By MONTE DUTTON

BATESBURG-LEESVILE – Following the destruction of the reigning Class 2A baseball champions on Saturday evening, Clinton (28-3) is one win away, on Wednesday back in the Red Devils’ home valley, with three days’ rest, against one of two teams it has defeated, by a combined score of 21-1, in the past three nights, from the Upstate title.

Got it? A fan couldn’t get those kinds of odds in Las Vegas. Or even in his phone. (Of course, we’ll have none of this balderdash among the innocent minds of youth.)

The Red Devils played their best game of the season to date, at least from among the many I have seen.

Clinton humbled Batesburg-Leesville, 11-0. The Red Devils bunted and bashed, made all the plays and dazzled the Panthers’ batters with their pitching artistry. They had as many heroes as Greek mythology.

Everybody was somebody.

At the plate, Clinton, all righties, produced a triple and three home runs, four stolen bases, five walks, two sacrifices and a hit batter. No telling how many times head coach Peyton Spangler, coaching at third, ordered them to flash a bunt and pull it back. Twenty-five, maybe?

“We knew their pitching goal was to keep us off balance,” said Spangler. “The fake bunt and bunt-and-run were designed to make them attack us, and we were able to make better swings.”

The effect was gradually to drive a really good team, Batesburg-Leesville (19-9), batty, which was ironic because what looked like bats were swooping and flitting about like fighter jets at an air show. In the heat of the afternoon! Turns out they were starlings, who get ornery during games because they nest in the dugouts.

After the teams played a tense, scoreless two innings, the Red Devils scored in crooked numbers of 2, 2, 2, 3 and 2 the rest of the way.  Arlington, Va., has in its possession the zip code of 22232.

Let’s turn to the heroes. It’s getting late.

Graydon Watkins, who began the game in center field and finished it in left, went 3/4 with a triple and a home run, three runs scored and three driven in. Camden Finley and Luke Young, who began the game as the battery, each homered. None of the three bombs was a cheapie. Young’s looked like Scottie Scheffler hit it.

“I knew his (Knox Bouknight) heater wasn’t going to beat me. I was sticking my approach to up the middle, right back at the pitcher,” Young said. “He threw me a fastball middle away. You take a good swing, good things happen.”

Camden Finley, No. 1 in roster and hearts, 3/4 with a bat in his hands, pitched five innings, surrendering a mere two hits, hitting a batter and walking another. He fanned seven. Jaydon Glenn then made the short stroll over from third base to stop the Panthers for the final two frames.

Batesburg-Leesville never had more than one man on base. Clinton turned three double plays.

On Monday, Batesburg-Leesville is to play Chesnee (22-11) in an elimination game. The Red Devils await the winner

Peyton Spangler and his dad, motivation maestro Tommy, are now yanking bank on the team’s reins, knowing that dreams of a state championship are dancing like sugar plums in their heads.

The coaches will have none of that. They are watching closely to make sure the caps aren’t tightening up on big heads.

Too soon, lads.

“We’re in a good spot,” said Peyton Spangler. “The first game (Wednesday) is obviously the biggest game of the year because it’s the next one.”

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