<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4gOuGV_0sule8qp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4gOuGV_0sule8qp00" width="1617" height="1281" ><figcaption>Loris' Karley Hand completes a play in the team's district championship win over Camden on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (Photo by Mike Duprez/info@myhorrynews.com)</figcaption></figure>The Loris softball team had a dramatic Wednesday evening.But in the end, the Lions kept their grip and managed to walk away victorious.Haley Spence delivered a two-out walk-off double as the Lions claimed a wild 5-4 victory over Camden to wrap up the Lower District 3 championship.The Lions won after an incredible rally by the Bulldogs, who scored four runs with two outs to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning.“What can I say?” said Loris coach David Smith. “Was that not incredible? Clutch hits. Our defense. … Oh, my goodness.”Kennedi Kratzer, the No. 9 hitter, led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single up the middle and moved to second on Caitie Black’s sacrifice bunt. Kenzie McCoy hit a line drive that was snagged by Camden shortstop Jayden Kennedy, who made several big plays over the course of the game.Spence was up next and she blasted a line drive to the gap in left center as Kratzer raced home with the winning run.“I was just trying to help my team out so we didn’t have to go into extra innings,” Spence said.As Spence watched the flight of the ball, she knew.“I was like, ‘we just won,’ ‘’ Spence said. “I was excited.”So was everyone else.“I was elated, especially because Haley has for the last half of the year been on fire,” Smith said. “She’s hitting .500 for the season now. She has come through in big, after big, after big moments all year.”The Lions (23-6) won despite having two runners doubled off of second and two runners thrown out at third by rocket-armed Camden catcher Audri Phillips.“We hit the ball hard all night – just right at people,” Smith said. “We could have easily scored 5-6 more runs. Give them credit. They played great defense.”Camden tried hard to ruin the Lions’ night.The Lions were on the verge of closing the deal when Bellamie Gore, who had allowed two hits in six innings, retired the first two batters in the top of the seventh. It looked like the third out was coming but an error kept the Bulldogs alive.And then came the hits.The Bulldogs were down to their last strike three times. But they got a walk and two straight singles – the second one being an infield hit that drove in two runs and tied the game.Smith then brought in Karley Hand from second base to pitch. The Charleston Southern commit hit the first batter she faced to load the bases but got the next one to foul out, ending the inning.“It just takes a lot of, I guess, trying to stay sane while I’m on the mound, with batters on, tied game, last inning,” Hand said. “It takes a lot but I know I have my team behind me and I trust them. It’s not too bad.”It could have been even worse. Before the Bulldogs made their run, McCoy made a diving catch in center to rob Kennedy of a double.“That was huge,” Smith said.The Lions made other big plays throughout the game, including a diving catch by left fielder Caitie Black, who caught the ball with the crook of her right elbow after it skipped off her glove.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1mcEYZ_0sule8qp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1mcEYZ_0sule8qp00" width="1508" height="1374" ><figcaption>Caitie Black (Loris) makes a diving catch against Camden on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Photo by Mike Duprez/info@myhorrynews.com</figcaption></figure>Loris had numerous opportunities to score in the first three innings but Camden’s clutch plays on defense kept them off the board.The breakthrough finally happened in the fourth inning when Jessie Cartrette’s sacrifice bunt was mishandled and McCoy scored.Jaci Griffin, who hit a missile right at Kennedy that turned into a double play in her first at-bat, dumped a bloop single to left, scoring a second run.“This game is so random,” Griffin said. “Anything can happen. You just have to be ready.”Loris got another run on a wild pitch to lead 3-0.The Lions made it 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth when Griffin’s blooper was dropped by Kennedy in left field for an error.At the end of the day, it was the Lions posing for team pictures under the scoreboard after surviving what could have been a deflating experience.“I think that just shows how we play as a team,” Hand said. “We have grown up together. We know how to react to certain situations and with each other. I guess we just trust each other.”The Lions will begin Lower State tournament play on Friday.St. James softball clinches district title with win over West AshleyThere was never a doubt in Adam Jones’ mind that Raegan Tibbits was going to lock in and help lead her team to a win on Wednesday.The St. James softball head coach watched his sophomore pitcher dominate West Ashley in the District 8 finals, helping the Sharks to a 5-1 win that advanced them into the Lower State playoffs, which begin on Friday.Tibbits pitched another gem for St. James on Wednesday, working a complete-game win in front of a spirited home crowd.