It’s been a big week for Walton and sophomore outfielder Jason Rooks, who drove in the winning runs in one-run victories over Lassiter and Cherokee.
In the Lassiter victory, which clinched the Region 5-AAAAAA title for Walton, Rooks was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and the game-winning single in the 4-3 win.
Two days later, Rooks was 3-for-3 with two doubles, one that provided the walk-off hit in the seventh of a 6-5 win over Lassiter.
According to MLB Prospect Guide, Rooks is the 19th-best high school prospect for the 2017 major league draft.
Walton entered Thursday night’s game against Cherokee with a 21-3 overall record, 14-1 in the region, and ranked No. 3 behind Parkview and Lambert.
Parkview clinches Region 8-AAAAAA
Parkview (22-2, 13-1) clinched Region 8-AAAAAA with a 16-11 victory over Grayson this week. It was Parkview’s 20th straight victory and sixth straight region championship. Brandon Hill hit two home runs, giving him six on the season to augment his .391 batting average. Austin Biggar (.365) also has six homers. Daino Deas (.423) leads the team in hitting. The team has two seven-game winners, junior Will Ethridge (7-0, 0.74 ERA) and senior Ryne Inman (7-1, 1.58). Ethridge is hitting .344.
Tucker sweeps Lakeside for 2-AAAAAA title
Tucker (16-5, 11-1) beat Lakeside-DeKalb (20-6, 11-4) three times this week – all one-run games – in a series that decided Region 2-AAAAAA. Both entered the week with one region loss. Freshman Treyvon Flowers had two hits in two of the games. He had only two hits on the season before those. Jake Lovvorn had two homers in the series, giving him nine on the season. Lovvorn (4-1, 1.88), Julian Sewell (5-1, 2.23) and Jonathan Beaver (2-0, 4.34) got the pitching victories.
Collins Hill takes Region 7-AAAAAA
Collins Hill (17-8, 11-3) won its final six games, including a 4-2 victory over North Gwinnett on Thursday, to win Region 7-AAAAAA. The game against North Gwinnett decided the region champion. Cole Zabowski allowed two runs over six innings, and Nick Topoleski pitched the seventh for the save. Mark Flores went 2-for-3. Collins Hill also had a critical 8-5 victory this week over Mountain View, which entered the week in first place. Zabowski had two hits in that game. Junior shortstop William Holland had three hits. Collins Hill missed the state playoffs on a tiebreaker last season.
East Coweta’s 9-game win streak nets 3-AAAAAA title
East Coweta (17-6, 13-1) finished region schedule on a nine-game winning streak to win 3-AAAAAA. The clincher was a 10-3 victory over Westlake this week. Junior first baseman Jaquez Williams hit two doubles and a home run. East Coweta holds a region tiebreaker edge over county rival Newnan (18-4, 12-1).
Harrison shuts out Kennesaw Mountain in key 4-AAAAAA game
Harrison beat Kennesaw Mountain 2-0 and can win the region with a victory at home Thursday against North Paulding. Harrison used three pitchers – Andrew Burchell (4 innings), Jake Shelby (2 1/3) and Sam Kuchinski (2/3). Kennesaw Mountain errors contributed to Harrison’s runs.
No. 1 Wesleyan beats No. 2 Lovett
Wesleyan, the No. 1-ranked team in Class AA, took control of Region 6-AA on Thursday with an 8-1 victory over second-ranked Lovett. Jordan Ward (6-1) pitched a three-hitter. Jahmai Jones (.464) hit a homer and a double, Christian Stark (.319) was 3-for-4, and Brendan Abernathy (.429) was 2-for-2 with two doubles. Wesleyan is 20-4 overall, 10-2 in the region, and holds tiebreaker advantages over Lovett (19-4, 11-2) and Greater Atlanta Christian (22-4, 12-2).
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