6 – 0, 6 – 0
# 2 Singles Edwin Orr defeated Brody Lamb 6 – 0, 6 – 0
# 3 Singles Jacob King defeated Cage Allison 6 – 0, 6 – 0
# 4 Singles Jake Meyerholtz defeated Sam Fowler 6 – 0, 6 – 0
# 5 Singles Cooper Stinson defeated Rhyder Sullivan 6 – 7, 6 – 3, (10 – 6)
# 1 Doubles (not contested)
# 2 Doubles Malakye Brewer & Ethan Wargo defeated Jonah Moore & Harrison Wilson 6 – 3, 2 – 6, (10 – 6)
Clinton’s softball game at Chapman was canceled.
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