“It’s not surprising at all,” Jones said of Tibbits’ outing. “We put her in tough situations in practice, and that’s actually happened in games before. When she is confident, that goes to everyone else, too. She is confident in her defense, and they are confident in her. We know we’re going to score runs. Sometimes it takes us into the fifth and sixth innings, but we know we are going to score a lot of runs eventually.”West Ashley struck first on Wednesday after Tibbits surrendered a solo home run in the top of the second inning. Some might have sensed a momentum shift, but Jones had seen too many Tibbits outings this season to have any pause.His faith in his sophomore standout is unwavering, something that showed up again in the district finals. After the solo shot, Tibbits was nearly perfect, putting zeroes up on the scoreboard the rest of the night.Jones wasn’t shocked.The outing, he says, was simply a glimpse into the journey Tibbits has been on since her seventh-grade season.“It’s fun to watch kids grow in real time right before your eyes,” Jones said. “We have seen her grow, which is the reason we started her in the second half of the season when she was in seventh grade. We knew they would hit some home runs and [hit her] here and there, but we knew it would pay off in years two, three and four. So now, you’re able to watch the payoff. You see all the times that we made things hard for her, intentionally, and those tough situations, they are all starting to pay off.”On Tuesday, Tibbits received Region V-5A Pitcher of the Year and Region Player of the Year honors.Jones was named Region V-5A coach of the year.After the win, St. James enjoyed celebratory on-field popsicles as they prepared to visit Summerville — the District 7 champion — on Friday night.Tibbits talked after the win with her catcher Kaitlyn Elko and shortstop Callie Centracchio, all three keeping optimism along the way.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4K9J4i_0sule8qp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4K9J4i_0sule8qp00" width="1662" height="1247" ><figcaption>Raegan Tibbits (left), Kaitlyn Elko (center) and Callie Centracchio celebrate St. James softball's district championship win on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (Photo by Joe Wedra/joe.wedra@myhorrynews.com) By Joe Wedra joe.wedra@myhorrynews.com</figcaption></figure>Said Tibbits: “I feel like we have momentum and that we’re ready… we have worked so hard all year.”Elko agreed.“We’ve been working the past so many years for this, so we feel like this is our year,” the catcher added.Centracchio, who tied the game in the bottom of the third inning with a hard-hit RBI single, added some perspective. She remembered back to last season, when the Sharks won their region but were faced with a difficult matchup against Chapin, a team that ultimately knocked the Sharks out of the playoffs.This year, the shortstop says, feels different.“Last year with Chapin when we lost in the same position, I don’t think we were ready to go there,” Centracchio said. “But now, I think we’re very, very ready to go to Summerville.”Aynor softball clinches district titleSince the start of the postseason, things have been going swimmingly for the Aynor softball team.The Blue Jackets clinched a district championship on Wednesday with another dominant performance, knocking off Marlboro County, 10-0. Aynor kicked off the postseason with a 15-0 win over Philip Simmons last Wednesday. Then, on Friday, the team notched another 15-0 win over Marlboro County. In Wednesday's rematch in the district finals, the Blue Jackets had no issue keeping the shutout streak alive. Pitcher Alivia Hess was the difference-maker for Aynor, tossing all five innings and allowing just one hit. Hess shares innings with Aynor's primary starter, Maddie Johnson, in the circle. Johnson has received the most innings for the Blue Jackets this season with Hess' shift to third base following the graduation of Ryanne Ellis, but Hess proved on Wednesday night that she is able to very much still help make up the team's "two-headed monster", a label head coach Tony Mills enjoys using."Alivia has stepped up and moved over to third base and she's gotten a few less innings on the mound this year, but it's nice to know that when you do want to give a team a bit of a different look that you can," Mills said."Alivia had a lot of pop on the ball tonight. There was a lot of movement."Aynor will host either Dillon or Swansea on Friday. Those two teams are in the District 5 finals, the finish of which has been postponed to Thursday due to rain. Dillon currently holds a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.On Wednesday, it was announced that Johnson was named Region VII-3A Player of the Year."Even though we won the district, our team realizes there is a little bit of a bigger picture out there," Mills said. "We're glad to win the district, but they understand that there are some other goals that we have set."Wednesday’s Horry County playoff resultsSoftball5A SoftballNo. 1 St. James 5, No. 4 West Ashley 1No. 1 Berkeley 4, No. 2 Carolina Forest 03A SoftballNo. 1 Aynor 10, No. 2 Marlboro County 0No. 2 Loris 5, No. 1 Camden 41A SoftballNo. 2 Johnsonville 12, No. 4 Green Sea Floyds 2Thursday’s Horry County playoff schedule1A BaseballLower State Playoffs: Green Sea Floyds vs. Latta</div></body>

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Aynor, Loris, St. James softball win district championships

The Loris softball team had a dramatic Wednesday evening. But in the end, the Lions kept their grip and managed to walk away victorious. Haley Spence delivered a two-out walk-off double as the Lions claimed a wild 5-4 victory over Camden to wrap up the Lower District 3 championship. The...

Aynor, Loris, St. James softball win district championships

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