Playoffs set to begin for 9 area baseball and softball teams
Battery Creek didn’t get a whole lot of time last year to celebrate its first region softball title in 15 years.
A win over Wade Hampton to open the Class 2-A playoffs was doused when senior spark plug Tori Hill left nursing a knee injury. Lopsided losses to Andrews and Waccamaw followed, ending their season.
This time, the Dolphins seem equipped to stay around a little while.
After rolling through their region schedule by invoking the 10-run rule in every game, Battery Creek (16-3) returns as a No. 1 seed once again with perhaps an even keener eye on a district championship and one of the last four spots in the Class 2-A Lower State brackets.
The Dolphins carried a 16-game winning streak until Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Thomas Heyward, though they held the SCISA powerhouse to just five hits on the evening.
Now it’s on to the postseason, where the path even starts out similarly – with Wade Hampton again the opening opponent and Andrews a possible second-round matchup.
The Dolphins are one of nine area teams involved in the baseball and softball playoffs, which begin Thursday with five contests. Battery Creek and Whale Branch have teams alive in both sports, while Bluffton travels to West Florence for a Class 4-A softball opener.
Battery Creek’s baseball team opens its postseason at Edisto, while Whale Branch faces a tough task against top-seeded Barnwell. Whale Branch softball, the No. 2 seed behind the Dolphins in Region VI, is home against Silver Bluff.
Friday puts Class 3-A teams in the spotlight, though both Beaufort and Hilton Head Island have to send both of their teams on the road.
Gilbert is the destination for two games, as both Beaufort softball and Hilton Head Island baseball will make the trip to rural Lexington County. Beaufort baseball, meantime, travels to Airport and the Seahawks’ softballers visit Midland Valley.
Jeff Shain: 843-706-8123, @jeffshain
Thursday’s playoff schedule
Baseball
Battery Creek at Edisto, 6:30 p.m.
Whale Branch at Barnwell, 7 p.m.
Softball
Wade Hampton at Battery Creek, 6 p.m.
Bluffton at West Florence, 6 p.m.
Silver Bluff at Whale Branch, 6 p.m.
This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 12:50 AM with the headline "Playoffs set to begin for 9 area baseball and softball teams."