The baseball and softball season is almost complete, and the playoff picture is starting to form for teams around Lexington County after another week of action on the diamond.

The race for the 5A Region 4 baseball title is heating up with four teams within one game of each other at the top of the standings.

Lexington has the most wins, sitting at 6-3 in the region this year with series wins against River Bluff and White Knoll but with a loss to Chapin. The Wildcats swept White Knoll in three games last week, including two at home.

Chapin is the only team in the conference yet to lose a series. The Eagles beat Lexington and Dutch Fork two games to one to sit at 4-2 in the region.

Dutch Fork and River Bluff both split their first two region series, beating White Knoll and losing to Chapin and Lexington. River Bluff lost one of its games to White Knoll to sit in fourth place entering this week.

Softball standings in the region are unfolding similarly with most of the conference’s teams being within a few games of each other in the standings.

Chapin is the frontrunner, entering this week 4-1 against region rivals. The team’s only loss is to Lexington, but the Eagles beat the Wildcats last week to even the series. This week, Chapin can gain more separation with a win over Dutch Fork.

Right behind the Eagles are Lexington, Dutch Fork and White Knoll who are all just a few games off the lead.

Gilbert’s baseball team has a shot to wrap up its region and finish conference play undefeated by knocking out the only other team that can compete for the top spot, Brookland-Cayce. The Bearcats and Indians are scheduled for two games this week, and one win will secure an outright region victory for Gilbert.

The Indians have played almost perfect ball this season and have just two losses. Both were against River Bluff in a non-region series earlier in the season.

Gray Collegiate improved to 25-2 this season after going 4-1 last week. The loss was against Boiling Springs in the second game of a doubleheader. The Eagles won the first contest 1-0 and dropped game two 5-0.

Batesburg-Leesville, Irmo, Pelion and Swansea are all fighting for positioning with hopes of making the playoffs. These teams have just two weeks left to strengthen their resumes.

Airport continues playing non-conference games to keep their legs fresh for the playoffs. The Eagles wrapped their region up weeks ago and will look to continue riding that momentum.

In SCISA action, Northside Christian has the opportunity to capture a region title this week with wins over  Palmetto Christian and Thomas Sumter. The Crusaders are 3-0 in region games, having beaten all their competition once already.

The team will end the season next week with a match against Orangeburg Prep, and with two wins this week, a loss in that game would, at worst, be for a share of the region crown.

A few other softball teams are also playing strong heading into the year’s final games.

Gilbert and Swansea entered this week as the top two teams in their region, which includes Brookland-Cayce. The Indians and Tigers played in an early game contest that decided who took control of the top spot.

Gilbert finishes this week with games against the Bearcats that could boost their positioning even more.

Irmo is competing in their region and can still finish first with the help of a few other teams. But even on their own, the team should be in the playoffs by winning their games.

This week, the Yellow Jackets were scheduled for a region series against Westwood, who is one spot below them in the standings.

Gray Collegiate’s girls gained more experience ahead of the playoffs by adding wins against Dutch Fork and A.C. Flora. The War Eagles beat the Falcons 11-4 before shutting out the Silver Foxes 11-0.

Both Gray’s baseball and softball teams have already won their regions due to their opponents forfeiting games because of the competitive balance debate that led to the mass realignment of teams in the state.

As the final few games of the baseball and softball seasons are played, the standings and playoff picture will start to develop. But until then, teams are playing with their backs against the wall, knowing one loss can make or break their postseason hopes.

Big Performances

Caden Reeves homered in three consecutive games for the Chapin baseball team last week.

Grayson Crim hit two home runs to drive in six runs for Northside Christian against Orangeburg Prep.

Olivia Porter hit a grand slam for Swansea in the Tigers’ 17-1 win over Brookland-Cayce.

Andee Dircks went 4-4 from the plate and hit a home run for Chapin in a win over Mid Carolina.

Will Burgess went 7-8 in his at-bat attempts last week for Lexington in three wins over White Knoll.

Games to watch

Northside Christian vs. Thomas Sumter baseball — April 18 — 6 p.m.

Gilbert vs. Brookland-Cayce baseball — April 18 — 6 p.m.

Airport at Lancaster softball — April 19 — 7 p.m.

Dutch Fork vs. Chapin softball — April 19 — 7:15 p.m.