By Thomas Grant Jr.
The post-season is in full swing for Northeast teams.
While Blythewood teams in baseball, softball and soccer await their opening opponents in the S.C. High School League playoffs, SCISA school Cardinal Newman is one game away from reaching its final.
The Cardinals will play host to Pinewood Prep in the Class 4A Lower State double-elimination final on Wednesday. Should Cardinal Newman win, it will open a Best-of-Three final series Monday against the Upper State champion.
If the Cardinals lose Wednesday, it will face the Swampcats again Thursday to determine the Lower State champion.
Cardinal Newman is 2-0 in the post-season with dominating wins over Wilson Hall and Ben Lippen each by an 11-1 score.
Against the Falcons, Easton Ferrell hit a grand slam in the second inning.
S.C. HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE
After dominating opponents for most of the season, Blythewood saw its 21-game winning streak end in dramatic fashion.
They led Lexington 2-1 after a 2-run homer by Chance Johnson. In the bottom 7th, the Wildcats loaded the bases and Allen Hagler cleared them with a walk off grand slam for the 5-2 victory.
Despite the loss, the Bengals finished the regular season ranked third in the S.C. Baseball Coaches Association Class 5A Division I rankings. They open the playoffs as a second seed in the Upper State District Two and will play host to the Mauldin/Rock Hill Best-of-Three series winner on Saturday.
The same bracket saw Spring Valley lose 6-5 to Spartanburg Monday in Game One of a Best-of-Three play-in series. It played host to Game Two Wednesday with Game Three, if necessary, on Friday in Spartanburg.
The winner will also play Saturday against third seed Boiling Springs.
In Upper State District One, Ridge View dropped Game One 12-2 to J.F. Byrnes on Monday and looked to stay alive at home Wednesday. The series winner gets fourth seed J.L. Mann.
A year after winning the program’s first-ever playoff game and series, Westwood returned to the Class 5A Division II playoffs. It opened a Best-of-Three play-in series Monday at St. James with a 15-0 loss in three innings.
The RedHawks played host to Game Two Wednesday looking to force a deciding game Friday at the Rebels. The series winner gets fourth seed West Florence.
S.C. BASEBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION POLL
CLASS 5A DIVISION I
1. Dorman, 2. James Island, 3. Blythewood, 4. Boiling Springs, 5. Carolina Forest, 6. J.L. Mann, 7. Stratford, 8. J.F. Byrnes, 9. Summerville, 10. Sumter
SOCCER
After an 18-1-1 regular season and going undefeated in Region 5-5A, the Blythewood boys soccer team are the top seed in Class 5A Division I Upper State.
Riding a 17-game undefeated streak, the Bengals will play host Saturday the winner of Wednesday’s first-round matchup between Spring Valley and Wade Hampton.
A five-match winning streak to close out Region 3-4A earned second place for Richland Northeast. It opened the Class 4A playoffs at home Wednesday against Lancaster.
The Lady Bengals of Blythewood are also a second seed in Class 5A Division I. They open play Friday at home and will face Tuesday’s winner between Spring Valley and Dutch Fork.
In Class 5A Division I, Westwood traveled to Lugoff-Elgin on Tuesday. The winner visits Lucy Beckham on Friday.
In SCISA, Cardinal Newman girls defeated Hilton Head Christian 3-1 Monday to advance to the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs. The Lady Cardinals will play host to either Pinewood Prep or Hammond School Wednesday.
The Cardinal Newman boys had a first-round bye and will play host to either Ben Lippen or Camden Military School Thursday.
SOFTBALL
Finishing the season with back-to-back 7-0 wins over Ridge View helped Blythewood finish second in Region 5-5A.
The Lady Bengals will open play Wednesday at home against Spring Valley. An 8-run first inning propelled the Lady Vikings to a 9-2 win over J.L. Mann on Monday.
Amaya Hundley and Riley Ropel both went 2-4 with an RBI to get the victory for Mollie Lankford. The Lady Vikings have lost the last 18 meetings to Blythewood dating back to 2018.
In Division II District Three Lower State, Westwood allowed two runs by Chapin in the Bottom 6th in a 9-8 loss that ended its season.
(photos by Cardinal Newman High School)
