Criminal Defense Lawyer in Lexington, SC

The Lexington baseball team is building momentum as the playoffs near.

The Wildcats clinched the Region 4-5A championship on Friday with an 8-2 win over rival River Bluff. It was Lexington’s fifth region title under coach Brian Hucks and the Wildcats look like they can make another deep playoff run.

The Wildcats won the Class 5A championship last year and have their eyes set on another one this year.

“That is the first goal,” Hucks said. “We have a lot more goals we can accomplish. But winning this region is tough and you can never take it for granted. It is a grind every freaking game. Incredibly, proud of them.”

Lexington split its first region series with Irmo but dropped only one conference game the rest of the way. The Wildcats, who finished third in last week’s Forest Acres Classic, have won 11 of their last 13 games.

Lexington lost a few key members from last year’s championship squad and new faces have stepped up this season, including pitcher Reidar Carlson. The sophomore retired the first nine batters he faced and allowed just two runs on two hits while striking out four in 5 â…” innings.

Carlson’s fastball hit 91 MPH during various times against the Gators.

“Reider’s been incredible all year,” Hucks said. “He has been composed, under control. Nothing fazes him. He threw strikes and let the defense play behind him.”

Grant Kissner led Lexington with three hits and an RBI. Logan Blight, another player who has stepped into a bigger role this season, had two RBI singles for the Wildcats.

“We started out a little rocky,” Blight said. “We just went on a run and it is a good group of guys. We have each other’s back. … And we have a young group of kids who put up runs on the board so it is a good group all the way around.”

South Carolina signee Brandon Cromer added two hits while Allen Hegler and Bryce Mobley each had an RBI.

Lexington scored runs in each of the first three innings and blew it open with a four-run fifth inning to lead 7-0.

With the region wrapped up, the Wildcats have their eyes set on a possible No. 1 seed for the Class 5A Upper State playoffs which begin next month. Lexington is guaranteed a bye for the first round and has three regular-season games left which could boost their MaxPreps RPI, which is used to determine seeding.

Lexington plays River Bluff again on Saturday in a non-region game but finishes out the regular season with a two-game series against Blythewood next week. The Bengals are currently the No. 1 team in the Upper State in the RPI rankings.

“Playing here is special,” Hucks said. “I feel like if we get on a run, who knows how the RPI shakes out but it will be close.”

Maddox Free led River Bluff with two hits and an RBI and Ashley Powell also had an RBI.

River Bluff has to wait until Monday to find out its region finish. The Gators lead Chapin and Dutch Fork by a half-game for second in the region standings. Dutch Fork and Chapin each have makeup games.

If it ends in a three-way tie, River Bluff will finish fourth in the region.

Gilbert 3, Gray Collegiate 2: Hudson Williams’ walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth helped the Indians (20-3, 13-1) clinch the No. 1 seed from Region 4-4A. Gilbert leads Airport, which plays Brookland-Cayce, on Monday, but holds the tiebreaker over the Eagles.

Cooper Price led Gilbert with two hits. Chase Starkey was 1-for-2 with an RBI for Gray.

Batesburg-Leesville 8, Saluda 2: Brayden Hallman threw a complete-game and also drove in two runs as the Panthers clinched the Region 3-2A title.

It was Batesburg-Leesville’s first region title since 2008. Hallman struck out eight and allowed two runs on six hits. Jack Bouknight was 3-for-4 with two RBIs while John Sawyer had two hits and two RBIs.

Ben Lippen 13, Hammond 6: The Falcons scored nine runs in the first inning to win the SCISA 1-4A title.

Breon Earle hit a grand slam and David McElveen added a two-run homer for Ben Lippen.

Brewer Lamotte homered twice and Colt Babic also homered for Hammond.

This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 9:13 PM.

The State

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Lou Bezjak is the High School Sports Prep Coordinator for The (Columbia) State and (Hilton Head) Island Packet. He previously worked at the Florence Morning News and had covered high school sports in South Carolina since 2002. Lou is a two-time South Carolina Sports Writer of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Support my work with a digital subscription

Fresh off of winning four of its last five games (three against ranked opponents), Kentucky will look to keep its late-season surge going this weekend when it hosts South Carolina at Kentucky Proud Park.

This series would mean a lot to both teams, as Kentucky has now turned its eyes towards potentially hosting a third consecutive Regional while South Carolina is not even on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament as of right now. Last season, the College World Series bound Wildcats lost two of three to Carolina in Columbia.

First pitch for Friday night’s series opener is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST.

