With the Bulldogs season on the line down one run with two outs and a strike against her in the top of the seventh inning Boiling Springs' Abbie Threatt hit a homerun over the right centerfield wall to tie the game before the Bulldogs were able to grab a 5-2 victory over Easley in extra innings allowing the Bulldogs to advance in the 5A District III playoffs.
"That was a great win and the softball gods seemed to be with us tonight," said Bulldogs head coach Randy Piazza. "Abbie got the pitch she was looking for and she put it over the wall." Boiling Springs fell behind in the second inning when Easley's Olivia Durham reached base on a walk before later coming around to score to give the Green Wave a 1-0 lead. In the top of the fourth inning the Bulldogs Ragan Bristol reached base on a single but ended up at third on a hustle play after an errant throw by an Easley defender. Bre McAbee came on to run for Bristol and scored on the next at-bat when Grace McKinney grounded out to the shortstop tying the game at 1-1. In the top of the fifth inning Easley took the lead back Addison Pitts reached base on a Bulldogs error before coming around to score on a groundout to shortstop by Durham after advancing to third on a Taylor Crews single. In the bottom of the sixth inning the Green Wave were looking to add another run to their lead but a great diving catch by Bulldogs Alexis McFalls at second base and an on target throw to shortstop Jaycie Osment turned an unusual double play sending the Bulldogs to the top of the seventh inning only trailing by one run. After Threatt was able to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning Boiling Springs pitcher Olivia Hall was able to shut down a two out rally by the Green Wave in the bottom of the inning by striking out the final batter of the inning and sending the game into extra innings. In the eighth inning both teams got a runner on but neither were able to bring the runner home so the game moved into the ninth inning with the international tiebreaker rule that puts the final out of the previous inning at second base to start the inning. In the top of the ninth inning the Bulldogs started with McAbee at second base when McKinney hit the ball to shortstop and the fielder threw the ball to third base barely getting McAbee for the first out of the inning. McKinney moved up to second base on the next at-bat but came around to score to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead when Hall hit a double to the left field wall. Hall came around to score on the next at-bat as Threatt got her second RBI of the game on a single to left field before moving up to second base herself on a stolen base. Threatt made the score 5-2 when Hailey Owens hit a double to right centerfield and giving the Bulldogs a three run lead heading into the bottom half of the inning. "When you put hits together like that you have to be proud of your team," said Coach Piazza. "The girls were determined to get this victory and didn't let our early struggles bother them. We made some mistakes early but we got some great plays from them late and were able to get the victory." In the bottom half of the inning the Bulldogs didn't allow the Green Wave runner to advance off second base as all three hits that Easley managed didn't leave the infield. With the victory the Bulldogs will now travel to a familiar foe as they return to Fort Mill on Wednesday night for a chance to play in the Upper State round of the playoffs. The Bulldogs will have to defeat the Yellow Jackets twice to advance. The first game will start at 5:30 PM. "Fort Mill is good program but we wanted to go back there because we didn't have a good showing up there last time," said Coach Piazza. "We're a better team than we showed and we wanted to get another chance." On Friday night the Boiling Springs offense was unable to get anything going as Fort Mill pitcher and College of Charleston commit Payton Lemire pitched a no-hitter on the way to a 6-0 victory in the second round of the 5A District playoffs.
