GREENWOOD – Richard Winn’s boys picked up their seventh win in a row with a blowout win at Cambridge Academy on Monday.
Miller Stuck (11) | Photos: Laura Bonds
Lawson Wade picked up his tenth double-double of the season,
leading the Eagles with 26 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Drew Spires
chipped in 17 points along with five rebounds. Freshman Charlie Bonds also had
a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The win comes on the heels of a 71-48 win at Anderson
Christian last Friday.
Wade had 26 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Junior Miller Stuck had 16 points and give assists. Rob Wilson put in 9 points.
He also had eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Spires had eight
points and two blocked shots.
The Eagle girls had Friday night off as Anderson Christian does not have a girls’ team. They returned to the court Monday in Greenwood, looking to piggyback off of their win against Oconee Christian the previous Monday.
Brinson Baker (2)
Cambridge led 15-6 after a quarter and extended the lead to
31-14 by the half. Richard Winn held the Cougar offense to only 18 points in
the third and fourth quarters.
Despite outscoring Cambridge in the second half, the
first-half deficit was too much to overcome and the Eagles dropped the game
49-37.
Abby Lewis and Brinson Baker combined for 21 of the Eagles’
23 points in the second half with scores. Lewis and Baker each had 12 points on
the night, all from behind the arc.
Both Eagle teams faced King Academy on Wednesday in their
final home game of the regular season, but scores were not available at press
time. King handed the Richard Winn boys’ their only conference loss of the
season in January, holding the Eagles to only 27 points. A win over King would
clinch a conference title for the Eagles.
Up next, the Eagles will play in the SCISA A Region 4
conference tournament this weekend. Seeding was not available at press time.
Friday’s games at Laurens Academy will feature four games: seeds 3v6 and seeds
4v5. Saturday’s games at Richard Winn will feature seeds 1 and 2 against the
winners of Friday’s games. Winners will advance to a region tournament
championship game on Monday at Newberry Academy.
The Eagles then will await playoff brackets. The SCISA state
tournament is set to begin Feb. 17.
RWA 71, Anderson 48
RWA: Wade 26, Stuck 16, Wilson
9, Spires 8, C. Bonds 7, Caulder 3, B. Nicholson 2.
RWA 86, Cambridge 30
RWA: Wade 26, Spires 17, C.
Bonds 11, Stuck 8, T. Bonds 6, Smith 4, Chaisson 4, Wilson 3, B. Nicholson 3,
K. Nicholson 3, Caulder 1.
CAMBRIDGE 49, RWA 37
CA – 15-16-8-10 – 49
RWA – 6-8-9-14 – 37
RWA: Lewis 12, Baker 12, Brigman 7, Young 4, Steed 2.
Blythewood has outscored their World Series opponents 50-4 in only four games. | Photos: Contributed
LUMBERTON, NC – After a scary first inning in their opening game of the Dixie Youth World Series, South Carolina’s AAA All-Star team, formerly Blythewood All-Stars, showed up in a big way.
The SC All-Stars took the field on Saturday against
Louisiana to open the World Series and worked a quick three-up, three-down in
the top of the first.
Batting second in the line-up, first baseman Walker
Blackwelder stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the frame with one out. On
a 1-0 count, everything changed for Blackwelder. The next pitch hit him in the
eye, fracturing multiple bones and leaving him with a concussion.
After six months of dedication with a World Series title in mind and years working together as a team to get to this point, Blackwelder’s injury was a heartbreaking loss for him and the team.
Earlier this summer in the first game of the South Carolina
tournament, Carter McCune, the team’s starting catcher was too sick to play and
Blackwelder helped fill the void left by McCune. This time, it was
Blackwelder’s void that was left to be filled.
And if they lacked any motivation, their devotion to
Blackwelder and to each other may be what pushed them over the top.
As of late Wednesday, the team remains as the only
undefeated team in the Division 1 AAA World Series and have outscored their
opponents 50-4 in just a four-game stretch.
They’ll square off with Alabama tomorrow in the World Series
title game at 10 a.m. Follow along at
jockjive.com or on Game Changer (Blythewood Minors All Stars).
Blythewood 12, Louisiana 2
After Blackwelder’s injury, Blythewood went three-and-out.
Louisiana remained scoreless through two, but Blythewood lit it up in the
second inning.
Pierce O’Donnell doubled to lead off. A Dayton Wilburn bunt put runners on first and third with no outs. Carter McCune doubled on a hard grounder to left, scoring one. With one out, Cam Lloyd homered on a 1-0 pitch to put SC up 4-0.
Camron Lloyd with his home run ball.
Tyler Vincent, Skyler Cruz, and Greyson Von Plinsky followed
with singles to load the bases. A failed squeeze bunt gave SC their second out,
but Ryan Bottar was hit by a pitch to score Cruz from third. Another single
scored SC’s sixth run, then a triple line drive to left off the bat of Waters
put SC up 9-0 before ending the inning.
