PREP BASEBALL

LUGOFF – It had to end like this; there was no other way than for South Florence pitcher Aydin Palmer to pump his fist after recording Friday’s game-ending strikeout.

It was Palmer’s 16th strikeout of the game, and that secured a 2-0 win at Lug off-Elgin in Friday’s third round of the SCHSL Class 4A playoffs.

“Going into the game, we just wanted to go right at them,” said Palmer, who set the school’s career strikeout record earlier this week after combining with Hunter McClary for a five-inning no-hitter. Palmer’s career strikeout total is now 365. “There was no backing down; we went right at them and set the tone.”

While Palmer accomplished feats like striking out seven consecutive batters, the Bruins (23-5) scored one in the third and another in the fifth.

“In a game like this, you’ve got to have those breaks,” said Kenny Gray, South Florence’s coach who equaled a career high for most wins in a season with 23 (he also won 23 as coach in 2021). “And we got those breaks tonight, so the sun shined on us today.”

Lugoff-Elgin got a hit off Palmer to start the bottom of the first and didn’t get another until the bottom of the seventh.

“I was not worried about (the lead-off single),” said Palmer, who even struck out 17 in the region opener against Hartsville. “He stayed down on the slider, and kudos to him. But after that, we got to cruising.”

Palmer’s performance then hit the fast lane with his seven strikeouts in a row, starting with the bottom of the first’s third out.

“We kind of figured out some sequences we needed to do,” Palmer said. “We went right at them. We didn’t back down. That’s the biggest thing, going right at them.”

South then scored that first run in the bottom of the third. Brayden Robinson started it with a walk before advancing to second on Chandler Thompson’s bunt to the pitcher. Robinson then stole third and reached home on an error.

In the fourth, Lugoff-Elgin’s Cobe Evans snapped Palmer’s seven-strikeout streak by flying out. A short time later, however, Palmer went on another run by striking out five of six batters.

“He’s made a career out of it,” Gray said. “(Palmer) went out there tonight and threw really well. He came out tonight and was focused. All of his pitches were working. The kid just had a great night on the mound.”

South added its insurance run during that top of the fifth after Noah Gause led off with a walk. Gause then stole second and third before scoring on Thompson’s second clutch sacrifice bunt.

Then came the bottom of the seventh.

The Demons, seeded first in the lower state while the Bruins are fifth, tried to make a charge. After Jay Bowling and Skiler Jackson singled to start the frame, Palmer ended it with three straight strikeouts.

After Palmer struck Logan Crain out swinging to end the game, the Bruins’ emotions overflowed — and of course, it centered around Palmer.

“I wasn’t worried about (the two hits that started the inning),” Palmer said. “They put some decent swings on us. We just went right at them with the fastball, and they couldn’t hit it. And we went out victorious.”

South remains undefeated in its double-elimination bracket. Now, the Bruins will take a week off before hosting this bracket’s final round this Friday. The champion of this bracket will play the other lower-state bracket’s champion in a best-of-three series after that for the overall lower-state title.

Then, that overall lower-state champ will play the overall upper-state champ in another best-of-three series — that time for the entire state crown.

“That puts us in a good spot right now, and we’ve just got to practice next week and get ready for Friday,” Gray said.