By MONTE DUTTON

A remarkable facet of baseball is how often lifelong fans, veterans of thousands of games, see things they have never seen before.

Naturally, on Wednesday night in the bottom of the sixth inning at Clinton High School, a full moon hung high above center field, the Red Devils and Gaffney tied, 13-13. Camden Finley was on third base and Jaydon Glenn on first with one out. Luke Young was standing at the plate. The count was 2-1.

Young swung under Sam Smith’s pitch, but he swung mightily. My first thought was that the ball might hit that full moon, which was and is 238,000 miles away. Actually, the ball may have reached a height of 250 feet, but the Indians’ second baseman, Reed Smith, didn’t come close to catching it.

What proved the winning run in Clinton’s 16-13 victory wasn’t a sacrifice fly. The infield fly rule was not in effect. Jaydon Glenn was forced out at second base. Young’s game-winning RBI was a fielder’s choice. As our president might say, it was a fielder’s choice “like no one has ever seen.”

Clinton’s final regular-season game, which established a school record for victories, was closer to Goofy Golf than the Masters. Four different Red Devils had three hits. Clinton (23-3) had 18 hits. Clinton also had five errors. Gaffney’s first five runs were unearned. Fifteen of the Red Devils’ 16 were earned.

Gaffney, at various times, led 4-0, 5-4, 8-6 and 13-12. Nineteen players batted for the two teams. Sixteen reached base. Eight pitched.

In fairness, the Red Devils are banged up. The playoffs begin next Tuesday. Clinton, which is 10-2 against foes classified higher than its 2A, blanked 5A Gaffney, 9-0, a week earlier.

The teams combined to bat 13 times. At least one run scored in nine of them. A crucial exception was the top of the seventh, when Jaydon Glenn, after hitting the first batter, retired the remaining three.

Everyone exhaled.

All but one of Clinton’s nine batters secured hits. Six laced extra-base hits. First baseman William Addison homered. Camden Finley doubled twice and stole two bases. The Red Devils amassed 18 hits in 34 at-bats (.529). Oprah Winfrey couldn’t have handed out so many hits. Camden Finley, Tanner Finley, Jaydon Glenn and Addison each had three. Graydon Watkins and Owen Glenn each had two.

Both Finleys scored three runs. Watkins drove in three.

Jace Bradbury had three hits for Gaffney (6-16). Ethan Harvey homered, scored three runs and drove in four.

Imagine “Animal House” as a ballgame. It wasn’t over till they said it was.

The Presbyterian Blue Hose won the Big South Championship after defeating High Point in the semifinals (3-2) and USC Upstate (3-2) in the finals to win the program’s first Big South title. Junior Spence Hagood won both clinching matches at Fripp Island.

The Blue Hose have earned the Big South automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Tournament field will be announced on Wednesday, May 6, at 2 p.m. on the Golf Channel.

Presbyterian won the program’s first Big South title, beating USC Upstate, 3-2, in the finals. Presbyterian’s James Rhodes put the first point on the board, winning his match, 6 & 5. USC Upstate tied the score at one, winning 6 & 5 in the second match. The Blue Hose took a 2-1 lead after Jeep Patrick won his match, 3 & 1. USC Upstate tied the match at two. Then, Presbyterian’s Hagood clinched the title for the Blue Hose by winning on the 20^th hole (the second hole of the playoff).

Patrick was the conference Player of the Year. Thomas Addison was the top coach.

Center fielder Lucas Benes went 4/5 and drove in three runs, leading Brashier Middle College (12-7) past Thornwell (10-11), 13-5.

Bryce English went 3/4 for the Saints.

The Bengals scored at least once in six of the seven innings.

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Most of my books are available at Amazon. Two of my novels, Cowboys Come Home and Lightning in a Bottle, are available in audio versions.