Louisiana added one run in the third, but Blythewood
responded with three more in the bottom of the inning to lead 12-1.
No match for the SC team, Louisiana took the 2-12 loss and
moved to the elimination bracket. SC advanced to round two against Mississippi
on Sunday.
O’Donnell worked 2.2 innings on the mound. He walked two,
struck out one, and allowed only one hit and one run. Lloyd pitched 1.1
innings. He struck out two, walked one and allowed one run.
Still reeling from their opening round win, Blythewood shut
out Mississippi in Sunday’s game with a 15-0 final.
Blythewood put up five runs in the top of the first and left
Mississippi stranded with two runners on, unable to answer the 5-0 lead.
The All-Stars added three more in the second, five in the third and two in the fourth to hold off Mississippi for the 15-0 win.
Wilburn, Jacob Waters, and McCune all had multiple RBI
games. O’Donnell, Dinkins, Lloyd, Lucas Baker and Landon Gilchrist all tallied
an RBI reach.
Jacob Waters with his home run ball.
Waters homered in the win. Gilchrist had a triple, and
McCune, Wilburn and McCune had doubles.
Waters got the start and win. He pitched four innings,
struck out four, walked one and allowed only four hits.
With their second win, Blythewood had Monday off while
elimination games continued. When they returned to the field Tuesday to take on
Alabama, they were ready.
Another day, another big first inning of playing loose put
the SC All-Stars in good position against the Alabama All-Star squad.
Up 4-0, Blythewood plated four more runs in the top of the
third to extend their lead 8-0. Alabama added one in the bottom of the third to
chip away at the lead, but Blythewood shut out all prospects in the top of the
fourth.
The added four more to go up 12-1 and held Alabama scoreless
to end their third game in a row early with the mercy rule.
O’Donnell returned to the mound. He allowed three hits, one
run, walked one and struck out two in three innings. Vincent closed out the
game in the fourth.
Gilchrist, Waters, O’Donnell, and McCune all had multi-hit
games again. O’Donnell and Gilchrist both doubled in the win.
Wednesday’s late afternoon game against Virginia followed
the same pattern. Blythewood took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first,
but Virginia responded quickly with one run in the bottom of the first.
With their closest lead so far in the World Series,
Blythewood heated up the bats and went to work. The SC team added two runs in
the second, two in the third, and two in the fourth to hold an 8-1 lead heading
into the fifth.
They added three insurance runs in the top of the sixth and
held Virginia scoreless to take the 11-1 win.
Fifteen hits in the game were spread among Gilchrist,
Bottar, Waters, O’Donnell, Wilburn, McCune, Lloyd, who doubled in the win, Vincent
and Von Plinsky.
Wilburn got the win on the mound. He threw two innings,
allowing one run on two hits. He walked one and struck out two. Lloyd faced 11
batters in 2.2 innings. He allowed only one hit and struck out two. Dinkins
closed out the game on the mound.
The win advances Blythewood to the title game against Alabama at 10 a.m. Follow along at jockjive.com or on Game Changer (Blythewood Minors All Stars).
Blythewood’s 10U Minor All Stars are now South Carolina’s team and will represent SC at the DYB World Series starting Aug. 6.
BLYTHEWOOD – The final leg of their road to a Dixie Youth World Series title starts on Saturday, Aug. 6 in Lumberton, North Carolina. The community is invited to officially send off the Blythewood turned South Carolina All Stars on Thursday, Aug. 4 at 5:45 p.m. at Blythewood Town Hall.
In an interview with The Voice on July 27, head coach Marshall Dinkins talked about how special the team’s support from the community has been.
“We’ve had a huge outpouring of love and support. It means so much to all of us,” he said. “That’s what’s so special about this team – all of these kids are homegrown.”
The 10U team of Lucas Baker, Walker Blackwelder, Ryan Bottar, Skyler Cruz, Cooper Dinkins, Camron Lloyd, Carter McCune, Pierce O’Donnell, Tyler Vincent, Greyson Von Plinsky, Jacob Waters and Dayton Wilburn will have their final practice in Blythewood following the send-off. They will head to Lumberton on Friday morning.
Town Hall is located at 121 Langford Rd., Blythewood.
The team is coached by Marshall Dinkins. Dinkins is assisted by Justin Blackwelder, and Matt O’Donnell.
The team is fund raising to offset costs for the trip. Donations are accepted through Go Fund Me, or you can contact Savannah Wilburn (915-345-6619) to donate with cash or check.
Follow the team’s journey on Facebook (Blythewood Youth Baseball Softball League) or watch a livestream on Gamechanger (Blythewood Minors All Stars). The tournament runs Aug. 6 – 11.
