Franklin County had no answers in the 13-1 loss to North Hall in the first game of the Class 3A championships series. However, the Lions weathered the loss, rallied, and forced a third game with a 3-1 victory in the nightcap game.
In the first game, North Hall took some time to get warmed up and was leading 1-0 for the first four innings. But in the top of the fifth inning, the Trojans scored eight runs on five hits and three errors to take a 9-0 lead. North Hall expanded the lead with four runs on two hits in the top of the sixth inning which put the game out of reach.
Jace Bowen led North Hall with three hits with two RBIs while Jaret Bales and Bradford Puryear each had two hits. Bales and Hudson Barrett each had three RBIs. Bales pitched six innings, faced 23 batters with four hits and one earned run. Lawson Gailey pitched 4.1 innings and allowed ten hits and seven earned runs.
In the second game, junior Chandler Coulter put Franklin County up 2-0 in the third inning on a two RBI single up the middle which scored AJ Peebles and Garrett Garner. Bowen got North Hall on the board with a sac fly in the fourth inning which scored Tate Brooks. Franklin County expanded the lead on a RBI single from JD Ginn in the fifth inning which scored Coulter.
Coulter, Ginn and Evan Herring each had two hits to lead Franklin County. Kayne Kinks pitched seven innings and allowed two hits without an earned run. Eli Reece pitched five innings for North Hall with eight hits and three errors.
The deciding Game 3 will be Monday at a time to be determined. Franklin County has never won a state championship. North Hall wants its second title after a 3A championship in 2017.
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