The Yellow Jackets got on the board in the bottom of the first inning with two outs when Emma Tisdale singled home both Lemire and Reagan Smith to give Fort Mill an early 2-0 lead. Fort Mill added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when Aleah Roy singled home Emily Harris and Brynn Bartolini singled home Ava Balsinger to give the Yellow Jackets a 4-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets still had bases loaded in the fifth inning with one out but the Bulldogs infield defense turned a great double play as third baseman Grace McKinney threw the ball home to get the force out at home plate and then catcher Ragan Bristol's throw beat the Yellow Jackets batter to first baseman Hailey Owens. Fort Mill was able to add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as Smith and Balsinger both scored their second runs of the game to give the Yellow Jackets a 6-0 lead. The only blemishes on Lemire's pitching performance was in the top of the fifth inning when she hit Bulldogs batter Abbie Threatt with a pitch and in the top of the seventh inning when Bristol was able to reach base on a Yellow Jackets error. Boiling Springs will travel to Easley on Monday night to play the Green Wave in an elimination game while Fort Mill will wait to play the winner of that game on Wednesday night at Fort Mill. On Thursday night the Boiling Springs softball team started the first round of the 5A playoffs with a 3-2 win at Easley and extended their current winning streak to five games.
The Bulldogs didn't waste much time getting on the board Thursday night as they jumped out to an early lead in the top half of the first inning. Zoey Stewart started the game off with a single and was followed by Ragan Bristol who reached base on a walk. Grace McKinney reached base on a fielder's choice to third base that put Bre McAbee, who came on to run for Bristol, at second base and McKinney at first base before Breanna Stanley followed McKinney with a double to centerfield that scored both McAbee and McKinney to give the Bulldogs an early 2-0 lead. In the second inning the Bulldogs extended their lead as Hailey Owens led off the inning with a single and moved around to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Jaycie Osment and a single off the bat of Olivia Hall. Boiling Springs made the lead 3-0 when Owens scored on a fielder's choice by Stewart giving the Bulldogs a three run lead at the end of the second inning. Boiling Springs' pitching and defense kept the Green Wave's offense in check for most of the night minus the bottom of the fourth inning when they were able to score two runs on a single by Olivia Durham to put the Bulldogs lead at 3-2 after four innings. Bulldogs pitcher Olivia Hall had a good night from the pitching circle as she held the Green Wave to two runs on eight hits while striking out six. The offense was led by Breanna Stanley who went two for three at the plate with two RBIs. The Bulldogs will return to action on Friday night as they travel to Fort Mill at 7:00 PM for a winner's bracket game in the district round of the playoffs. With the playoffs starting on Thursday the Boiling Springs Bulldogs softball team knew that Tuesday night's game against Mauldin could effect their playoff destination and they took care of business by getting a 5-2 victory over the Mavericks while claiming third place in Region II-5A. The victory also gives the Bulldogs four straight wins to end the regular season.
"That was a great win," said Bulldogs head coach Randy Piazza. "It helped us in the playoffs and we finished the season on a winning streak." The Bulldogs on Monday night waited until the fourth inning to get their offense going against Dorman and they repeated that on Tuesday night against the Mavericks. In the top of the fourth inning the Bulldogs got their first runner on when Grace McKinney was hit by a pitch to give the Bulldogs their first leadoff batter to reach base. McKinney was followed by Breanna Stanley and AD Raines who both walked to load the bases for the Bulldogs. Abbie Threatt followed Raines by getting a bases loaded walk bringing home McKinney to give Boiling Springs a 1-0 lead. With the bases still loaded in the fourth inning Hailey Owens followed Threatt with a double to left centerfield bringing home Alexis McFalls, who was running for Stanley, and Raines to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead with no outs. Threatt scored on the next at-bat as Jaycie Osment grounded out to shortstop and Owens would score on an Olivia Hall hit to the pitcher to give the Bulldogs a 5-0 lead at the end of the fourth inning. "The fourth inning has been big for us the last two nights," said Coach Piazza. "I told the girls someone is waiting to take this game and we need to take it. They came out that inning and were patient at the plate allowing us to get the lead." Mauldin scored two runs in the sixth inning but that's all the Mavericks would be able to get in the game as Olivia Hall had a very impressive night from the pitching circle where she limited Mauldin to five hits while striking out eight batters. "Olivia has really pitched well," said Coach Piazza. "It seems like the last two nights when you needed the other team to be shut down she has responded and ended it." The Bulldogs are in a unique situation this year as they finished the regular season on Tuesday and will start the playoffs on Thursday which Coach Piazza thinks may benefit his team. "I think when you're playing well you're excited to get back to the next game," said Coach Piazza. "We were in a hitting slump before these last four games but now we're hitting the ball well and looking forward to the next game." With the Bulldogs finishing in third place they will travel to Easley on Thursday night who finished in second place in Region I-5A and defeated Laurens 5-4 in eight innings on Tuesday night. The Boiling Springs softball team used a big fourth inning to help lead them to a 5-3 win on the road at Dorman to win their third region game in a row on Monday night.
