Friday and Saturday were busy days for baseball and softball teams in The T&D Region involved in state championship chases.

In Class A Lower State varsity baseball SCHSL action, Bamberg-Ehrhardt defeated Green Sea-Floyds 5-1 on Saturday to move to a Monday 6 p.m. game against Johnsonville, a 15-3 winner over Lamar. Bamberg-Ehrhardt brings a 24-3 record to face a 24-1 Johnsonville team. Lamar will face Green Sea-Floyds.

In SCISAA Lower State championship play on Friday and Saturday, Class A’s Jefferson Davis Academy and Class AAA’s Orangburg prep both won on Friday to advance, but ultimately fell in the final game of the day.

In the B-E game, played in Nichols, the Red Raiders’ Don Sandifer picked up the win behind nine strikeouts and seven hits to run his record to 8-1 overall. Ross Nettles went 2-4, while Rob Wrightenberry went 1-4, driving in what proved to the winning run in the top of the seventh inning.

In the SCISAA games, JDA played at Oak Grove Park in Lexington. On Friday, they defeated Bowman Academy 14-0 and Faith Christian 11-6. In Game 1, Casey Owens picked up the win, allowing only two hits and striking out 10. Leading JDA at the plate were Roxanne Morgan and Kadijea Hallingquest, each 2-4, and Casey Owens and Avery Owens, each 2-3. In Game 2, Avery Owens picked up the win behind 12 strikeouts in eight innings. Casey Owens came on in relief in the fourth but was beaned by a line drive in the fifth, giving her a concussion. Avery Owens returned to finish the game and pick up the win. Morgan went 3-5 and Hallingquest was 2-5.

Saturday was a different story for JDA. They lost their first game to Wardlaw Academy 10-0, saddling Lacey Bowman with the loss. Game 2 was a better outcome, being a 13-3 victory for JDA. Avery Owens picked up the win behind nine strikeouts. Avery Owens and the returning Casey Owens each went 2-4, with Casey Owens having her first-ever over-the-fence home run. Dallas Hutto was 2-3 and Katherine Williams was 2-3.

In the state championship game, Wardlaw routed JDA 15-0.

Meanwhile, in the Class AAA series, played at Pine Grove Park in Lexington, OPS won Game 1 on Friday 9-1 over St. Joseph’s and lost 10-1 to Northwood Academy in Game 2. Julia Bonnette picked up the win in Game 1, with Bonnette, Kayla Mims and Charlsy Terry being leading hitters. Mims took the loss in Game 2, while Barkley Stoudenmire, Bonnette and Kayla Stephens led at the plate.

OPS bounced back Saturday, winning games 3 and 4 and dropping Game 5. In Game 3, Bonnette picked up the win in OPS’ 4-0 victory over Wilson Hall. Mims picked up her first home run, and Bonnette and Anna Nash added hits.

In Game 4, a 15-0 victory over St. Joseph’s. Mims gained the win, and Michelle Whitman led the team with two doubles.

In Game 5, Robert E. Lee Academy defeated OPS 6-5 to close the Lady Indians out to a fourth-place finish. OPS saddled Bonnette with the loss. Anna Nash, Stoudenmire and Bonnette led their team at the plate.

For the year, OPS finished at 18-9 overall. Bonnette was 10-4 as a pitcher, while Mims went 6-5.

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