Criminal Defense Attorney inHanahan, SC

With the curtains coming up on summer, the stars are out: all-stars that it is.

The South Carolina Athletic Programs Branch’s 10U all-star softball tournament cranked up June 10 at Felkel Field in Goose Creek, signaling the start of the all-star season for youth softball and baseball teams around the area.

At press time, Moncks Corner and the City of Charleston were the lone two unbeatens in the SCAP Southern District tournament. Hanahan and North Charleston were both 2-1 going into an elimination game on June 13.

Moncks Corner’s squad knocked off Bluffton and Orangeburg on June 10-11 while the City of Charleston edged Hanahan and North Charleston. Both teams had the day off June 12. The championship will be decided June 15.

The SCAP 12U all-stars began their Southern District tournament June 11 at Wescott Park in North Charleston. Moncks Corner won its first two games and is in a winner’s bracket game on June 14. The winner advances to the June 15 championship game to await the squad that comes through the loser’s bracket.

The SCAP 8U Southern District tournament runs from June 13-16 in Moncks Corner. Hanahan, Moncks Corner, Bluffton and North Charleston are the four squads competing for the district title.

Southern District winners advance to the state tournament June 23-26 in North Augusta.

In a Dixie Youth District 7 all-star baseball tournament, Moncks Corner hosts the AA Coach Pitch all-stars June 13-18. The 8U tournament could wrap up a day earlier if June 18 is not needed to decide the champion.

Parks Field, Wescott American, Hanahan American, Hanahan National, Moncks Corner and Wescott National are the six teams vying for a district championship and bid to the state tournament in July.

The Dixie Youth District 7 AAA baseball tournament is slated for Hanahan June 18-23, with a scheduled day off on June 19.

Mount Pleasant and Hanahan, Moncks Corner and Goose Creek, and Wescott and Parks Field tangle with each other on the first day of the 10U tournament. St. Andrew’s receives a bye to June 20 and will meet the winner of Wescott and Parks Field.

District winners advance to the AAA state tournament in July.

The Dixie Youth District 7 Ozone tournament is slated for Wescott Park, with a scheduled day off on June 19.

Parks Field and Moncks Corner, Mount Pleasant and Goose Creek, and North Charleston and Hanahan match up on the opening day of the 12U tournament. The North Charleston-Hanahan winner receives a bye to June 21.

Hanahan High School’s baseball program continued to be one of the most consistent winners around the state and the Lowcountry this spring.

The Hawks capped the 2022 season with 25 victories after falling short at Brookland-Cayce in the Lower State tournament on May 16. The Bearcats edged the Hawks, 7-3, in the Class AAA playoff game as the Hawks finished third in the Lower State.

The campaign was the last for a number of key players: all-state shortstop Aryan Patel (Citadel), third baseman Brick Nichols (Francis Marion), first baseman Foster Nicodin, second baseman Ethan Walker and outfielder Mason Woznac. Pitcher Max Ballard is also a senior.

“We had a great season,” said Hanahan coach Brian Mitchell, who just finished his 19th season and has more than 300 career wins. “Our seven losses were to very good teams, all of them. We didn’t play our best (on May 16), which was disappointing, but the kids fought all year long. They worked their tails off. They feared nobody.”

Nichols paced the Hawks with a .430 batting average, followed by Patel at .391. Woznac and Nicodin batted .309 and .308, respectively. Nicodin also contributed on the mound, winning four games with a 1.73 earned-run average.

“Leadership is hard to come by these days but all of our seniors were good leaders,” Mitchell said. “They were strong in the weight room. All of them were dedicated. They love the game. They played it the way it is supposed to be played.”

A strong group of juniors will return next spring and should have no problem carrying on the program’s winning tradition. Nick Cappello, a catcher/pitcher, batted .348 and went 7-0 on the mound with a 1.55 ERA. Catcher Mason Brady posted a .333 batting average. Pitcher Braylon Mitchell garnered three pitching victories. Outfielders Brayden Joseph and Kwame Parker made the most of their opportunities at the dish, hitting .441 and .419 in a total of 79 plate appearances.

From the sophomore class, brothers Landon and Hunter Gomes will be rock solid returners. Landon, an outfielder, batted .328 and Hunter was 8-0 from the bump with a 2.53 ERA. Hunter will move back into the infield next season.

“The group we’ve got coming back was undefeated as a JV team (in 2021),” Mitchell said. “They’re a strong group. We’ve got some holes to fill but we’ve got a lot of pitching back and all three catchers. We’ve got kids who will be able to step right in.”

The championship game of the South Carolina Athletic Programs’ 12U all-star softball tournament was a continuation of Moncks Corner’s domination.