The Bulldogs got the scoring started in the fourth inning with two outs when Abbie Threatt doubled to left field scoring Alexis McFalls and AD Raines giving Boiling Springs a 2-0 lead. Threatt later came around to score on a Dorman error that also allowed Hailey Owens to reach base making the score 3-0. After Owens reached base on the error Jaycie Osment reached on a walk and was followed by Olivia Hall who singled to left field to load the bases before Owens would make the score 4-0 when she scored on a Zoey Stewart walk. Dorman scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning as Lath Freeman led off the inning with a homerun to left field and Grace Lee later scored on a Caroline Darwin single to centerfield to make the Boiling Springs lead 4-2 after four innings. The Cavaliers got the game to 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Kasey Wolfe scored on a Freeman groundout to second base. Boiling Springs added to their lead in the top of the sixth inning when Hall, who had reached base on a single, scored on a single to centerfield by Ragan Bristol to give the Bulldogs a 5-3 lead. Olivia Hall went three for four at the plate while also having a good night pitching where she struck out four batters. The Bulldogs will return to action on Tuesday night as they travel to Mauldin for the final game of the regular season. On Monday night the Boiling Springs Lady Bulldogs soccer team sent out their five seniors with a victory as they defeated the Gaffney Indians 7-0 to improve to 9-4 in region play. The Bulldogs honored senior players Brooke Cash, Johanna Bravo, Taylor Wilson, Sereniti Austin, and Hailey Tuckmantel on Monday night.
"On senior night we have a lot of festivities and congratulations but we still have to play the game," said Bulldogs head coach Jonathan Burnett. "Kate got us started their early and the rest of the team followed suit. It was a good way to bounce back after the tough loss and get us ready for Riverside on Wednesday and for the playoffs next week." The Bulldogs got on the board early as Kate Johnson found the back of the net from just outside the left side of the penalty box to give Boiling Springs a 1-0 lead just four minutes into the game. Just four minutes later Bulldogs senior Brooke Cash, who scored two goals on the night, broke behind the Indians defense and found the top left corner of the net to put the Bulldogs lead at 2-0. "It feels really good to get the win here on senior night especially it being our last home game," said Cash. "I'm super proud of my team and since I've been playing defense most of the season it was nice to be able get two goals." The Bulldogs added another first half goal with just under thirteen minutes left in the half when senior Johanna Bravo knocked a header in on a corner kick to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead at the half. The third senior Bulldog got a goal just six minutes into the second half when Taylor Wilson found the bottom left corner of the net on a corner kick to put the Boiling Springs lead at 4-0. Cash would score her second goal of the game just eight minutes later when she raced down the right side line to get behind the Gaffney defense and give the Bulldogs a 5-0 lead. Boiling Springs scored their sixth goal of the night when Skylar Young got behind the Indians defense and found the center of the goal at the fifty-nine minute mark in the game. The Bulldogs added their final goal of the game with just over seventeen minutes left when Elainee Sprinkle headed a corner kick into the back of the net for a 7-0 lead. Coach Burnett said that this senior class has set the standard for what they told him they wanted this team to be when he took the job two years ago. "This senior class made very clear to me when I met them for the first time what their goals for Boiling Springs girls soccer were," said Coach Burnett. "For them to have laid the foundations for the changes they have done a great job of leaving a legacy that the girls coming after them will be able to build upon. They have started to change the culture of soccer here." The Bulldogs will finish out the regular season with a makeup game at Riverside before finding out who their opponent will be in the playoffs that start on Monday. The Boiling Springs Bulldogs girls soccer team finished a busy week of region play on Thursday night with a 1-0 loss to Dorman but the week was pretty successful as the Bulldogs finished the week with a 2-1 record with the regular season winding down. With the victory the Bulldogs improve their record to 3-1 since spring break.
