Sunday's Report: GMC & FPD alums, Bacon win; Braves, GIA, Falcons, UGA, Hawks, United; NCAA ⚾, NBA, MLB, golf, tennis, NASCAR, more
Saturday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media. Updates will be noted, so check back.
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Alumni Update
GMC, FPD grads getting national championship rings
Soon enough, Cory Bivins and Noah Takac will have some jewelry to show off when they come home to Milledgeville and Macon.
Both will at some point have some national championship rings to show off after helping North Greenville to the NCAA Division II national title.
The Crusaders held off Point Loma 5-3 on Friday night, avoiding a winner-take-all third game in the double-elimination tournament in Cary, N.C.
Bivins went 1 for 4 with a run in the final, North Greenville watching Point Loma rally with two in the top of the ninth.
Bivins went 0 for 2 in the 8-5 win over West Chester in the semifinal, but dropped two successful sacrifice bunts, one leading to a run.
The top-seeded Crusaders opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over West Chester (Pa.) last Sunday. Bivins had a hit and RBI.
North Greenville set records with its 18-3 win over Angelo State on Tuesday, setting a tournament record in Cary since 2009.
Bivins had two hits and scored three times, pushing his average up to .329. Takac – who started his college career at Davidson - got the start and went five efficient innings, throwing 76 pitches and striking out two and walking two with only one hit, improving to 7-0 and dropping his ERA to 1.60.
That’s how Takac’s season ended statistically, with Bivins finishing with a .324 average, 15 doubles and 54 RBI.
Around/about Central Georgia
Bacon roll in non-league game
Macon scored nine runs in the first two innings and cruised to a 15-2 win over the Catawba Valley Stars in a non-league game that went seven innings.
Grant Smith went 5 for 5 with three runs, three doubles and five RBI for Macon, accounting for half of the Bacon’s hits. Pitchers Tyler Rigot, Rane Pfeiffer, and Marcus Cashman teamed for 11 strikeouts against one walk and four hits.
Macon visits Forest City on Monday, and the teams play at Luther Williams on Tuesday.
Around/About Georgia/Southeast
Albies belts grand slam in huge eighth, Braves win 10th straight
Documentary on Georgia Interscholastic Association airs Monday
Mariota working with Smith, remembering how to ‘play free’
Smart happy with Bobo as OC, and golf partner
How busy will the Hawks be on the trading block?
Long journey back for United’s Hyndman
NCAA Super Regionals
A&M the first to make CWS, wins second straight one-run game
Auburn gets early lead, holds on at Oregon State
Texas comes back, and then walks it off
Virginia Tech offense awakens to force finale
Rebels rout in Battle of Mississippi opener
Tennessee routs Notre Dame to even it up
UConn nearly blows huge lead, holds on at Stanford
How Auburn built a Super Regional team despite disadvantage
The state of Mississippi loves baseball
Rumors about Florida State job and Jarrett start
Basketball/NBA/WNBA
Sniping about Curry sure quieted
Popovich’s coaching tree in the finals, and beyond
Momma Green not sure what’s wrong with her son
Baseball/MLB/Baseball
Philly on best run in 11 years
Kershaw returns, loses to Giants
Marlins extend win streak to five
‘Fire Tony’ chants break out in Chicago
Son of ex-Dodger Sax among five Marine killed in exercise
Golf/Tennis
Finau, McIlroy share RBC Canadian lead
Schwartzel gets nearly 5 mil for first LIV event win
Murdered journalist’s fiancée: ‘they should be banned’
Kinhult leads in ShopRite LPGA
Kyrgios says he faces racist abuse in loss to Murray
Auto Racing
Larson gets fifth straight Sonoma pole
Football/NFL/USFL/CFL
Del Rio deletes Twitter account
Tyreek Hill said what about Tua and Mahomes?
College Football
Big 12 expansion in 2023 puts schedules into debate
College Sports
AAC lets Cincy, Houston, and UCF go
Hockey
Stamkos scores twice, Lightning back in final
Colorado rides two goalies in to Stanley Cup final
Boxing/MMS
Prochazka takes title in stunning finish
Around the nation/world