Moncks Corner finished the Southern District tournament with a sparkling 4-0 mark after coasting past North Charleston, 14-6, at Wescott Park on June 16. It outscored opponents, 52-17, to punch a ticket to the state tournament at North Augusta’s Riverview Park.

“They’re a very good team and they work hard,” Moncks Corner coach Dougie Floyd said. “They practice seriously so when game time comes it’s much easier. All week they swung the bat well and we made most of the routine plays.”

Floyd’s bunch also defeated Goose Creek (7-2), Hanahan (16-6) and North Charleston (15-3) in the first three games.

The eight-team state tournament cranks up June 24. As the runner-up from the Southern District, North Charleston also advances.

“We’re capable of going all the way,” Floyd said. “If we can keep the bats going and play good defense, we’ve got a good chance.”

Moncks Corner came out swinging to take control early in the championship game, plating seven runs in the top of the first inning. First baseman Mariah Heath sparked the scoring with a two-run single and later added a RBI triple for the last run in the uprising. In between, outfielder Rachel Dephouse, outfielder Charlet Reed and pitcher Kaytie Googe knocked in runs with singles.

North Charleston scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to get as close as it could.

Moncks Corner bumped up the lead to 8-3 in the top of the second and Heath drove in her fourth and fifth runs of the game with a single in the top of the third. Moncks Corner added another run in the third on a throwing error to go up, 11-3.

Googe worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning to keep the advantage at eight runs and Moncks Corner scored two more runs in the top of the fourth. Kaylee Waters came across on a passed ball and Lily Myers plated a run on a groundout, making the score 13-3.

North Charleston stayed alive with a pair of runs in bottom of the fourth. Moncks Corner scored a run on an error in the fifth and Googe kept North Charleston off the board in the bottom of the fifth to end it via mercy rule.

Myers hurled the first inning for Moncks Corner before Googe finished up inside the circle. Heath is the team’s ace and threw all but one inning leading up to the championship game.

More team members making an impact in the district tournament were Natalie Dephouse, Natalie Floyd, Leah Gaskins, Sarah Maxwell, Kylee Moody and Selah Severe.

In 2015, firefighter William Lindler saved a 3-week-old puppy from a burning building.

Seven years later, that puppy, named Jake, is up for a national award in a contest recognizing heroic canines.

Jake is one of three finalists in the Shelter Dog category of this year’s American Humane Hero Dog Awards, according to an American Humane press release. Though born in Goose Creek, Jake now lives in Ladson with Lindler and his family.

American Humane is a nonprofit that promotes and supports the humane treatment of animals around the world. It sponsors the national award for dogs throughout the country, in which everyday people can read about the candidates and vote for their favorites in each category. Categories include search and rescue dogs, therapy dogs, military dogs and more.

“The Hero Dog Awards shines a bright light on man’s best friend and celebrates the strength, hope and beauty that dogs bring to our lives,” said Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane, in the release. “Like the voting public, we are captivated by the heartwarming stories of so many of these courageous canines and want to do everything in our power to help ensure they get the recognition they deserve.”

The Shelter Dogs category is for dogs rescued from abuse or neglect — or, in Jake’s case, a fire.

Lindler even remembers the date: March 21, 2015. He had just gotten home from a shift at the Hanahan Fire Department when he realized part of his neighbor’s house was on fire. He grabbed his firefighting gear and ran to help, only to have the neighbor tell him a mother dog and several puppies were in the burning building. As Lindler approached, the mother and most of the puppies ran out.

But the last puppy had part of the ceiling fall in on him. That was Jake.

Lindler said he tried to “John Wayne up” and run in to save the puppy, who managed to wriggle free of the debris despite his injuries. But when Jake saw Lindler coming toward him, he got even more scared.

“Instead of coming toward me, he turned and ran back into the building and disappeared into the smoke,” Lindler recalled.

Luckily fire trucks arrived about that time, and Lindler and other firefighters were able to get into the building. They found Jake hiding in a corner and not breathing. Lindler estimates he had been there between seven and 11 minutes.

Lindler carried him out, wrapped him in a wet towel, put an oxygen mask over his snout and rubbed his sides and belly until he started breathing again. Jake was wobbly and unable to stand, so the firefighters took him to an emergency vet. Lindler says he remembers going home to his wife and telling her, “I think the little guy’s going to be OK.”

But the neighbors were unable to pay for Jake’s treatment, so Lindler offered to take him. Jake stayed in 24-hour veterinary care for four months, with Lindler visiting him regularly. When he was released, the vet refused to take Lindler’s money, arguing Lindler had saved him twice.

Once settled into his new home, Jake began accompanying Lindler to work and became Hanahan Fire Department’s unofficial mascot. Lindler started taking him to schools and other educational events to teach kids about fire safety.