"We talked last week about how important this week was going to be for us," said Bulldogs head coach Jonathan Burnett. "We put ourselves in position early in the week to have a really important game against Dorman." The Bulldogs started out the week by claiming a 4-3 victory over Byrnes on Monday night in a battle that was determined late by a goal from freshman Alaina Brown to break a 3-3 tie. In game two of the week the Bulldogs defeated Spartanburg 3-0 on Wednesday night as goalkeepers Cora Brendle and Rylen Owens along with the Boiling Springs defense didn't allow a Vikings goal. On Thursday night the Bulldogs walked on to the field with an opportunity to defeat a team that has given them problems over the years and they played like a team with something to prove throughout the match. The match was a back and forth affair throughout as both teams were tied 0-0 at the half. Dorman was able to find the goal in the last ten minutes of the game to grab a 1-0 lead after the Bulldogs went down a player at the seventy-minute mark in the game. "Our goalkeeping and defending was amazing and we had a few good opportunities on offense," said Coach Burnett. "The play was intense throughout and we went down a player due to a second yellow card and we knew it was going to be difficult. All credit to Dorman though because they took advantage of the opportunity." The Bulldogs despite the loss are still looking good for the playoffs as they go into a new week with more goals still yet to accomplish. "We have at least three games to play and we will be ready to be back at in on Monday," said Coach Burnett. "When the playoffs start it will be a whole new season and we will see where we are once that begins." The Bulldogs will honor their senior players on Monday at 7:00 for senior night as they host Gaffney in another region matchup. On Thursday night the Boiling Springs softball team honored senior softball players, Grace McKinney and Zoey Stewart, in their last regular season home game by sending them out with a 3-0 victory over region foe Dorman.
"This is the best way you could ever end senior night," said Bulldogs head coach Randy Piazza. "We told the girls you never know when it's going to be your last home game and they fought hard to get this win for our seniors." The Bulldogs and Cavaliers battled throughout the first two innings with neither team being able to put a run on the scoreboard but that changed in the bottom of the third inning. The inning got started when Jaycie Osment reached base on a bunt single and advanced to third on the next at-bat when Olivia Hall hit a double to left centerfield. Osment scored on a Ragan Bristol single to left field to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. With Breanna Stanley at-bat Breanna McAbee, who had came on to run for Hall, scored the second run for the Bulldogs on a Cavaliers wild pitch. Stanley would follow the wild pitch with a single to left field scoring Jacie Ross, who was pinch running for Bristol, to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead. "The girls were having fun tonight," said Coach Piazza. "They came into the game with the right mindset and performed well at the plate." While the Bulldogs were able to get the bats going they also played very good defense while getting an impressive pitching performance from Olivia Hall. Hall finished the night with a shutout while only allowing three hits and striking out six batters. "Olivia stayed solid and consistent tonight," said Coach Piazza. "She let her defense help her tonight and they stepped up in the field as well. She really pitched great tonight." The Bulldogs with the victory stay right in the middle of the region race for playoff positioning with two region games left in the season. "We've tried to really stress how important these region games are to the kids," said Coach Piazza. "This region is really tough this year and any team could beat another one on any given night." The Bulldogs will wrap up their regular season schedule with a game at Dorman on Monday and at Mauldin on Tuesday. On Thursday morning the Boiling Springs athletic department had fourteen students sign to play college athletics next season bringing the total of Bulldogs to commit to playing college athletics this season to twenty-nine athletes.
