Baseball and softball playoffs are starting to heat up with many teams advancing past the first week but still facing elimination.

Teams such as Chapin baseball, River Bluff baseball, Dutch Fork softball and Swansea softball teams are some of the handful around the county that advanced to the second week of competition but faced elimination with a single loss.

Then there were teams such as the Gray Collegiate baseball, Lexington baseball, Gilbert softball and Gray softball among others that entered this week locked into a spot for their district championship game.

Most of these elimination and district championship games were scheduled to be played from Monday through Wednesday after the Chronicle’s press deadline. Scattered rain on May 6 forced some elimination games back a day.

Many Lexington County teams, both facing elimination and locked in a district championship, have looked impressive during the early going of the playoffs.

Both Gray Collegiate teams have breezed past their opponents to clinch a spot in the district championship game without facing elimination. The softball team won its two games last week by a combined score of 32-3. The War Eagles shut Ninety Six out in the second round winning 15-0 and forcing a run rule.

The baseball team evaded a game-one upset loss by beating Liberty 5-4. The War Eagles did not sweat in round two, beating Saluda 11-1.

In the 5A baseball bracket, Lexington and Dutch Fork began this week with no losses in their district. Defending state champions River Bluff lost its first playoff game to Wando but went on to win their next two, including a rematch against the Warriors to advance to its district championship.

Gilbert’s baseball team avoided elimination after losing its first game of the playoffs to Beaufort. The Indians defeated Georgetown to earn a rematch against Beaufort for the district championship.

Brookland-Cayce, Pelion and Batesburg-Leesville were the remaining baseball teams entering this week. All three were scheduled to play an elimination game that would either have put them in the district championship match or sent them home for the rest of the year.

Both Irmo and Airport are out of the 4A baseball playoffs, leaving the county with no representation in that classification heading into week two.

The softball scene played out similarly to the baseball tournament with some Lexington County teams starting this week securely in their district championship contest and others needing to overcome an elimination game.

Lexington, Dutch Fork and Chapin are still standing in the 5A bracket, but only Lexington began this week with their spot secure in the district championship. The Silver Foxes had an elimination game scheduled against Gaffney for May 6, but the weather pushed it to May 7 after the Chronicles press deadline. Chapin was scheduled to play Cane Bay.

Many other games scheduled for May 6 were postponed a day because of weather. These postponements had no effect on the district championship contests.

The county is still represented in the 4A softball tournament with Airport beginning this week still alive. The Eagles upset Greenville in the first round before beating Lancaster in the second round.

Swansea and Gilbert are the final two 3A teams from Lexington County playing softball this week. The Tigers began the week facing elimination with a match against Lake City scheduled with the winner having to face Dillion in the district title match.

Gilbert has yet to lose a postseason match and began this week awaiting the results of the Georgetown versus Hannah elimination game to determine its opponent.

In 2A, Pelion and Batesburg-Leesville started this week facing elimination. A win over Ninety Six for Pelion would have matched the Panthers up with Gray Collegiate for an all-Lexington County district championship.

Batesburg-Leesvillle was scheduled to face Blacksburg with the winner moving on to play Saluda.

With their backs against the wall, the margin for error this week is slim. Any error can be the difference between a win and a loss and ending the season versus extending it.

The district winners are set to begin the next phase of the postseason at the end of this week when the winners begin to play each other starting on May 9. This all leads to the baseball and softball championship games at the end of May.