Lexington Blanks Beaufort 8-0 in Lower State Playoff Opener; Wildcats Play Host to South Aiken or Sumter Monday

Lexington, S.C. -- Elliot Lance tossed his second postseason shutout, Nick Ciuffo had two hits including a two-run homer and Ryan Brown added three hits that helped top-ranked Lexington to an 8-0 win over Beaufort in the opening game of the AAAA Lower State high school baseball playoffs at windy Wildcats Field on Saturday afternoon.
 
Lexington, which improved to 24-4, plays host to either South Aiken or Sumter in a winner's bracket game at 7 p.m. Monday. Beaufort (16-10) fell to the loser's bracket and will take on either South Aiken or Sumter in an elimination game on Monday.
 
In the bottom of the first inning, Brown led off with an infield hit, moved to second on Dalton Addy's sacrifice bunt and scored when Ciuffo homered to right center for a 2-0 Lexington lead.
 
Lexington scored three runs in the second inning. Brown delivered an RBI single, a wild pitch and an error plated two more runs that extended Lexington's margin to 5-0.
 
Cody Smith led off Lexington's half of the fourth inning with a double down the right field line and moved to third on Brown's infield hit. Smith scored on a balk and Ciuffo lined a single to center that plated Brown and gave Lexington a 7-0 advantage.  Addy singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch in the sixth inning for the final margin.
 
Lance (4-0) picked up the win allowing just three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. Lance also shutout Ashley Ridge on just five hits in Lexington's 2-0 District 5 playoff win over Ashley Ridge on Friday, April 26.
 
Beaufort starter Brady Cormier (3-3) suffered the lost lasting just 1 2/3 innings.  He allowed five runs, four earned, on five hits.
 
Ciuffo finished 2-for-2 with three RBI, Brown went 3-for-4 and Jordan Buster and Smith went 2-for-3.
 
Lexington 8, Beaufort 0
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Beaufort............ 000 000 0 -  0  3  2
Lexington.......... 230 201 x -  8 11  1
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WP - Elliot Lance (4-0). LP - Brady Cormier (3-3).
Lexington, Nick Ciuffo 2-2, HR, 3 RBI; Ryan Brown 3-4; Cody Smith 2-3; Jordan Buster 2-3.
Records: Lexington 24-4, Beaufort 16-10.
Lexington plays host to either South Aiken or Sumter in a winner's bracket game at 7 p.m. on Monday. Beaufort plays either South Aiken or Sumter
in an elimination game.