Monday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.

The postseason scoreboard/schedule again has the night off. All is here.

 

John Milledge advances to GISA baseball finale

          Down 4-2 despite a quality pitching effort, John Milledge’s offense awoke for five runs in the sixth en route to a 7-5 win Monday over Westfield in a GISA Class AAA state semifinal.

          The Trojans advance to Friday’s championship at Mercer against Dominion Christian, winner over Tiftarea. They, too, were forced to play Monday. Dominion Christian won 5-4 on Friday and Tiftarea 6-1 in Monday’s first game before DC took a 4-1 win in the finale.

          An RBI double from Dalton Prestridge and RBI single from Carson Dyer tied the game with one out in the top of the sixth. After a fielder’s choice out and a walk, Brandon Bellflower put JMA ahead with a single to right, and Jacob Prestwood and Jared Prestwood followed with RBI singles.

          Westfield got one back in the bottom of the sixth after loading the bases with one out, Gage Locke bringing in Daniel Smith with a single.

          But Bellflower got two straight outs to end the threat, and then retired the Hornets in order in the seventh.

          Bellflower was a bell cow, going six innings in relief and battling with seven strikeouts and seven walks, giving up two hits. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run. Jacob Prestwood also went 3-for-4 with two RBI, Prestridge and Dyer adding two hits each.

 

GHSA completes baseball championship assignments

          The finals will be in five facilities, including Luther Williams Field. In The Latest Coverage.

Bleckley County hosts Jeff Davis at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in a Class AA semifinal and Tattnall welcomes Hebron Christian at 4 p.m. on Tuesday in Class A-Private.

 Central Georgia soccer teams set for state matchups at Mercer

          The GHSA soccer finals at Mercer are set for a pair of Central Georgia teams.

          The ACE girls will take on Atlanta Classical in the Class A-Public final Thursday at 5 p.m., to be followed by GMC’s boys against Lake Oconee Academy in the Class A-Public boys championship.

          Mercer’s Five Star Stadium is also hosting games on Friday at 5 and 7:30 and Saturday at 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7:30 p.m., teams to be announced.

          Tickets are $12 a day and can be purchased at GoFan.

 

NAIA baseball: Middle Georgia State falls

          A homer by Houston County alum Blake Jackson gave Middle Georgia State an early lead, but Rio Grande (Ohio) stormed back with five in the sixth en route to an 8-4 win Monday in the Macon Regional of the NAIA baseball tournament.

          The Knights will play Huntingdon at 11 a.m. on Tuesday in an elimination game.

          British Columbia topped Huntingdon 7-5 in the first game, delayed more than two hours because of a lack of field preparation after the weekend’s rain.

          Top-seeded and top-ranked Southeastern beat British Columbia 4-1 in Monday night’s final game.

          Rio Grande scored on three doubles, two singles, a passed ball and an error in the clinching sixth.

          MGSU loaded the bases in the third and fourth and came up empty.

          The Knights put two up in the seventh.

          Conference player of the year Zach Cornell led off with a double, advanced on M.J. Rookard’s single and scored on Guner Sellers’ single. Rookard then came in on Jacob Durant’s run-scoring squeeze bunt to make it 6-4, bringing in M.J. Rookard. But the inning ended with a bases-loaded double play.

          But two in the top of the ninth sealed it for Rio Grande.

          The Knights stranded three times as many runners as the Red Storm,12-4.

          Sellers went 4 for 5 with two RBI, Cornell and Chris Burgess adding two hits each for the Knights, who outhit the Red Storm 13-11.

 

Braves Report

Braves by the numbers

Was the visit to the desert a mirage?

Chipper behind the mic

Next: vs. St. Louis, Tuesday, 7:20 p.m., MLB/FSSE; vs. St. Louis, Wednesday, 7:20 p.m.; vs. St. Louis, Thurday, 7:20 p.m.MLB/FSSE; vs. Milwaukee, Friday, 7:20 p.m., FSSO

 

Around/About Central Georgia

GMC JC golf team delayed at national tournament

          Day 1 of the NJCAA women’s golf championship was delayed because of weather, and the Bulldogs will tee off Tuesday at 12:20 p.m.

 

Mercer eyes top-10 road win

          The final regular-season conference series awaits Mercer this weekend at Furman, and the Bears will try to take the momentum of an upset into that meeting.

          Mercer visits No. 6 Georgia Tech on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

          The Bears are 28-23 and the Yellow Jackets 35-15. Tech won 14-8 in Macon in March.

          Mercer’s Kel Johnson is a grad transfer who played at Georgia Tech, and is fifth nationally with 21 homers.

 

Around/About Georgia

Georgia leads golf regional

          Georgia’s even par was good enough for a two-shot lead over fourth-ranked Vanderbilt after one round of the NCAA Athens golf regional.

          The No. 16 Bulldogs will play with Vandy and No. 9 Duke on Tuesday.

          Spencer Ralston and Davis Thompson shot 2-under 69s to tie for second.

 

Georgia Tech in third at Pullman Regional

          Freshman Connor Howe shot a 4-under-par 66 as four Yellow Jackets matched or broke par Monday, leading No. 8 Georgia Tech into third place after the opening round of the NCAA Pullman (Wash.) Regional at Palouse Ridge Golf Club.

          The Yellow Jackets are two strokes back, and are paired with leader Texas A&M and second-place Oklahoma Tuesday.

 

Georgia Southern in third at Stanford Regional

          Jake Maples’ 67 helped Georgia Southern to third place after the first day of the NCAA Stanford golf regional.

          The Eagles are four shots behind No. 12 Stanford and three behind UNCG of the Southern Conference. GSU is just ahead of No. 26 North Carolina.

          Colin Bowles is tied for 15th at 1 under.