“Jake likes to crawl or Army crawl on his belly across the floor,” Lindler said. ”...That’s how we would teach kids, ‘You need to get down as low as you can,’” when escaping a fire.

Jake became very protective of the firefighters and eventually didn’t like when visitors came to the station, so about three years ago Lindler began keeping him home. Now Jake is a happy-go-lucky character who spends time with his family, enjoying butt scratches and being “a 72-pound chihuahua,” Lindler said. (Jake is actually a mixed breed who is part pit bull.)

Lindler said he is glad dogs like Jake and other rescues, particularly pitbulls or pitbull mixes, are being recognized in the awards.

Individuals can read the stories of all the dogs up for awards at www.herodogawards.org. The website also has the option to vote for winners in each category. Voting closes on July 22.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A few Lowcountry organizations are making opera more accessible than ever.

Among them are Charleston Opera Theater and Summerville Orchestra, which have partnered to stage a Piccolo Spoleto production that is short, sweet and unlike most of the genre, translated into English.

It’s a double bill of Bach’s “Coffee Cantata” and Menotti’s “The Telephone.” To fit the theme, the show will be held in a local coffee shop, at Mercantile and Mash at 701 East Bay St.

The amusing and immersive performance that rings in at just around an hour for the combined showcase isn’t one meant for an opera house, said stage director Saundra DeAthos, who is also the director of opera and an assistant professor for voice at the College of Charleston.

Established just before the pandemic, the company quickly embraced outdoor neighborhood events, like a performance of “Carmen” at the Hanahan Amphitheater and a free showcase that included songs from “La Boheme” and “Rigoletto” at the Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park.

The “Coffee Cantata” poses a theme relatable throughout the ages: a father-daughter relationship. This rendition features a seven-piece chamber orchestra in addition to two vocalists, who argue over whether the daughter should be allowed to drink coffee or not.

“It was a little more high-brow than what would be relatable for the 21st century, so I took the literal translation and made it much more colloquial,” she said.

For example, coffee is compared idyllically in the original lyrics to a type of wine you find in 17th-century Austria-Germany. DeAthos changed that to chai boba tea and Cheerwine.

The premise for “The Telephone” also translates easily to modern times. It’s about a woman who can’t get off the phone long enough to pay attention to her boyfriend, who is trying to propose.

To fit the times, an old-school cord telephone is replaced with a cellphone. Two pianos accompany a duo of singers for this one. One is soprano Amanda Castellone, who plays Lucy.

“It’s funny, because the premise is true to my life,” said Castellone with a laugh. “I’m on the phone the whole time in the opera while my boyfriend keeps trying to talk to me, and in real life my friends and family yell at me all the time to get off my phone.”

Castellone, who started singing in choir in fourth grade and now teaches voice and opera at the College of Charleston, is a Charleston native. She loves the chance to perform in her hometown and she hopes this approachable show will create some more opera fans.

“For those who have never seen an opera before, this is the perfect first opera to come see,” said Castellone. “You cannot beat it: short, funny, in English and a charming show.”

The “Coffee Cantata” and “The Telephone” joint show will be performed at 5 p.m. June 2, 6 p.m. June 3, and 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. June 4. Tickets are $20 can can be purchased at piccolospoleto.com.

In addition, there will be more on-hand opera as part of Piccolo. Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera (HALO) was founded around the same time as Charleston Opera Theater and traveled to neighborhoods during the pandemic for a variety of outdoor pop-up performances during which two vocalists were accompanied by a pianist in a pick-up truck.

HALO has also performed at the RiverDogs stadium, in addition to several indoor and outdoor local venues.

Co-founder Leah Edwards, accompanied by husband Dimitri Pittas, will perform a cabaret that represents the couple’s love story at Piccolo Spoleto this year.

“The community had been asking to get to know us better, so this is our story, all true, a nonfiction-type situation,” said Edwards. “It’s our love story in song and conversation as a blend of musical theater and opera.”

Last year HALO performed as part of Piccolo’s Hampton Park promenade, and even more is in store to make sure opera is accessible to the greater community and its history is shared.

There is now a curated walking tour of Charleston’s opera history, finalized after consulting with local writer and historian Harlan Greene, that will kick off May 28 and take place every Wednesday and Saturday during Piccolo Spoleto. It will continue on after, as well, based on demand.

“There’s a very rich history of opera here,” said Edwards. “It landed here first in 1735, and even though New Orleans likes to claim it had the first opera, they did the first French opera, while we did the first English opera.”

The HALO Wunderbar Cabaret will be performed at the Cannon Street Arts Center at 8:30 p.m. June 5. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at piccolospoleto.com.

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