Dreher at Brookland-Cayce was a high school playoff pressure cooker until the lid blew off in the 3A Lower State playoff contest. 

After the Dreher Blue Devils scored one run in the top of the fifth, the Bearcats erupted for eight in the bottom frame and cruised to an 8-1 win. 

"That's been our inning all year," Brookland-Cayce baseball coach Rusty Charpia said of the fifth. “I don't know what it is about the fifth inning, I bet you if you go back and look, I bet you 80 percent of our runs have been scored in the fifth inning."

Brookland-Cayce will play Hanahan on Saturday. 

In Thursday's game, Dreher didn't get a hit off of Brookland-Cayce starting pitcher Hayden Thomas until the fifth. After Jacob Muir walked, Sheldon Coffman singled.  Then, Matt Moore singled to drive Muir home and the Blue Devils were up 1-0.  

In the bottom half of the fifth, B-C loaded the bases with hits from Ty Marshall, Jackson Thomas and a Jaxon Corley bunt. That brought up lead-off batter Tanner Staton. He singled, followed by singles from Parker Mergo and BJ Etheridge. At that point Dreher replaced  starting pitcher Nolan Cook with Matt Moore. Moore gave up singles to Robert McMillan and Hayden Thomas to put the Bearcats up 5-1. With Jordan Gibbs batting, B-C scored another run on a passed ball to make it 6-1. Gibbs then drew a walk to load the bases again. A Jackson Thomas single scored two more runs and the Bearcats were up 8-1.

Jack Painter doubled in the seventh and Muir followed with a single, but Hayden Thomas recorded two strike-outs, after a line-out, to end the chance of a rally.

Hayden Thomas got the complete game win. Cook took the loss for Dreher. 

It was the third time this season BC has defeated Dreher. Both schools are in 3A , Region 5. 

Charpia praised Hayden Thomas, who signed with College of Charleston to play baseball on Wednesday. 

"There's a reason why he was recruited the way he was," he said. "We normally win when he's throwing at home."  — TW

Other Results

Brookland-Cayce was one of three Lexington County teams to win their state opener Thursday night while two others are facing elimination games on Saturday.

5A

Lexington 

The Lexington Wildcats lost a heartbreaker at T.L. Hanna in their 5A Upper State bracket opener.

T.L. Hanna jumped out early with a two-run first inning after a line drive double brought in the opening runs. 

The score remained 2-0 until the sixth inning when Brandon Cromer drove in a pair of runs (Gabe Herold and Tyler Floyd) on a line drive single to right field to tie things up.

Lexington couldn’t take advantage of Brayden Jeffcoat’s single in the top of the seventh inning, leaving the game tied going into the bottom of the seventh. With a runner on second, T.L. Hanna’s McKane Cantrel hit a line drive to left field to score Brooks Bloomer and give them a 3-2 walk-off win.

Lexington pitcher Reese Marcum pitched well, going almost six innings, striking out ten batters and only walking two with two earned runs in that first inning. 

With the loss, Lexington will play in an elimination game on the road Saturday against Boiling Springs after their 6-2 loss to Blythewood. — EC

River Bluff

The River Bluff Gators traveled to Wando and brought their explosive bats with them, dominating the game in a 9-2 win. 

Beau Hollins had a huge game, going 3-3 with a home run and three RBI to help blow the game wide open. Mattie Garris collected two hits and drove in a run while Walker Mitchell and Wyatt McPherson also drove in runs.

On the mound, the Gators got a win from Thomas Powell, who pitched almost five innings and struck out four batters. Andrew Vaughan came in for the final seven outs and struck out three with zero walks.

With the win, River Bluff moves into the winners bracket in Lower State where they will host Summerville on Saturday after their walk-off, 1-0 win over Berkeley. — EC

2A

Pelion

The Pelion Panthers dropped their Upper State opener 10-0 to Mid-Carolina. They’ll face off against Strom Thurmond at home Saturday in an elimination game. 

Gray Collegiate Academy

The Gray Collegiate War Eagles needed nine innings to get past Strom Thurmond by a score of 7-2.

The game went into extra inning tied at two and in the top of the ninth, Gray took over. Landon Turner led off the inning and reached base on an error. Austin Lloyd got hit by a pitch the very next at-bat, putting runners on first and second. Kendrick Wright’s bunt attempt turned into a fielder’s choice and a throwing error that brought home Turner to break the tie and give Gray a 3-2 lead.

The War Eagles reached base on another bunt the very next at-bat, this time, it came from London Spires. With the bases loaded, William Eshaak knocked in two runs on a line drive single to left field and gave Gray a 5-2 lead.

Blaine Redmond knocked in another run on a line drive single and eventually stole home a few batters later.

Brent Stukes and Spires closed things out on the mound to give Gray the final winning score of 7-2. 

The War Eagles move on to the winners bracket and will face Mid-Carolina on Saturday after their 10-0 win over Pelion.  — EC