Playoff recaps: Hebron eliminates King's Ridge

Then in the clincher, Sloan Bennett was 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBI. Spence Johns pitched a complete-game six-hitter. He allowed two earned runs. Johns also helped himself with a double, an RBI, a sacrifice and a stolen base.

King's Ridge had won each of the past two state titles in Class A private. Hebron, of Dacula, won in 2011.

Hebron will play Tattnall Square of Macon in the finals, which begin Friday.

Below are highlights from all 41 state-playoff games played on Tuesday. There are six more slated for today. Look for reports on those tonight.

AAAAAA

Pope’s pitching shuts down South Cobb

Pope swept South Cobb 7-1 and 12-0. Josh Lowe was 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBI and a home run in the opener. Buddy Floyd and Michael Wynne also had two hits apiece.  Cameron Allison struck out 12 in 6 1/3 innings and allowed only two hits. In Game 2, Lowe and Parker Orr homered, and Ethan Lawson was 3-for-4. Ryan Webb (4 IP) and Matt Rowland (1 IP) combined on a six-hitter in a five-inning run-rule game.  South Cobb was the only No. 4 seed in the AAAAAA quarterfinals. Pope won Region 5.

Nunez walk-off hit keeps Collins Hill alive

Nasim Nunez’s walk-off single to right field helped Collins beat Harrison 5-4 in Game 2, earning a split. Harrison won the opener 8-3 as Ryan Parker pitched six innings, allowing just one run. Justin Fields was 2-for-4 with a double. James Williams and Nathan Fancher also had two hits for Harrison. In game 2, Nunez, the No. 9 hitter, was the hero. He was 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI. Riley King was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Jordan Adcox (1.2 IP, 0 R) was the winning pitcher in relief of Spencer Douches (5.1 IP, 3 ER).

Norcross wins both games in final at-bat

Norcross swept Etowah 3-2 and 2-1, winning both games in the final inning. In Game 1, Norcross, trailing 2-1, scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Patrick Hutton (2-for-4) drove in the winning run on a single to right field, scoring pinch-runner Cole Hanna. An error and a hit batter also figured in Etowah’s demise. Zach Walch and Devin Mayfield also had two hits for Norcross. Graeme Stinson allowed just one earned run in six innings. In Game 2, Norcross pushed across a run in the top of the eighth to break a 1-1 tie. Walch and Hutton again had two hits. Riu Peng was 2-for-4 with a double that scored the game-winner in the eighth.

Walton advances against Etowah

Walton swept Lambert 5-4 and 3-1. In the opener, Zac Kristofak pitched a complete game. He allowed seven hits and struck out six. Ben Spencer was 2-for-3. Parker McCoy was 2-for-3. In Game 2, Jason Rooks was 2-for-3 with a home run and a double. Jason Avers was 3-for-3 with two RBI. Carter Kieboom and Spencer also had two hits.

AAAAA

Houston County stages two big comebacks

Houston County swept Columbus 5-4 and 8-7, winning both games with dramatic comebacks. In the opener, the Bears scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning after trailing 4-2. All five batters reached in the inning, which ended on Austin Hittinger’s double to center field. Jake Fromm was 3-for-3 with a double. Hittinger, Austin Langford and D.L Hall had two hits apiece.  Langford tripled, and Hall doubled. Tyler Flewellyn pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and got the win. In Game 2, Houston County trailed 7-3 entering the seventh inning and scored four to tie, then one in the eighth to win. Columbus allowed two runners to reach by error in the seventh-inning collapse, one on a dropped third strike. Hall and Blake Dawson each were 3-for-4.

McCullers 6-for-7 in Loganville sweep

Loganville swept Kell 3-2 and 6-0. Loganville won Game 1 on Justin Moss’s single in the bottom of the seventh inning. Timothy Elliott pitched 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven. Drew Franklin got the win after pitched 2/3 innings in the top of the seventh, getting Loganville out of a fame. In Game 2, Mitchell Miller pitched 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and allowed five hits. Ryan English faced two batters, striking out both, to finish up. Carson McCullers was 4-for-4 (6-for-7 in the series). Gabe Knight and Bryce Fowler had two hits apiece.

South Effingham takes two from Winder-Barrow

South Effingham swept Winder-Barrow 12-9 and 5-4. In the opener, Austin Thompson (3-for-5) and Tyler Pullum (3-for-3) had big days at the plate, and Daniel Ambrose hit a home run. All nine South Effingham batters had at least one hit. Caleb Gonsalves was the winning pitcher despite allowing seven runs in six innings. Darrell Woodall was 3-for-4 with four RBI for Winder-Barrow. In Game 2, Winder-Barrow got three runs in the first inning, but South Effingham scored single runs in five of the next seven frames to win. Turner Davis homered for South Effingham. Winder-Barrow committed four errors, leading to three unearned runs. Davis Hare pitched a complete game for South Effingham.

