North Gwinnett never trailed but needed some opportunistic base running and Chad White's first save of the season for a 7-5 win over Chapel Hill.
After having to win their final five games of the regular season -- their last on a walk-off grand slam -- to qualify for the postseason as the No. 4 seed out of Region 7-AAAAA, the Bulldogs have defeated a No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seed on their way to the school's first semifinals appearance in the state's largest classification.
"We've really battled; we've been in the playoffs for a month," North Gwinnett coach Frank Vashaw said. "In particular, early in the season, we were riding the bats of two guys, [Christopher] Hawkins and Nick Jones. We've started to hit up and down the lineup. Our pitching has given us a chance.
"We've had several comebacks during the season."
One wasn't needed Wednesday, though this was far from a runaway.
The teams entered the bottom of the sixth tied 5-5 after Chapel Hill scored twice in the top of the inning.
North Gwinnett was able to take the lead, though, thanks to a throwing error by Chapel Hill and then a wild pitch on a strikeout, which allowed Luke Tindol to score from third with what turned out to be the winning run. White followed that with a single that scored Kyle Norton to give the Bulldogs an insurance run headed to the seventh.
White then stepped to the mound and retired the Panthers in order for his first save of the season.
For Vashaw, in his fifth year coaching the Bulldogs, the game wasn't a thing of beauty, but the result was what he hoped for.
"It wasn't the prettiest game," Vashaw said. "It was kind of who could outlast the other. When it counted, our pitchers stepped in and got some key outs. We were fortunate. We were able to take advantage of a couple of mistakes. In high school baseball, it's often about who can get the most free runs."
Will Bates and Coty Nash each had three hits for North Gwinnett, which will start its semifinal series Monday at Harrison.
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