BAMBERG - Head coach David Horton does not need a crystal ball to know what plans Johnsonville has for his Bamberg-Ehrhardt team at 5 p.m. today in the Class A Lower State title game.

In fact, it can be summed up in three words - returning the favor.

Both teams were in the same position last year, only the Flashes held the upper hand against the Red Raiders. Not only did Johnsonville hold home-field advantage, but the Red Raiders needed to win twice to claim their second Lower State final in three years.

Undaunted by the odds, B-E proceeded to pound out two, 10-run victories (15-4, 14-4) to win its second Lower State championship in three years.

This time around, the roles are reversed with the Red Raiders looking to avoid a repeat of history at their expense at David Horton Field.

“We won those two games (last year), so the kids should know that anything can happen and they can turn around and beat us two games just as well,” Horton said. “I would think they remember what happened last year and the scenario that we were in and they know that we’ve got to stay focused and that was a good game that we had the other night and (Johnsonville) played well.”

Just four days earlier, Johnsonville gave B-E its toughest playoff game so far. The Flashes jumped out to a 4-0 lead, only to have the Red Raiders rally from behind twice to take a 11-7 victory.

Don Sandifer, who has eight home runs and 31 RBIS on the year, keyed the comeback with a grand slam in the bottom of the second. He’s driven in eight RBIs in B-E’s last two playoff games and Horton called him the team’s top post-season hitter.

Sandifer’s RBI production has also been aided by the top of the lineup’s ability to reach base. Against a Johnsonville team which played on Wednesday (a 5-4 win over Lamar) and will probably have all pitching arms available for the first game, getting to the Flashes’ bullpen could provide an advantage should the Red Raiders have to play a second game.

Horton, however, thinks otherwise and he’s yet to determine whether he’ll start Sandifer, Zack Godley or Justin Callahan.

“They’ve got lots of pitching left because they haven’t pitched any one pitcher for any great length of time,” he said. “So they’ve got most of the pitches left with lots of innings left, so they should have great pitching left.”

The winner will start a best-of-three series at either Upper State champion Chesterfield or Dixie.

SCISAA finals set

Bowman Academy and Calhoun Academy will start its SCISAA best-of-three Class A and 2-A finals on Monday.

Calhoun Academy will play host to Williamsburg Academy at 7 p.m. in Game One of the Class 2-A final, with Game Two taking place in St. Matthews and Game Three (if necessary) at Wilson Hall in Sumter.

Bowman Academy will open the Class A final at home against defending champion Laurens Academy in a rematch of last year’s championship. Game Two will take place in Laurens, with Game Three scheduled at an undetermined neutral site.

T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

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