Newnan started the season 1-6, but how teams finish mattered in Region 2-AAAAA this week.
On Tuesday, Kevin Scott hit a grand slam onto Newnan’s fieldhouse in left-center field to evoke the run rule and set off a spirited celebration at home plate in a 14-2 victory over Luella (18-6, 11-2). The victory clinched the region title for Newnan (16-8, 12-1) and extended the team’s winning streak to seven.
Newnan catcher Clint Clark (.433, 9 HRs, 38 RBIs) has been the team’s anchor, though Marc Frazier (.486, 6 HRs) and Chris James (.443, 38 runs) have had big years, too. Sophomore pitcher Brandon Dawson (7-1, 1.71 ERA) pitched a seven-inning perfect game against Newton earlier this month.
Parkview wins 16th region title
Parkview’s championship in 8-AAAAA is the Gwinnett County school’s 16th in history. The Panthers (18-7, 13-2) missed a chance to nail down the region Monday in a 7-3 loss to arch-rival Brookwood (18-6, 11-3). They got it Wednesday with a 19-4 victory over Berkmar as Marquis Webb had three hits and a grand slam. Parkview is one of the younger state contenders, with seven underclassmen batting .400 or better. They are sophomore outfielder Josh Hart (.487), junior shortstop Edwin Arias (.486), junior first baseman Matt Olson (.470, 10 HR, 33 RBI), sophomore catcher Jarrett Freeland (.429), sophomore outfielder Ryan Blanton (.411), junior second baseman Jeff Ronpirin (.407) and junior outfielder A.J. Davis (.405). It’s also a team without a true ace, but a deep staff of five pitchers with at least three wins led by Olson’s four.
Lassiter wins region
Lassiter (19-6, 10-1) clinched its eighth region championship (5-AAAAA) this week. Lassiter’s current 11-game winning streak includes two extra-inning games and three other wins decided by one run, including the region-clincher against Marietta on Wednesday, a 9-8 victory. Audi Plemmons hit a two-out grand slam in the seventh to tie the game, and Matt McGuire hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth for the winning run. Lassiter was the Class AAAAA runner-up in 2010 to Harrison. Lassiter plays Etowah (18-7, 9-2) on Friday.
Pope overcomes slow start
Pope survived an early five-game losing streak, but hasn’t lost since an embarrassing 23-4 loss to Harrison on April 8 and can clinch 5-AAAA with a win Friday at South Paulding (14-3, 9-3), although a loss would drop the Greyhounds to fourth. Pope (16-8, 9-2) has won seven consecutive games. Georgia Tech signee Connor Lynch, a catcher, is hitting .452 with five home runs and 24 RBIs. Duane Underwood (1.57 ERA, .366 batting average, 18 stolen bases) is the best all-around player, one of two metro Atlanta juniors selected to play in the 2011 summer Under Armour All-America game. The other is Parkview’s Olson.
No. 1 Hebron Christian cruises
Hebron Christian, the No. 1-ranked team in Class A, had its 20-game winning streak ended in a 4-3 loss to George Walton Academy last week, but secured the region title in Region 8-A this week with 11-0 and 13-0 wins, the kind of routs that have become common for this Dacula private school. In the 11 games since Hebron beat George Walton 3-2 on March 19, Hebron had outscored its opponents 147-11 — an average of 13-1. The team’s rotation is the classification’s best with blue-chip junior lefthander Mason Felt (6-1, 1.20), senior Kevin Burgee (5-1, 0.57) and junior Jordan Hillyer (6-0, 0-47). Hillyer (.428) also is a top hitter. The shortstop, Danny Lockhart, is hitting .619. The center fielder, Christian Davila, is hitting .488 with seven home runs.
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