High School

⚾ ⚾ ⚾Baseball ⚾ ⚾ ⚾

GHSA playoffs

Class AA

Bleckley County 3, Pepperell 1; Bleckley County 2, Pepperell 0

          The Royals got enough in the opener with three in the third, all their runs unearned. J.R. Fordham and Carter Brannon had two hits each for Bleckley County, Fordham going the distance for the win in a four-hitter with five strikeouts and two walks. Eli Mullis was money on the mound in the nightcap with a complete-game win, fanning eight with four walks and four hits, on 106 pitches. Dawson Chapman and Matthew Bland had two hits each for Bleckley County, which got single runs in the first and fourth.

Callaway 10, Lamar County 1; Callaway 10, Lamar County 4

          Callaway led 6-0 after two, and took advantage of a five-error game the Trojans, with five unearned runs. Kale Bryan had two of Lamar County’s three hits. A four-run third put the hosts in the nightcap driver’s seat. Both teams had seven hits – Ayden Hollis and Bryan had two hits each – but for Lamar County errors helped lead to four unearned runs.

Class A Public

ACE 14, Bryan County 0; ACE 9, Bryan County 1

          The Gryphons busted out with 11 runs in the first, keeping it to a 4.5-inning game. Tate Brown had two hits, with a four-RBI game from JD Lewis, and two each from Grant Edwards, Ashton Donaldson, and Sam Whitley. Trevor Derrick drove in five runs on three hits in the clincher. Both teams had three errors, with three of ACE’s runs unearned. Trevor Cannon and Lewis had an efficient game on the  mound.

ECI 9, Crawford County 8; ECI 12, Crawford County 2

          The Eagles rallied with one in the seventh in the nightcap, but it wasn’t enough. Trevor West had three hits and three RBI for the Eagles, while Brennan Hudson and Luke Cody had two hits each. ECI broke open a close game with eight in the fourth, aided by 11 walks in the win. West and Blake Bishop each had two hits for Crawford County.

Metter 10, GMC 0; Metter 16, GMC 3

          Metter held GMC to one hit in the five-inning opener, the Bulldogs battling walks and errors. The nightcap was a 4-3 game after four, and Metter exploded for 11 runs in the final two innings. GMC had eight errors and gave up 13 unearned runs while striking out 17 times. Trey Woods drove in two of the Bulldogs’ runs.

Class A Private

FPD 8, North Cobb Christian 5; NCC 12, FPD 1

          A pair of three-run innings in the middle put FPD up 6-3 in the win. Micah Henley had two hits and three RBI for the Vikings, while Colton McDonald drove in two. NCC took control of the nightcap with four in the second, and had 12 more hits.

Mount Paran 2, Tattnall 1, 8 inn.; Mount Paran 5, Tattnall 1

          The hosts walked it off in the opener with two outs, getting a walk, error, hit batter, and walk. Russ Miller and Charlie Morris had two hits each, Tattnall held to six hits. The Eagles were held to four hits by Benjamin Stubbs, who suffered his only loss of the season, and their runs were unearned. Mount Paran’s pitching held Tattnall to one hit in the nightcap, the final game as head coach for Joey Hiller, and scoreless until the seventh, the Trojans again with three errors. It was also Tattnall’s final GHSA series, with the move to the athletics arm of the GISA.

Tuesday’s GHSA baseball

Class 6A

Houston County 8, Cambridge 6; Houston County 8, Cambridge 2

          The Bears led 7-2 after three and kept Cambridge’s rally intact late. Drew Burress belted a grand slam, while Gage Harrelson, Andrew Dunford, and Kai Decker added two hits each. Harrelson got the save and Dunford the win. A six-spot in the top of the fifth broke a 2-all tie, keyed by Dunford’s triple, two errors and a wild pitch. Houston County took advantage of three errors for five unearned runs, both of Cambridge’s runs being unearned on three Bear errors. Garrett Hortman had three hits and Hunter Chiappetta two for Houston County, which got six solid innings from Ryker Chavis (6K, 2BB, 5 hits). The Bears are in the Elite 8 for the fourth straight year.

Class 5A
Decatur 8, Veterans 4; Decatur 7, Veterans 3

          Decatur scored four in the fifth to break the tie, and sat the Warhawks down in order after that. Jarrett Pierce had three hits and three RBI for Veterans. Decatur took a 4-0 lead after two in the clincher, and the Warhawks couldn’t catch up in a five-hit game. Brennan Mercer drove in two runs for Veterans.

Class 4A

Perry 12,Druid Hills 2; Perry 9, Druid Hills 5

          The Panthers advanced on O and some pitching, Tyler Newhouse with four RBI on two hits and Lane Smith with three on two in the opener to go with Brayden Long’s 3-for-3 game, and two-hit offerings from Carson Bryant and Connor Griffin. Bryant whiffed seven with a walk and seven hits in the five-inning game. A five-run first set the tone in the nightcap, Druid Hills getting all its runs n the bottom of the seventh. Perry got two-hit games from Long, Bryant, Dylan Butler, and Alex Scarborough, with three RBI from Bryant – who also scored three times – and two from Scarborough.