South Carolina Gamecocks (24-18, 4-14)

Former LSU head coach and 2009 College World Series Champion Paul Mainieri was hired as South Carolina’s new head coach after Mark Kingston was fired in the offseason. Mainieri’s 1,505 coaching wins ranked as the 11th most in NCAA history. Under Kingston (2018-2024), the Gamecocks made four NCAA Tournament appearances but never reached the College World Series.

Mainieri hasn’t quite gotten off to the start in Columbia that he may have expected, as the Gamecocks are just 24-18 overall with a less-than-stellar 4-14 conference record. Currently, South Carolina is not projected to make the NCAA Tournament.

As a team, South Carolina is hitting for a dreadful .269 team batting average (191th in NCAA) with a 5.35 team earned run average (97th in NCAA). In short, there isn’t one area that this team is excelling at right now.

With notable Kentucky killers Cade Messina and Gavin Casas no longer apart of the program, junior outfielders Nathan Hall and Ethan Petry are leading the Gamecocks with a .353 batting average. Hall and Petry are tied for the team-lead in batting average, doubles (10) and RBI (34). Petry, who was named a D1Baseball Preseason Second Team All-American, leads the team with 10 home runs.

There is a vast drop-off following Hall and Petry among Carolina’s offensive players, as the rest of the bunch (16 players) are hitting for just a combined .247 batting average.

Carolina’s pitching staff had not been great this season either until last weekend at No. 11 Ole Miss, where sophomore right-hander Brandon Stone enjoyed the best start of his young career. In Thursday’s series opener, Stone pitched a complete game in which he held Ole Miss to just two runs on six hits with only 86 pitches thrown.

Their three starting pitchers that Kentucky will face this weekend (Stone, LHP Jake McCoy and LHP Jarvis Evans Jr.) boast a combined 5.86 ERA in 124 1/3 innings pitched this season. Pitching however was a catalyst for the Gamecocks’ upset series victory over the Rebels last weekend, which was their first of the season.

Kentucky Wildcats (23-15, 8-10)

Kentucky had been *so close* to a marquee SEC series victory through its first five weeks of the conference slate. The series win over Texas A&M in College Station was impressive, but A&M wasn’t quite the team they are right now. The ‘Cats however took care of business and took two of three from No. 4 Tennessee in Knoxville last weekend, drummed No. 19 Louisville 17-5 on Tuesday and look to be one of the hottest teams in College Baseball at the moment.

“The Cats are hot,” outfielder Carson Hansen proclaimed following their run-rule victory over Louisville on Tuesday. This could not be more true, as national media outlets are starting to pay more and more attention to this scrappy Kentucky team, which is now projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Keep on winning and a potential third consecutive Regional is on the table.

Following his stellar 3-3 game with a home run, a triple and a single against Louisville, senior third baseman Patrick Herrera improved his batting average to a team-leading .328. The ‘Cats now have three batters over .300, with freshman shortstop Tyler Bell (.318) and senior outfielder Cole Hage (.310) rounding out the trio. Hage however has been less than stellar against SEC competition, as his average is a lowly .203.

We’ll get another look at Kentucky’s starting rotation this weekend, which has been one of the best in the entirety of the SEC. Right-hander Nic McCay, who is the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week, boasts an SEC-best .177 opponent batting average while sophomore left-hander Ben Cleaver boasts a 3.31 ERA (fourth in conference) against SEC teams.

A series win for the ‘Cats this weekend would get them one step closer to clinching a trip to the Big Dance, and a step closer for a potential Regional host berth.

ALL-TIME SERIES: South Carolina leads 61-46

Probable Starters

Friday, April 25, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park – 6:30 p.m. EST) SEC Network+UK: RHP Nate Harris (3-2, 3.89 ERA, 34.2 IP) vs SC: RHP Brandon Stone (2-4, 4.93 ERA, 42.0 IP)Saturday, April 26, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park – 4:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+UK: RHP Nic McCay (4-0, 3.08 ERA, 49.2 IP) vs SC: LHP Jake McCoy (4-3, 6.44 ERA, 43.1 IP)Sunday, April 27, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park – 1:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+UK: LHP Ben Cleaver (4-2, 2.83 ERA, 54.0 IP) vs SC: LHP Jarvis Evans Jr. (3-2, 6.23 ERA, 39.0 IP)

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A new "modern steakhouse," Ember, is expected to open late May 2025 in Lexington and serve guests hand-cut steaks, seafood and house-made pastas paired with a curated wine list.

