VARSITY BASEBALL
East Clarendon High School
South Florence typically has all the answers at home, but on Friday East Clarendon proved too difficult a challenge. They came out on top against the Bruins by a score of 5-2. That’s two games straight that the Wolverines have won by exactly three runs.
Blease Hardy spent all seven innings on the mound, and it’s clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on four hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent : he hasn’t given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Dawson Beard, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Kenley Sullivan also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
East Clarendon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .543. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as South Florence only posted an OBP of .296.
East Clarendon is on a roll lately: they’ve won eight of their last nine matches. That’s provided a massive bump to their 8-4 record this season. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 8.78 hits in those games compared to only 4.67 in the others. South Florence’s loss dropped their record down to 8-5.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. East Clarendon will face off against Kingstree at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Kingstree has struggled to contain batters this season (they’ve allowed 15.17 runs per game on average), something East Clarendon will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for South Florence, they will square off against Crestwood at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. South Florence is facing Crestwood at the right time seeing as Crestwood is stuck on a nine-game losing streak.
Manning High School
Manning waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They never let the Kingstree Blazers get on the board and left with a 15-0 win. That’s the second time they’ve managed to beat them this season, as they also won 18-2 last Tuesday.
Manning’s victory bumped their record up to 4-6. As for Kingstree, their defeat was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 0-6.
Coming up, Manning will host Mullins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Manning is facing Mullins at the right time seeing as Mullins is stuck on an 11-game losing streak. As for Kingstree, they are taking a road trip to face off against East Clarendon at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Kingstree will need to watch out since East Clarendon has now posted at least ten runs in their last three games.
Laurence Manning Academy
There’s no place like home for Laurence Manning Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road on March 8th. They put the hurt on the Orangeburg Prep Indians with a sharp 8-2 win on Thursday. The Swampcats have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Indians, too. Laurence Manning Academy pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Orangeburg Prep, they moved to 11-2 with that defeat, which also ended their seven-game winning streak.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Laurence Manning Academy will take on First Baptist School at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. As for Orangeburg Prep, they will welcome Colleton Prep Academy at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Colleton Prep Academy has struggled to contain batters this season (they’ve allowed 9.18 runs per game on average), something Orangeburg Prep will no doubt try to take advantage of.
VARSITY SOFTBALL
Laurence Manning Academy
Laurence Manning Academy entered their tilt with Colleton Prep Academy on Friday with eight consecutive wins, and they’ll enter their next game with nine. They never let the War Hawks get on the board and left with a 12-0 win. That’s the second time they’ve managed to beat them this season, as they also won 13-0 on March 12th.
Laurence Manning Academy’s victory was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-1. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Colleton Prep Academy, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-9.
Looking ahead, Laurence Manning Academy will head out on the road to face off against John Paul II at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Colleton Prep Academy, they will challenge St. John’s Christian Academy at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Manning High School
Manning won the last time they faced Kingstree and things went their way on Thursday too. Manning put the hurt on Kingstree with a sharp 17-4 victory. That 13 run margin sets a new team best for the Monarchs this season.
The win made it two in a row for Manning and bumps their season record up to 3-1. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 7 runs in those games. As for Kingstree, they are on an eight-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-6.
Looking ahead, Manning will challenge Mullins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Kingstree, they will head out on the road to face off against East Clarendon at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
East Clarendon High School
East Clarendon lost against Laurence Manning Academy last Thursday, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. East Clarendon came up short against Laurence Manning Academy, falling 10-2.
East Clarendon’s defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Laurence Manning Academy, the win was the eighth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 11-1.
East Clarendon and Laurence Manning Academy should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps South Carolina Rankings. East Clarendon will take on Kingstree at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday up 155 places (39 vs. 194). Meanwhile, Laurence Manning Academy (ranked tenth) will meet Colleton Prep Academy (ranked 122nd) at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
VARISTY SOCCER
Manning High School
Manning was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their eighth straight defeat. They lost 19-0 to the West Ashley Wildcats. While losing is never fun, Manning can’t take it too hard given the team’s big disadvantage in MaxPreps’ South Carolina soccer rankings (they are ranked 158th, while West Ashley are ranked third).
Manning’s loss dropped their record down to 0-8. As for West Ashley, they have been performing well recently as they’ve won five of their last six contests. That’s provided a nice bump to their 9-3-1 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Manning will square off against Sumter at 6:00 p.m. on April 3. As for West Ashley, they will challenge Summerville at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
East Clarendon High School
East Clarendon lost to Timberland on March 1st, but they didn’t allow them the same satisfaction on Thursday. While the 0-0 score might suggest a draw, it was East Clarendon who was credited with the win. East Clarendon got it done in the shootout by posting three goals to the Timberland Wolves’ two. Winning may never get old, but East Clarendon sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
East Clarendon’s victory bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Timberland, they have been struggling recently as they’ve lost four of their last five matches. That’s put a noticeable dent in their 5-5 record this season.
East Clarendon will head out on the road to challenge Wilson Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. As for Timberland, they have already played their next contest, a 3-0 win against Calhoun County on the 28th.
VARSITY LACROSSE
LAURENCE MANNING ACADEMY
Laurence Manning Academy’s lacrosse team went 1-1 last week, edging Camden Military Academy 10-8 on Monday before falling in a hard-fought 5-4 double-overtime loss to Spring Valley on Friday.
Against Camden Military, the Swampcats overcame a slow offensive start and late-game adversity, holding off a six-man attack while down three players to secure the win. Hunter Stanfield led the offense with three goals and an assist, while Camdyn Stickler added two goals and three assists. Jackson Timmons dominated the faceoff circle, winning 13 of 18, including two crucial wins in the final minutes.
On Friday, Laurence Manning battled Spring Valley into a second overtime before surrendering the game-winner with 43 seconds left. Coleman Elmore scored all four goals for the Swampcats, while Timmons went 9-for-10 on faceoffs. Phoenix Tisdale recorded 14 saves in goal, backed by a strong defensive effort from Gavin Brown, Noah Tucker and Cade Hodge.
