David Horton’s smile lit up the night on that Friday last May.

On the field at Lexington High School, he just couldn’t hold it in. With a 7-0 win over Chesterfield, his Bamberg-Ehrhardt Red Raiders had just wrapped up the Class A state title. For Horton, it was the 14th baseball title he had led the school to, a state and national record. As the coach posed with his grandson and players that night he took time to field questions from the media. One of the most asked: Was he coming back?

Answer: Horton’s Red Raiders’ team is 4-2 in 2009.

“I’m doing OK,” Horton said Saturday. “So far, I’ve been very well pleased with the number of players that did not play last year that are starting to do a little better and play better. There was a lot of anxiety coming back because we didn’t have a lot of depth. We are having to use some of last year’s JV team, and the others that were on the team that didn’t play a whole lot. But, I’m interested to see what they will do and how they will come off.”

The Red Raiders have been perfect since losses to Cheraw and Bishop England in a preseason baseball tournament in Myrtle Beach.

The hitting has yet to come around, but the pitching has been there. Last year’s T&D All-Area Player of the Year Don Sandifer struck out 10 to pick up a win over Wade Hampton Tuesday. On Thursday, Zack Godley, an All-Area first-teamer last season, struck out 15 in a 7-1 win over Lake Marion.

“They have done very well, and probably a little bit better than what they were doing last year,” Horton said of his pitchers. “They are throwing the ball really well, and most impressive probably has been their ability to throw strikes. Zack walked one man in the seven innings he pitched against Lake Marion and Don didn’t walk many more (against Wade Hampton).”

B-E will try to continue its success this week with a matchup against Bethune-Bowman Tuesday and a home game against Branchville Friday that Horton called “a big region contest.”

Good start for OPS

The week was good to the Orangeburg Prep Indians’ athletic programs.

The OPS Lady Indians’ softball team began the regular season with games against Holly Hill Academy, the defending SCISA Class 2-A state champion, and Colleton Prep. a perennial contender for the Class 2-A title. Two up, two down.

On Thursday, OPS outlasted the Lady Raiders, winning 3-2 in eight innings. OPS was led by eighth-grader Julia Bonnette, who picked up the win after striking out eight batters. On Friday, OPS hammered Colleton Prep 9-0 in Walterboro. Barkley Stoudenmire led the OPS offense, going a combined 5-for-9 at the plate in the wins.

The OPS baseball team pulled off a 2-1 win over rival and defending Class 2-A baseball state champion Calhoun Academy, thanks in large part to Thomas Plumb, who pitched five innings and scored the game-winning run.

The OPS golf team — led by a 37 for A.J. Andrews and rounds of 41 from Ford Blanchard, Trey Watford and Cody Roberts — defeated Calhoun Academy 152-180.

The OPS soccer team is off to a 3-0 start to the season with a 4-2 win over Swansea, a 2-0 win over Porter Gaud Thursday and an 11-1 win over Calhoun Academy Saturday. Chris Williams scored six goals on the week to lead OPS.

And, the OPS boys’ track team took first in a meet at Porter Gaud while the girls took second.

HHA off to a hot start

Despite the loss to OPS, the Lady Raiders (5-1, 1-0) are looking like a definite Class 2-A title contender again this year.

HHA opened the week with a 15-3 win over Calhoun Academy before dropping the eight-inning game to OPS. They rebounded with a 3-1 win over Thomas Sumter Friday. Katie Carpenter, last season’s T&D player of the year, had a double and two RBIs in the win over CA and scored both of the Lady Raiders’ runs in the loss to OPS. Carpenter improved to 4-1 on the mound with eight strikeouts, allowing just one hit, against Thomas Sumter.

Names and Games

Baseball

Tyler Crook — Dorchester Academy — Had the game-winning hit for DA in its 2-1 win over rival Colleton Prep.

Brant Bonnette — Jefferson Davis Academy — Bonnette struck out 15 in his team’s 13-4 win over AJA.

Zack Brownlee — Holly Hill Academy — Brownlee picked up two saves on the week and was 4-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs in an 8-2 win over Clarendon Hall.

Chase Ridgeway — Orangeburg Christian — Had five steals in an 11-0 win over Victory Christian.

— — — — —

Softball

Kayse Sheetz — Edisto — Struck out nine in a 6-1 win over Pelion.

Anna Salley — Edisto — Went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in a 6-1 win over Pelion.

Hailey Carson — Edisto — Went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a steal in a 6-1 win over Pelion.

Avery Owens — Jefferson Davis Academy — Went 5-for-5 with two home runs and a double in a 17-5 win over AJA.

Roxanne Morgan — Jefferson Davis Academy — Went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs in a 17-5 win over AJA.

-- T&D Sports Editor Brian Linder can be reached via e-mail at blinder@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5553. Check out his blog, Welcome to Linderland, at www.thetandd.com.

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