High school roundup (March 24, 2016)

The Aynor softball team is rolling.

With a come-from-behind 9-6 win over rival Dillon on Thursday, the Blue Jackets improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Region VII-AA and are in a good place heading into a lengthy spring break.

“Good region win tonight,” first-year coach Tony Mills said. “We’re first place in the conference now and I’m very proud of this team.”

With three seniors (Morgan Elliott, Jessie Johnson, Logan Carter) leading the way, Mills is happy with how the team has done but wants them to start fresh when they get back from break.

“I told the kids to not think about softball for a few days and enjoy their vacation. After that, we’re going to tell them our record is 0-0 and to start over,” Mills said. “We want that mentality of playing hard in the second half and if we play good softball, the wins will come.”

A big part of Aynor’s early season success has been a tough schedule. The Blue Jackets have beat Class AAAA opponents Carolina Forest and Conway already, and have a win over Class A defending state champion Latta and have another meeting set with the Vikings.

“That helped us a lot,” Mills said of the scheduling. “We wanted it to be tough to get us ready for our region. So far, our kids have stepped up and we’re proud of them, especially the seniors.”

Also helping the Blue Jackets is a trio of hurlers. Elliott, Layna Johnson and Brooke Elliott have each started for Aynor and have not disappointed.

“We’re fortunate to have three pitchers and spread it around between them. They’ve all stepped up,” Mills said. “Luckily, we haven’t had to rely on any one kid.”

And the Blue Jackets are certainly in a good position.

“We’re in the driver’s seat right now,” Mills said. “I’m just very proud of the team.”

Baseball

▪ Aynor 4, (at) Dillon 3 | Walt Richardson’s double in the seventh inning brought in a pair of runs, helping push the Blue Jackets past their Region VIII-AA foes.

Dillon scored three runs in the sixth inning, headed into the final frame with a two run lead.

But with its backs against the wall, Aynor answered with three runs of its own to take the key league matchup.

“This was very important, knowing that Dillon is always a good team, they’re scrappy and are always tough to play at home,” said Aynor baseball coach Chad Sarvis. “But we played with a lot of pride tonight.”

With the win, Aynor remains undefeated in region play.

▪ St. James 6, (at) Lake City 2 | Grayson Stoneking and Parker Rabon went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs and scored one run each to lead the Sharks to a win over the Panthers.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 11:33 PM with the headline "High school roundup (March 24, 2016)."