The steakhouse will be housed in 101 West Main St., Suite 200, the former location of the Italian restaurant Alodia's Cucina Italiana, which closed after backlash from a 2023 online controversy after employees said they had not been paid in two weeks.

Steve Cook, one of the owners of the new restaurant and a veteran in the Columbia food industry, said when he and his partners saw the space was available, they knew it would be a great spot for a high-end Lexington restaurant. Cook, who owns Saluda's, Il Bucato Pizza and Arroyo Tacos & Tequila, is running Ember with Moltó Vino owner Joe Walker and previous Halls Chophouse general manager Ryan Jones.

"I've been asked to open a restaurant in Lexington for it seems like 15 years now," Cook said. "It's always seemed like the other side of the world to me, but this was just a perfect situation where we had a great operating partner in Ryan Jones, and the space was perfect, and we thought we had a really great concept to bring to Lexington."

The "Ember experience" will center around the restaurant's signature wood ember grill which infuses steaks and seafood with flavor, according to a press release.

Though the menu isn't finalized, Cook said the ownership team has been brainstorming how to offer something different for people used to typical steakhouses.

"What are we going to put our own little spin on everything? Where it's not just asparagus and hollandaise or, you know, a baked potato or whatever," Cook said. "(People) like the comfort of things they know, like a steakhouse or comfort Southern foods, but they don't want to have the same old thing that they've always had. So I think we're gonna be able to present that on our menu."

Cook said he is eager to open the restaurant to the public and is only waiting on a few final design element deliveries to finalize the opening date.

Original plans for an earlier open time were set back after Cook said him and his partners ended up needing to almost gut and redo the entire restaurant. But Cook said once they started, they knew they needed to finish stronger instead of faster.

"Once we got in there and kind of saw the vision, we didn't want to half step it," Cook said.

The restored version of the historic building designed by 1X1 Design Inc. will feature moody and warm elements with pops of mixed metals to create an "upscale yet comfortable atmosphere," according to the press release. It will also have a variety of private and semi-private spaces available for events.

Cook said he hopes Ember will offer people a unique experience and give Lexington a restaurant that fits keeps up the city as it grows.

"You walk in the door and you don't know whether you're in Lexington or Columbia or Charleston or New York," Cook said. "When you walk into a restaurant, if you're transported to another place that's ideal. And, you know, that's kind of what people are looking for when they go for a nice dinner, is to escape a little bit. And we hope this will provide that."

People interested in learning more or applying for a position at Ember can find more information on its website.

A new steakhouse is getting close to opening in the heart of downtown Lexington.

Ember, which restaurant officials referred to in a release as a “modern, upscale steakhouse,” plans to open in late May at 101 W. Main St. That’s at the corner of W. Main and Church streets, right next to Barrio taco restaurant and just in front of Lexington’s popular Icehouse Amphitheater. Ember is going into the space formerly occupied by Alodia’s Italian restaurant, which closed in April 2024.

The coming steakhouse is being opened by a handful of restaurateurs who are familiar to many in the Midlands. They include Steve Cook, who owns Saluda’s fine dining restaurant and Arroyo Mexican restaurant in Five Points; Joe Walker III, the former Richland County Councilman who has franchised Marco’s Pizza and Scooter’s Coffee locations; and Ryan Jones, the former general manager of Hall’s Chophouse in Columbia.

“We believe a steakhouse should be more than just a meal — it should be an experience,” Cook said in a statement. “We are honoring tradition while embracing innovation, with seasonal ingredients, classic techniques, and a commitment to sourcing with integrity.”

Ember officials said in a release that the restaurant will offer “expertly aged, hand-cut steaks, sustainably sourced seafood, and house-made pastas, all complemented by a thoughtfully curated wine selection.”

The restaurant space is in the final stages of a renovation being led by Boyer Construction. The interior of the restaurant “combines moody and warm elements with pops of mixed metals, creating an upscale yet comfortable atmosphere that balances sophistication and comfort,” Ember said in a release.

Aside from the regular dining room, Ember will also offer private and semi-private dining areas for special occasions.

“We’ve crafted a restaurant concept that’s truly one-of-a-kind, and we cannot wait to share our kitchen with residents of Lexington,” Walker said in a statement. “We are honored to offer a place where people can come together to celebrate life’s milestones and make lasting memories.”

Ember officials also noted in a release that a “striking wine cellar” will serve as a centerpiece in the restaurant, which will offer “an impressive selection of wines by the glass where guests can enjoy premium pours of bubbly champagne and rich Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon alongside a vibrant celebration of bold flavors and elevated culinary craft.”

