Lakeside falls to Starr's Mill

A Columbia County baseball dynasty skidded to a halt Tuesday.

//

Augusta Christian dropped the deciding game of its first round SCISA AAA playoff series with Robert E. Lee Academy, 12-0. The loss ended the Lions' streak of three consecutive SCISA state championships and dropped their final record to a surprising 13-15.

"I just felt like we weren't ready to play for whatever reason," Lions coach Craig Johnson said. "We were flat."

Senior Tyler Bourdo started on the mound for the Lions and struggled with his command during his final game. The Cavaliers tagged the Lions left-hander for three runs in the second and five in the third.

The Cavaliers launched three home runs and Bourdo hit two batters in the top of the third before giving way to Jackson Whitley.

Johnson said he told his team after the game that it was a season of missed opportunities. The coach loaded the early part of the Lions' schedule with South Carolina public schools in hopes to better prepare for the SCISA schedule. But Augusta Christian struggled with its consistency in the field. And its bats went cold at inopportune times, like Tuesday.

Johnson felt his team should have wrapped it up in the series' first day. The Lions won the first game 15-6, but then fell 7-4 in the nightcap.

"Leaving 11 guys in scoring position and losing by three runs -- we shouldn't have been in position to play game 3," Johnson said.

Last team standing

Greenbrier High School's boys soccer team is the last area public school squad standing after it survived a physical match to beat Woodward 4-1 in the second round of the Class AAAA state playoffs.

Well, almost standing.

Wolfpack defender Clay Carswell reportedly left the game with a gash in his forehead, only to return later with butterfly bandages in place. The wound wouldn't stay closed, and Carswell required 18 stitches.

Greenbrier traveled to play Southeast Whitfield on Friday in the quarterfinals.

Evans' boys were sent home by No. 5 Whitewater after a 1-0 second-round loss. Greenbrier's girls lost 3-2 to Woodward in the second round after twice holding the lead during the match.

Lakeside girls fell to Starr's Mill, and the Panthers boys lost to Starr's Mill 4-0 in the second round.

The Inbox

An e-mailer this week wished to congratulate Greenbrier's Justin Thigpen, who hit his first home run as a member of the Wolfpack. The solo shot came during the fifth inning of the Wolfpack's 8-3 win against Ware County.

Gators pitcher Jed Thigpen served up the pitch. No word on whether the two are related.