Carpenter stars in Gainesville-Dalton split

Gainesville and Dalton split. Gainesville won 7-1 as Sam Carpenter was 2-for-3 with two doubles and the winning pitcher, throwing a five-hitter with five strikeouts. A.J. Smallwood also had two hits. Carpenter, the son of former major-league pitcher and University of Georgia player Cris Carpenter, then went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run in Game 2, but Dalton won 11-7 on 14 hits. Cade Gabriel was 3-for-3 with a triple.

AAAA

Defending champ Buford rolls through Cartersville

Buford, the reigning champ, swept Cartersville 6-5 and 10-3. In the seventh inning of the opener, Cartersville had runners at second and third with one out, two runs in, when Austin Wilhite struck out the final two batters. Starter Justin Glover pitched five innings, allowed three runs and struck out seven. Wilhite, Nick Wilhite and Griffin Jolliff had two hits apiece. Jolliff had two doubles. In Game 2, Jolliff hit two home runs and drove in four and was the winning pitcher (7 IP, 7 H, 8 SO). Austin Wilhite was 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBI and a triple. Brandon Marsh had two hits, one a double.

Locust Grove, Heritage split; Lindow throws no-hitter

Locust Grove's Ethan Lindow pitched a no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over Heritage in Game 1, but Heritage of Ringgold won 5-4 in 10 innings in Game 2, winning in the final at-bat. In the opener, Lindow struck out 10. Trevor Sellers was 2-for-3 with a double. In Game 2, Heritage loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th and scored a grounder to second. Noah Hill, who opened the inning with an infield hit, beat the throw home. Heritage didn't get the ball out of the infield in the inning. Joseph Hill, Noah Hill and Cole Wilcox had two hits apiece. Wilcox pitched all 10 innings for Heritage.

Ellison’s three-hit shutout starts Veterans to sweep of Woodward

Veterans swept Woodward Academy 9-0 and 10-7. In Game 1, Andrew Ellison pitched a three-hitter. He struck out only two but also coaxed a pair of double-play grounders. Gabe Holt was 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored. Leyton Pinckney was 3-for-4 with a double. Josh Lee and Tyler Daughtry also had two hits apiece. In Game 2, Pinckney, Daughtry and Derek Wylie homered.

St. Pius earns split with Eastside on Gooden’s 10-strikeout game

St. Pius and Eastside split. Eastside won the opener 5-4. Nick Womack was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Connor Hewell was 2-for-3. Eastside scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning for a 5-3 lead, and Gray Ritchey pitched the final two innings and struck out five. Garrett Gooden kept St. Pius alive in Game 2, a 4-1 St. Pius victory, as he pitched a complete-game three-hitter, struck out 10 and allowed no earned runs. Gooden, a Georgia Tech signee and major contender for state player of the year, was 3-for-6 with three walks in the series. Chris McNulty was 5-for-7.

AAA

Cedartown musters 26 hits in two-game sweep of Calhoun

Cedartown swept Calhoun 12-11 and 9-1. The opener was a classic as Cedartown scored three in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game, then won on Carlos Robinson's single to center field in the 10th. McCollum scored the game-winner after a leadoff double. Walker Barrow was 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Jack Haney was 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI. Cedartown had 17 hits. In Game 2, Haney pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run and six hits. Miles Minoe pitched the final 1 1/3 innings and struck out three. Haney was 3-for-4 at the plate with a double. For the series, Haney was 5-for-8 with eight RBI and one pitching victory. Cedartown had 26 hits in the two games.

Hartzfeld, Huber, Benson put on show for Westminster

Westminster took out Westside-Augusta 11-1 and 13-2. In the opener, Will Benson was 3-for-5 with two home runs, five RBI and three runs scored. Kenneth Hartzfeld was 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI and also was the winning pitcher. He allowed three hits in the five-inning run-rule game. Shota Yasuda was 3-for-4 with two runs scored (and 5-for-7 in the series). In Game 2, Blake Huber was the winning pitcher (4 IP, 2 ER, 5 SO) and hit a grand slam.

Blessed Trinity shuts out Franklin County twice

Blessed Trinity, considered by some to be Georgia’s best team in any classification, swept Franklin County 10-0 and 5-0. Hayden Lehman pitched a three-hitter with nine strikeouts and just one walk in the opener, which was a six-inning run-rule decision. Colin Davis was 3-for-3 with two doubles. Garrett Dupuis was 2-for-4 with two doubles. Colin Dore hit a home run. In Game 2, John Michael Bertrand pitched a four-hitter. He struck out five. Dupuis was 3-for-4 with a double (and 5-for-8 with three doubles in the series).

Ringgold, Jackson County split

Ringgold and Jackson County split. Ringgold won the opener 14-9 and had 17 hits. Cade Gilbert hit a three-run homer, and Andre Tarver had a two-run homer. Jackson County's Joel Ellis had had a home run, two doubles and a single in the losing cause. Jackson County then won 6-2 behind right-hander Zane Corley.