The college most recognized on Thursday was Erskine College as they had four Bulldogs commit to play at the school next season. Zach Baldinelli, a four year member of the Bulldogs varsity basketball team, committed to play basketball at Erskine next season. Baldinelli finished his Boiling Springs career with 1,090 points and was named to the North-South All-Start game as well as the Spartanburg County East-West All-Star game. He said that his commitment to Erskine had to do with the education at the school and familiarity with the coaching staff. "Erskine has great academics and a place that gives me an opportunity to play basketball," said Baldinelli. "I've known Coach Sartor for a long time and he sees me doing very well in the program there and so do I." Amaya Richardson also committed to Erskine College for basketball on Thursday. Richardson has been a starter for the girl's varsity basketball team for the past three years with the Bulldogs and was named All-Region in 2019. Richardson says that her commitment to Erskine was because of the feeling of familiarity she got when she was on the campus. "It just feels like where I should be," said Richardson. "I love the environment and it just feels like home." Chance Guest also committed to Erskine College as he committed to play football for a football team at Erskine that is restarting their program under head coach Shap Boyd. Guest was a two sport athlete at Boiling Springs where he started on both the football and basketball teams being named All-Region in football in 2019. He said that the campus and being a part of something new were two key factors in his decision. "It's a great campus and a great environment," said Guest. "They haven't had a team since 1954 and I'm looking forward to being part of growing the new program." Another Erskine college commitment was Jenna Varner who committed to play lacrosse next season. Varner has been a four year member of the lacrosse team where she led the team in goals this season. Varner reiterated the love of the campus her fellow commits expressed as well as her desire to play college lacrosse as reasons for her commitment on Thursday. "I've always wanted to play lacrosse in college and Erskine was my favorite option," said Varner. "I just really like the campus and the coaches down there." Trayson Fowler signed to continue his football career at Charleston Southern University next season. Fowler was a two-sport athlete at Boiling Springs starting in both basketball and football. Fowler played four different positions for the Bulldog football team (quarterback, linebacker, safety, and punter) but the most impressive may be at punter where he started or the first time this past season and averaged over forty-one yards a kick. He said that Charleston Southern just felt like the right place for him. "I went down there for a visit and it just felt right," said Fowler. "When I went down there I saw everything I wanted to see in a campus." Joining Fowler in the Charleston area will be cross country runner Kade Gosnell who committed to run cross country as well as track and field at the College of Charleston next season. Gosnell has ran track for the Bulldogs for the past six years while also running cross country for the last five years where he has accumulated numbers of accolades including winning this year's Spartanburg County Cross Country championship as well as being the 5A Upperstate champion. He finished runner up at the state championship in cross country this past season. He said that having former high school teammates already being a part of the team in Charleston was a factor in his decision. "Having some former Boiling Springs runners down there already it made the decision easier," said Gosnell. "With having former teammates there and the beach it just seemed like the right choice." Converse College picked up a commitment from the Bulldogs on Thursday as Grace McKinney elected to play college softball with the Valkyries. McKinney is a five year letterman for the Boiling Springs softball team where she named All-Region in 2017 and 2018. She said that the chance to be a part of a young program close to home were key factors in her decision. "It was really close to home and that was something I was looking at with my decision," said McKinney. "It's also a newer program and I was looking for somewhere I could make a big impact." The Boiling Springs baseball program had two commitments on Thursday as Dawson Taylor committed to play at North Greenville University and Nick Bailey committed to play at USC Union. Taylor is a four year starter for the Bulldogs and has been named All-Region the last three years. He said that the success of the program and a connection with some current players weighed on his decision. "Coach Powell is doing a really good job there and having some former teammates like John Michael there made it an easier decision," said Taylor. Bailey has been involved with the Bulldog baseball program for five