Two best-of-three championship series will go to the decisive third game after Cherokee Bluff and Troup of Class 3A and Lanier County and Wilcox County of Class A Division II split their doubleheaders Tuesday in the GHSA baseball playoffs.
Troup won the first game of the Class 3A series 5-1 at AdventHealth Stadium in Rome before Cherokee Bluff answered with a 15-0 victory in a second game that was shortened to four innings. Troup and Cherokee Bluff will play again at noon Wednesday in Rome to decide the championship. Both teams are seeking their first title.
Jake Perry led Troup in the first game, pitching a complete game and allowing just five hits. He also drove in the Tigers’ first run with a single in a two-run second inning. Torreion Delaney also drove in a run in the second with a double and had an RBI single in the fifth that gave the Tigers a 5-0 lead.
The teams were tied 0-0 in Game 2 heading into the bottom of the third inning, but Cherokee Bluff scored eight runs in the third and seven in the fourth to put the game away.
Bubba Coleman, Bryce Fontenot, Kaden Thompson, Beau Bruns and Cody Bridger had two hits each for the Bears, and Ethan England drove in three runs with a single and a groundout. Tucker Holton allowed two hits in four innings pitched.
Lanier County, the defending champion in Class A Division II, lost the opener to Wilcox County 5-1 but kept its season alive with a 16-6 victory in Game 2 at Georgia Southern’s J.I. Clements Stadium. The teams will meet again at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Statesboro to decide the championship.
Game 2 was tied 5-5 until Lanier County broke it open with four runs in the fifth inning and seven more in the sixth. Kendrick Noble had a two-run single in the fifth and a two-run triple in the sixth. The second baseman went 5-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs scored in Game 2. Grant Gano, Ashton Cook, Hayden Mullis and Talen Tarbox had two hits each for the Bulldogs.
Wilcox County, seeking its first state championship, took advantage of two Lanier County errors to score four unearned runs in a 5-1 victory in Game 1. Deacon McDuffie drove in a run with a two-out, infield single to ignite a three-run sixth inning after Lanier County had cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the inning.
Johnny Nutt pitched a complete game, allowing just three hits and striking out 13.Insert story here.
Class 3A boxscores
Game 1
Credit: West Georgia University Sports
Credit: West Georgia University Sports
Game 2
Credit: West Georgia University Sports Information Services
Credit: West Georgia University Sports Information Services
Class A Division II boxscores
Game 1
Credit: West Georgia University Sports Information Services
Credit: West Georgia University Sports Information Services
Game 2
Credit: West Georgia University Sports Information Services
Credit: West Georgia University Sports Information Services
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