Here we are. The final week of the high school baseball regular season. The crazy rush of giving myself a wicked headache trying to figure out region scenarios has now given way to an even crazier rush – trying to figure out the playoff bracket before all of the region finishing orders and seeding are set and before the SCHSL releases the finished brackets this weekend.
Luckily for you I have it (mostly) figured out. We will get to that later, but first, let’s run over what happened as far as regions being clinched and tiebreaker games this week went.
Region 2-2A is no longer a bejumbled mess. St. Joe’s officially clinched the region championship as expected via a 15-0 shutout win over Greer Middle College, leaving for the tie between Landrum and Blacksburg for 2nd. The Cardinals and Wildcats squared off last night at Broome in a neutral site tiebreaker game. With a home game to open the playoffs on the line and two teams that were clicking down the stretch, this was bound to be a fun game. Both teams started their aces. For Landrum, that was the flame throwing fastball/changeup guy in Jesse Bowers. Blacksburg went with Lucas Earls, who has a filthy curveball and slider combo and can get a lot of swings and misses when his command is on point.
Earls did have his stuff going for him early on, as he worked around a 1 out single with back to back strikeouts. He was still effective in the 2nd inning pitching around a pair of E6’s (one fielding error and 1 throwing error on the shortstop) and a fielders choice. His command dropped off hard in the 3rd inning as he gave up a leadoff single, consecutive stolen bases, a walk, and a 1 out throwing error on the shortstop (his 3rd error of the game) to plate the tying run unearned. He rebounded with a K before being yanked after 2.2 innings. From there, it became a bullpen battle.
Jesse Bowers would end up going 4 innings, surrendering just 1 run on 5 hits. It was Wesley Shipman who turned in another rough outing. He took the loss after 4 innings where he gave up 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits with 4 walks and just 1 K. To his defense, it really was not entirely Wesley’s fault he took the loss. Landrum had plenty of opportunities and just could not come through in the clutch except for in the late going.
The Cardinals left 15 on base in the game. In the bottom of the 7th inning, they had the bases loaded and nobody out with the tying and winning run in scoring position when Kirby Gentry laced a single down the left field line that was cut off in the corner by the left fielder. The tying run scored while the winning run was gunned out at the plate 7-6-2. Landrum had 2 more chances to get the winning run in with 2 on still. But ended up leaving them out there. In the 8th inning, the Cardinals once again had the bases loaded with 1 out and a run already in, trailing 5-4. Caleb Emory came to the plate ad grounded sharply up the middle. You have to tip the cap to what happened next. Blacksburg’s shortstop had committed 3 errors early in the game. But, he redeemed himself nicely in one play as he fielded the ball cleanly and stepped on 2nd and made the peg to 1st for a game ending 6-3 double play.
Blacksburg won it 5-4 to take the #2 seed while Landrum now locks up the #3.
Chesnee, with their win last Friday over Landrum, locked up the 4 seed.
In another long neutral site tiebreaker game played at Woodruff on Tuesday night, Clinton defeated Chapman in 11 innings to claim the region 3-3A championship. They were deadlocked at 2 heading to the 11th when the Red Devils struck for a 4 spot to take the 6-2 victory. As heartbreaking as it is if you are Chapman, there is a postive in it all. You will still have a home game to open the playoffs as the #2 seed. Broome is locked in as the 3 seed and Union County will be the 4.
The annual City Rivalry series was this week between the Spartanburg Vikings and Dorman Cavaliers. Dorman came into the series needing to win just 1 to lock up the region championship, while any hopes of reclaiming the top spot for Spartanburg was heavily contingent on sweeping Dorman. That is not an easy task to do. It is especially tough when you are struggling as hard as the Vikings have these last couple of weeks. Dorman ultimately sealed the deal and won the region 2-5A crown by taking the series opener in 8 innings Tuesday night by a final of 3-2.
Dorman swept the series with a 6-3 win Friday night. In a short turnaround, the Vikings won their makeup game with Byrnes on Saturday 17-12.
With that win, it forced a 3 way tie between Byrnes, Spartanburg, and Riverside for 2nd place. In the tie breaker, Riverside claimed the 2 seed, Spartanburg the 3, and Byrnes the 4.
Boiling Springs has now locked up the 2 seed from region 3-5A after taking the series from Fort Mill last week and have now taken their final region series from Nation Ford, going for the sweep Friday night.
Gaffney is eliminated from playoff contention after getting swept by Fort Mill.
Greer also was eliminated from contention for the 4 seed in region 2-4A last Friday after failing to sweep Greenwood. (But still did a phenomenal job of turning things around to make a push. You hate to miss the playoffs, but you can’t be too upset at the fight and the momentum you now have going to next year).
Here is the upperstate playoff round 1 matchups as things stand right now (with 5A really still being the one that will take until the last minute to settle):
2A district 1:
May 3rd, 2022
Abbeville hosts Chesnee.
Winner takes on winner of Region 4 seed #4 at Batesburg-Leesville on the 5th.
2A district 2:
May 3rd, 2022
Gray Collegiate hosts Region 4 seed #6 (2A has an uneven number of schools, and thus the bracket works out weird).
Winner takes on winner of Crescent at Blacksburg on the 5th.
2A district 3:
May 3rd, 2022
Christ Church at St. Joe’s
Winner takes on winner of Saluda at Ninety-Six on the 5th.
2A district 4:
May 3rd, 2022
At-large bid at Chesterfield
Winner takes on winner of Landrum at Newberry on the 5th.
3A district 1:
May 3rd, 2022
Lower Richland at Seneca
Winner takes on winner of Palmetto at Broome on the 5th.
3A district 2:
May 3rd, 2022
Union at Powdersville
Winner takes on winner of Belton Honea Path at Chester on the 5th.
3A district 3:
May 3rd, 2022
Berea at Clinton
Winner takes on winner of Fairfield Central at Pendleton on the 5th.
3A district 4:
May 3rd, 2022
Daniel at Mid Carolina
Winner takes on winner of Blue Ridge at Chapman on the 5th.
5A district 1:
May 3rd, 2022
2-5A #4 (could be Spartanburg, Byrnes, or Riverside) at either TL Hanna or JL Mann
Winner takes on winner of Northwestern at Boiling Springs on the 5th.
5A district 2:
May 3rd, 2022
Mauldin at Dorman
Winner takes on winner of either Fort Mill or Nation Ford at Spring Valley on the 5th.
5A district 3:
May 3rd, 2022
Rock Hill at Clover
Winner takes on winner of Region 2 #3 (could be Spartanburg, Riverside, or Byrnes) at either TL Hanna or JL Mann on the 5th.
5A district 4:
May 3rd, 2022
Either Nation Ford or Fort Mill at Blythewood
Winner takes on winner of Mauldin at Region 2 #2 (Could be Spartanburg, Byrnes, or Riverside) on the 5th.
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