HOPKINS – Westwood and Blythewood competed in Lower Richland’s second annual Diamond Hornet 7-on-7 Shootout on Thursday, June 30. Westwood is set to open their 2022 football season at Spring Valley on August 19. Blythewood will play at Ridge View on Aug. 19.
WINNSBORO – Those crisp new jerseys, cleats and gloves have officially been broken in as Fairfield County Recreation’s spring baseball and softball season began this week.
Drawdy Park was packed on Monday’s opening night as the Rec featured t-ball games spread through the park’s three fields.
The league’s older teams opened their seasons on Tuesday, and t-ball was back in action on Wednesday.
BLYTHEWOOD – It was opening day for the Blythewood Youth Baseball and Softball League on Saturday at the Blythewood Park.
The Rookie Ball Division opened play between the Red Sox and the Twins. The Twins took home the win and all was good with the handshake following the game.
The Fairfield Central boys team at the state meet.
COLUMBIA – In no surprising feat, senior Griffin Joshua Mosley crossed the finish line first for Fairfield Central last Friday at the South Carolina High School League’s 3A State meet. Mosley finished in ninth place for an All-State (top 10) finish with a time of 17:24.63.
Joshua Mosley | Photos: James Witherspoon
Hank White
Eighth grader Nygel Woodard finished second for the Griffins
and in 43rd place of the 113 runners with an 18:42.99 finish. Freshman Hank
White followed in 68th place at 19:27.98. Eighth grader Sidney Wilson and
sophomore Rylan Woodard also finished under 20 minutes. Wilson finished at
19:47.31 for 78th place, a personal best, and Woodard finished at 19:56.34 for
the 80 spot. Sophomore Malachi Woodard
rounded out the Griffins’ times at 21:07.48.
Mosley’s experience combined with tenaciousness of young talent catapulted the Griffins into their first region finish in program history this year.
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Parks and Recreation soccer players battle in Oct. 7 games at Drawdy Park. Pictured above are 8-12 year old players and below are 4-7 year old players.
Larry Perry played shortstop for the SC Braves. | Martha Ladd
WINNSBORO – Fairfield Central recently announced that alum Larry Perry will be the next head baseball coach for the Griffins.
“Coach Perry comes to us with a wealth of baseball
knowledge,” Fairfield Central’s announcement said.
Perry
Perry, a 2007 graduate, was a baseball standout for the Griffins and played travel ball with the SC Braves, a team loaded with Midlands baseball talent. The Braves played in USSSA and Triple Crown tournaments.
After high school, Perry played for two seasons at USC
Sumter before moving on to finish his collegiate career as a USC Beaufort Sand
Shark.
In his final year as a USCS Fire Ant, Perry batted .351 in
49 games played. He had 53 hits, 10 doubles, three home runs and 31 RBIs in 151
at bats. Perry’s fielding percentage was .957 with 27 putouts, 52 assists and
only 4 errors, helping the team to a 47-7 record.
In the 2010 season at USCB, Perry was named 2nd Team
All-Conference. Perry’s statistics remain in the record books at USCB. His
single-season batting average of .392 and 53 runs are each sixth best in school
history. Perry is one of only three Sand Sharks to hit two triples in a game.
Perry’s on-base percentage of .422 remains in the top 15 of USCB players. He is
third-best in single-season stolen bases with 21. His 29 career stolen bases at
USCB is sixth best in program history.
Perry returned to Winnsboro and has worked as an Athletic
Specialist with the Fairfield County Parks and Recreation Department.
“This is truly a blessing,” Perry said in a statement on
Facebook. “Dr. Swilley and Coach Roach thank you for the opportunity, it feels
good to be home!”
BLYTHEWOOD – The South Carolina Women’s Open is set to
return to Cobblestone Park Golf Course in Blythewood in just two short weeks,
Aug. 12 – 15.
The four-day tournament kicks off with the Pro-am on Aug.
12. Open to men and women, the teams will be comprised of four amateurs and one
professional. The cost is $150 per amateur or $600 per team.
The morning will begin with an 11 a.m. LPGA clinic, followed
by a boxed lunch and the pro-am tournament at 1 p.m. There will be on-course
prizes, beverages, a silent auction and an awards ceremony and music by Keith
Burns, founding member of the Grammy-nominated ACM & AMA award-winning,
platinum-selling group Trick Pony.
The Womens SC Golf Association’s Senior Professional and
Amateur tournament will be Aug. 13-14, and the Open Professional and Amateur
Tournament will be Aug 13-15.
The tournament will shift its focus off of golf on Aug. 13
for a Friday night concert at the Palmetto Citizens Amphitheater in Doko
Meadows Park. The free event will feature Keith Burns of Trick Pony. Robbie
Cockrell and Mason Horne will open for Burns.
Gates will open at 6 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. VIP
Meet and Greet tickets are available at $50.
For more information on the four-day event or to register
for the Pro-Am, visit www.southcarolinawomensopen.com.
