Wednesday's Central Georgia Daily News 'n Notes: Big GHSA Game 3s; Braves' Riley pleases; MGSU baseball battles; state golf teams make NCAAs; United win
Wednesday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
The Scoreboard is quiet – but coverage is not.
Tattnall, Bleckley County at home for Game 3s
And both – the thrill of victory, agony of defeat – were exhausting.
In The Latest Coverage
Braves Report
Austin Riley made quite an impression in his debut with the Braves, coming in a hurried 24-hour period, belting a homer in his second at-bat in Atlanta’s 4-0 win over St. Louis.
On Campus
Knights battle in regional
Middle Georgia State lost the first game of the Macon Bracket of the NAIA baseball tournament on Monday, and then went on a three-game winning streak.
The Knights beat Rio Grande 9-6 Wednesday to advance to the championship round against Southeastern.
That’s where the run – and the season – ended with a 3-0 loss to the region’s top seed and national No. 1 Southeastern.
MGSU finished the regular season No. 10 in the national poll, and at 42-16.
Southeastern went 3-0 in the Macon Bracket, MGSU 3-2 and the only team to win more than one game.
MGSU pitching gave up 11 hits, but kept the Fire from doing much with them. Southeastern scored one in the first, fifth, and seventh innings.
The Knights were outhit 11-4, but still stranded 10 runners. Gunar Sellers led MGSU with two hits.
Houston County grad Blake Jackson went 0 for 3 in his final collegiate game.
MGSU tennis advances
Middle Georgia State’s men’s tennis team beat No. 11 Tennessee Wesleyan 5-0 on Wednesday to advance to the NAIA national tournament Elite Eight.
The women knocked off Cardinal Stritch 5-1 to move on.
Golf regionals
Medalist Davis Thompson led Georgia to the Athens Regional title and the regular spot in the NCAA men’s golf championships.
Georgia Tech finished fourth in the Pullman (Wash.) Regional, sparked by 68s from Luke Schniederjans and Connor Howe, and advance to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2015.
Georgia Southern is headed to the NCAAs for the first time since 2010 after finishing fourth in the Stanford Regional.
The NCAAs are May 24-29 at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.
Around/About Central Georgia
Mercer visits Furman to close out regular season
The Southern Conference baseball race for second is a crowded one, and Mercer will try to clear that up this weekend at Furman.
The series starts at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Mercer is tied with UNCG for second, both at 13-8. The Spartans are 32-15 overall and the Bears 28-24. Right behind is Wofford (12-8, 31-22). UNCG took two of three from Mercer in late March, a week before Wofford did the same.
UNCG hosts Wofford this weekend, while league leader Samford is at sixth-place ETSU.
Furman (23-28, 11-10) is in fifth place, and has won five of its last six.
The conference tournament begins on Tuesday in Greenville with No. 8 vs. No. 9, with full action picking up on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Around/About Georgia