Two of the more surprising teams still alive in the Class AAA postseason collide Tuesday at South Charleston High School.

With only nine wins and a perennial state power left in their wake, the homestanding Black Eagles might just be the most surprising team in any regional semifinal.

South Charleston (9-24) ended the regular season by losing 10 of its last 11 games, but survived a grueling Region 3 Section 3 tournament, advancing after knocking off Logan 3-1 in the deciding game. The Wildcats, owners of six state championships, entered that contest ninth in the Gazette state ratings.

"If we play how we're supposed to play, our record wouldn't be like that," said SC pitcher Jerod Jobst, who earned the decision in the section final against Logan. "We'd have more wins.''

In fact, SC usually does have more wins - it sports just its fourth losing record over the past 27 seasons, and has averaged 21 wins a year during that stretch.

While the Black Eagles surprised many by overcoming their struggles to reach the regional semifinals, Riverside raised a few eyebrows of its own by not following a similar path.

Granted, the Warriors haven't exactly set the world on fire with a 19-15 record, but for a program that had enjoyed just four winning seasons since 2000, this season has been a pleasant surprise.

Just not to coach Chris Hawkins and his club.

"Based off of the past, it's uncharted territory for the community and the school. But for myself and our coaches and kids, we're right where we expected to be," Hawkins said. "We've set the school record for wins. We've been playing well all year and won eight out of the last 11 games. We're getting hot at the right time."

Much of Riverside's recent success can be attributed to its offense. During its current stretch, the Warriors have outscored their opponents 97-36. In two regular-season meetings with South Charleston, Riverside posted wins of 11-7 and 18-4.

"We played good against them a couple of times, but obviously what happened in the regular season doesn't matter now," said Hawkins. "They just upset Logan in the section final. We've been preaching to our kids that it doesn't matter who we're playing, we just have to play our game."

Catcher Alex Daugherty leads the Warriors with a .436 average and 30 RBIs. Second baseman and leadoff hitter Doug Prather is batting .421 with 19 stolen bases, while first baseman Trevor Rumberg is hitting .389 and outfielder Pat Horton .349 with 13 steals. Tyler Hall is the Warriors top pitcher, having picked up the win in the opening sectional game against Capital.

"Riverside's good. They can hit. Up and down that order, they can hit," said SC coach Ken Samms. "And they've got a couple good arms, especially Hall. We'll see what we can do.''

The Black Eagles offense is led by center fielder Rease Ripley, who is hitting .409 with seven home runs and 32 stolen bases. Catcher Jonathan Cline carries a .395 average with 30 RBIs and 19 steals, while infielder Jake Woolwine had a .359 average and a team-high 36 RBIs. Jobst is SC's top pitcher, sporting a 3-5 record and 5.11 ERA.

The winner of today's game advances to Thursday's regional final against either Princeton or Woodrow Wilson, and will play at home.

Reach Jeff Rider at 304-348-5122 or jri...@wvgazette.com.