Those interested in applying for a job at Ember can visit emberlexington.com.

Downtown Lexington has continued to be a hot corridor in the Midlands, and is now home to a host of restaurants, bars, shops and other services. Popular downtown eateries include O’Hara’s Public House, Keg Cowboy, Bodhi Thai Dining, Groucho’s Deli, Barrio, Craft Axe Throwing, Cribb’s, Bubba’s Biscuit, Libby’s, and Nicky’s Pizzeria. There are also a host of stores, such as Craig Reagin Clothiers and The Kindred Boutique.

The Icehouse Amphitheater remains a busy venue, and TakoSushi opened a location on the northeast corner of Main and Church streets last fall.

This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 9:00 AM.

The State

Chris Trainor is a retail reporter for The State and has been working for newspapers in South Carolina for more than 20 years, including previous stops at the (Greenwood) Index-Journal and the (Columbia) Free Times. He is the winner of a host of South Carolina Press Association awards, including honors in column writing, government beat reporting, profile writing, food writing, business beat reporting, election coverage, social media and more.

LEXINGTON — On the surface, the story of The FARM 1780 is one of tradition. The 34-acre farm has been a family business for eight generations, beginning with a land grant to patriarch George Monts for more than 600 acres back in 1787 — one year after Columbia was founded.

Since then, descendants of the Monts family has been in charge, and today, that means Brett Flashnick and his wife McKenzie are in charge of the farm, which grows seasonal produce like pumpkins, winter greens, lettuces, tomatoes, okra, squash and cucumbers along with raising livestock and chickens for eggs.

Sounds like a story of strong family tradition, right?

But the truth is the real story of The FARM 1780 is a story about evolution. Brett and McKenzie never had any intention of taking over the farm before they inherited it back in 2018.

“We fully expected that my mom was going to retire and move out here,” said Brett Flashnick, “But unfortunately she passed sooner than expected. So it was a curveball when we inherited it.”

At the time, Brett was a cinematographer and photojournalist with a two-decade career and McKenzie worked in marketing. But, ultimately, the decision to take over The FARM 1780 as owners wasn’t a difficult one.

“We had to see what my mom’s thoughts and plans were to do out here,” Brett said. “And once we decided we were in the position to make that happen, it was a pretty easy call for us to make.”

Brett signed up for a year-long program at Clemson University called the SC New and Beginning Farmer Program. Then he and McKenzie came up with their own vision for The FARM 1780, one that revolved around seasonal produce rather than year-round production, which many farms focus on.

“Take tomatoes as an example,” McKenzie said. “South Carolina has a very specific growing season for tomatoes. If you want to grow them outside of that growing season, there are ways to do that, but they're not natural and they cost a lot more money. Brett had records of what grows well out here, and we went by those instead of trying to force ourselves to grow things.”

Keeping things as “natural” as possible on The FARM is a major emphasis for the Flashnicks. They call is “sensible farming.”

Everything on the farm is grown responsibly and transparently.

“We try to do more with less,” McKenzie said. “If we can add less amendments to the soil, if we can do less forcing of seeds to germinate quicker and just grow things the way that nature intended, it mirrors a simpler way of life.”

Agri-education

If The FARM 1780’s planting schedule is evolution guided by historical context, their other innovation is more forward-looking. Back in 2021, the farm opened its doors as an event space and added programs to educate people of all ages about farming.

A quick glance at their event calendar reveals farm-to-table, chef-curated dinners using locally sourced ingredients; “Hen’s Night Out” evenings for the ladies; and a series of summer camps that teach kids all about local agriculture and farming techniques.

Brett said he realized early on that educational programs were a good idea.

“Folks have forgotten how to can and preserve the produce that they grow,” he said. "They have forgotten how to cook with it. There's an educational need here. So we've begun to shift gears into finding out how we fulfill the educational needs of the community.”

As for fun events, McKenzie said it’s both smart business and a way to establish bonds with the community.

“We call ourselves an experience farm,” she said, “and for different people, that means different things. If you don't have kids, then our farm-to-table dinners or our Hen’s Night Out events or our Singer-Songwriter Nights may be more up your alley. Then if you have kids, maybe you could send them to our summer camp or our pumpkin camp or our kindergarten farm days."

Regardless of how The FARM 1780 operates or handles community outreach, Brett has enthusiastically accepted his new role in life.

“I'm just a steward of this land for my children and hopefully their children,” he said. “I'm here to take care of it and leave it better than I found it. And if I can provide excellent quality food and education about that to the communities, that’s just a win-win.”