years and said that USC-Union had the education he was looking for. "They were offering the classes I was looking for," said Bailey. "Getting to play baseball too was a big plus." Lander University also got two commitments from the Bulldogs on Thursday as both Sumner Bishop and Trenton Thomas both committed to play lacrosse for the Bearcats. Bishop was named to the All-Region team in lacrosse but also was named All-Region in football for his play on the Bulldogs offensive line. Thomas has been on the lacrosse team since seventh grade but also was a member of the Bulldogs football team. Both players said that the feel of the campus and getting to be a part of a new program were factors in their decision on Thursday. "I just really enjoyed the campus," said Bishop. "Also I'm getting the opportunity to be a part of the inaugural team." Thomas also reiterated that by saying, "I fell in love with the campus and knowing we're all going into a new program with a chance to win a job right away in a new program was key." The Boiling Springs soccer programs weren't left out on Thursday as Jonathan Niebles committed to play soccer at Spartanburg Methodist College while Brooke Cash committed to play soccer at Southern Wesleyan. Niebles has been a four year letterman for the Bulldogs and said that he felt Spartanburg Methodist was a good fit for him. "II thought it would be a really good place to be at for my first two years," said Niebles. "I know I will get a chance to play and only improve my soccer skills there." Brooke Cash is a four year letterman for the Bulldogs where she has served a captain the last two years while being named All-Region last season. Cash said that the campus and the people there were key to her decision. "I really enjoyed the campus and the coach is really great," said Cash. Jada Wilson a member of the Boiling Springs track and field team committed to continue her track career at North Greenville University next season. Wilson competes in the 100, 200, and 4x100 and has been a standout sprinter for the Bulldogs. Wilson also said that the familiarity of North Greenville was big in her decision. "It just felt like home," said Wilson. "Just the environment there makes you feel welcome." After having a tough night at the plate on Tuesday the Boiling Springs felt no lingering effects on Wednesday night as they defeated Spartanburg 15-0 in region play.
“We needed a game like tonight to get our confidence back,” said Boiling Springs head coach Randy Piazza. “I told the girls that hitting is contagious and we needed to hit with the schedule we have to finish out the season.” The Bulldogs got started at the plate in the first inning as AD Raines and Ragan Bristol started the game with back to back singles. Raines would score on a Breanna Stanley single to right field and Samy Quintero, who came on to run for Bristol, scored on a groundout by Kate Philbeck. The Bulldogs made the score 3-0 in the first inning when Stanley scored on a single by Zoey Stewart. After going scoreless in the second inning the Bulldogs made up for it over the next two innings as they scored twelve runs combined in the third and fourth innings. The third inning got started on a Grace McKinney single to right centerfield who was followed by Stanley who reached on an error allowing her to reach second base and McKinney to get to third base. McKinney scored on a Philbeck sacrifice fly and Stanley made the score 5-0 on a double by Stewart to left field. Stewart, Jaycie Osment, and Olivia Hall also scored in the third inning as the Bulldogs batted around the order to grab an 8-0 lead at the end of the third inning. The fourth inning started the same way as the third inning did as McKinney and Stanley both reached base with singles for the first of two hits for each in the inning. McKinney scored on a Philbeck single while Stanley and Philbeck would come around to score on a double by Stewart to give her four RBIs in the game. Osment followed Stewart by reaching base on a Vikings error and scored on a single by Hall. Following Hall was Jacie Ross who got a double in her first at-bat of the game to score Hall and put the Bulldogs lead at 13-0. Ross scored on a Raines single before Raines came around to score the last run of the game on a single by Stanley. Boiling Springs got a solid night at the plate from most of their lineup but was led by Zoey Stewart who went three for four at the plate with four RBIs and a run scored. The hitting performance of the team was a welcome sign for Coach Piazza in the midst of a busy few days for the Bulldogs. "Going into a big game tomorrow night I think tonight's performance will help with our mindset," said Coach Piazza. "We're playing three region games this week and then we have two next week. It's going to be a busy few days here to end the regular season." The Bulldogs will return to action on Thursday night when they host Dorman for senior night at 7:30 PM. |
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