Calvary Day, Gordon Lee win state baseball championships

Savannah Christian still had a chance, with a runner on second in the bottom of the seventh, but Calvary closer Noah Bauer picked him off for the final out. Johnson and Waylan Heidik had two hits apiece in Game 2.

In the opener, Calvary scored six runs in a first inning highlighted by Heidik’s three-run double. Brody Dawson was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Johnson pitched into the seventh inning and allowed five hits.

Though the schools are about 7 miles apart, they were in different regions and did not face each other until Monday.

The state championship was Calvary’s third overall, first since 2007. Calvary was the Class 3A runner-up to Harlem last season.

“This was something that I felt like was a long time coming for us, and we knew we had a good squad coming back and were excited about the opportunity to be able to chase it again this year,” Calvary coach Phillip Lee said. “The good Lord let it come to fruition for us.”

Calvary finished 29-7 and won its final 14 games with a 10-0 playoff run. Savannah Christian was 26-15.

Gordon Lee beat Pepperell, 6-2 and 7-6, at AdventHealth Stadium in Rome.

In Game 1, sophomore Braden Little was 3-for-3 with three RBI and two doubles, and junior Peyton Groce was 3-for-4 with a double.

Little hit a two-out, two-run single to break a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning. Aiden Goodwin pitched a two-hitter with seven strikeouts.

In Game 2, Gordon Lee took a 7-2 lead while batting around in the fifth inning and scoring four runs.

Pepperell got within 7-6 and had runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth before Jackson Scali got a critical strikeout. He then pitched a scoreless seventh.

Scali and Garrett Ross each were 2-for-4. Pepperell’s Jonathan Kilgo was 4-for-4with a double and a triple.

The championship was Gordon Lee’s fifth and first since 2019. Gordon Lee finished 42-3, all of its losses in series that it won 2-1.

Pepperell was 31-7. Both are northwest Georgia schools.