AA

GAC eliminates Bowdon; Schultz fans 11 in opener

Greater Atlanta Christian swept Bowdon 9-3 and 12-4. In the opener, Andrew Schultz struck out 11 and allowed three hits over six innings. Carter Lewis was 3-for-4. Johns Hamilton, Erik Smith and J.P. McGuire each had two hits. Both of Smith’s were doubles. In Game 2, Gabe Davenport was 3-for-4 with a double, and Smith, Zach Savage, Harrison Sloan and Nathan Nakada each had two hits. Matt Gresham hit a grand slam for Bowdon. GAC will face Lovett in the semifinals beginning Monday.

Weed’s walk-off hit sends Wesleyan to the semifinals

Ryan Weed’s single to center field, scoring Jake McCleskey with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning, gave Wesleyan a 5-4 victory in Game 2 and a sweep of Berrien. McCleskey and Weed each had two hits in the game. Andy Archer pitched the full eight innings. He struck out seven. In the opener, an 8-1 victory, Cole Mannion was 2-for-2 with a triple, two walks and two runs scored, and Jordan Ward pitched a complete game, allowing six hits and striking out six. Colin Hall, Ryan Weed and John Morris had two hits apiece. Wesleyan will face the winner of the Heard County/Holy Innocents’ series.

Schunk has stellar series in Lovett sweep of Union County

Lovett swept Union County 4-3 and 12-2. In the opener, Aaron Schunk (4 IP, 5 H, 4 SO) and Thomas Murray (3 IP, 2 H, 3 SO) didn’t allow a walk or an earned run, as Union County’s three runs came on errors. John Staton and Austin Jeter had two hits apiece. In Game 2, Sam Pritchard pitched a five-inning one-hitter in the five-inning run-rule game. Jeter was 2-for-3. Schunk was 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored.

Heard wins on walk-off hit; Holy Innocents’ gains split

Heard County and Holy Innocents’ split. Heard won the opener 7-6 after trailing 6-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning. Zack Hill had a walk-off single to win it. In Game 2, a 5-4 win for Holy Innocents’, Alfred Granier pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed only one earned run. Granier came back from allowing the winning run in Game 1. Guillermo Granier pitched the final 1 2/3 innings and got the save. John McNair had two hits and an RBI. David Adams had a pinch-hit, two-run single.

A

Here are the summaries from Monday's games  …

Walker, Williams star in Trion sweep of Charlton County

Trion beat Charlton County 8-2 and 6-4. In the opener, Trion broke the game open with a five-run sixth inning in which Malik Martin hit a grand slam. Evan Walker was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Drew Williams pitched a complete-game seven-hitter. He walked only one. Game 2 was tied 4-4 entering the bottom of the sixth inning and got two runs on RBI singles by Walker and Williams (2-for-4, double, four RBI). Walker pitched a complete game and allowed six hits and just one earned run. He struck out seven. Trion last won a state championship in baseball in 1983. Charlton won in 2013 and 2014.

Treutlen takes two from champ Schley County

Treutlen swept defending Class A public-school champion Schley County 3-1 and 2-1 as Tristan Cone hit a two-run homer in the opener and was the complete-game winning pitcher in Game 2. In Game 1, Treutlen had only three hits. Jordan Morris doubled in Tyler Summerall, who had singled, for Treutlen’s other run in the fourth inning. Zach Hughes threw a complete-game six-hitter. He allowed no earned runs and struck out seven. In Game 2, Cone struck out eight and allowed only seven hits. Cone had had one of Truetlen’s two hits. Hughes had the other, as Treutlen had just five hits in the two games. Brett Usry, the tough-luck loser, struck out eight. Treutlen last won a state title in any sport in 1974 (boys track and field).

Tattnall Square eliminates Calvary Day

Tattnall Square knocked out Calvary Day with 7-2 and 6-1 victories. In Game 1, Cory Bartholomew pitched a complete game, allowing eight hits and only one earned run. He struck out six. At the plate, Bartholomew was 2-for-3 with a double and a home run. Luke Laskey and Garrett Houston also were 2-for-3. Laskey had a homer and a double. In Game 2, Blake Simmons and Austin Marchman were each 3-for-4. Nick DiPonzio homered. Garrett Houston struck out 11 and allowed four hits, three in the seventh inning, when Calvary scored its run.

Hebron saved by 5-run 7th

Hebron Christian scored five runs after two were out in the bottom of the seventh inning Monday and defeated King's Ridge 6-5, forcing a Game 3 on Tuesday. Hebron won it with a bases-loaded walk-off double by Luke Crawford. It scored two. Hebron trailed 5-1 with a runner on first base and two outs. Six straight Hebron batters reached – three hit by pitches. James Civelli (2-for-2, BB) started the nine-batter inning with a single.  Ben Coker pitched a complete game for Hebron.

In the opener, King’s Ridge jumped to a 4-0 first-inning lead and won 8-1. Austin Campbell had a two-run double in the inning. Kyle Brnovich, an Elon signee, pitched five scoreless innings. He struck out nine and allowed four hits. He was 2-for-4 at the plate. Brnovich and another big game in the finale. He was 2-for-4 with a triple, a double and two runs scored, but in a losing cause. Campbell was 2-for-2 with a double. Fraser Ellard pitched five scoreless innings but was pulled.