Tuesday’s quarterfinal recaps

By Stephen Black, Sean Conway, Alex Ewalt, Fletcher Proctor

GHSA baseball quarterfinals action got underway Tuesday night on diamonds around the state. Some series were decided with two-game sweeps, some were delayed and others were split and will be decided tomorrow.

Brookwood 11, Harrison 2: Lucas Sims went the distance in Game 1 as the host Broncos thumped the Hoyas 11-2 in a Class AAAAA quarterfinal. Sims struck out eight while allowing just two earned runs on four hits. Zach Moon hit two home runs and drove in five in the Game 1 win. The second game was delayed by a lighting issue in the top of the fourth as Harrison held a 7-3 lead. If the lighting issue is not fixed, Game 2 will restart Wednesday.

Grayson 14-5, North Cobb 1-3: The visiting Rams swept North Cobb thanks mostly to the efforts of their Game 1 starting pitcher Taylor Allum. On the mound, Allum went five innings and collected two hits while driving in four runs at the plate. In Game 2, Allum added two more RBIs and Korey Anderson pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to earn the win.

Mill Creek 7-1, Camden County 0-0: Cody Pugh (10-1) and Shane Seckinger (10-1) each had complete game shutouts for Mill Creek at home, with Seckinger giving up just one hit after taking a no-hitter into the final inning of Game 2. The Hawks got the deciding run in Game 2 when Tim Hernandez scored from third on a double steal in the second inning.

Class AAAA

Greenbrier 7-5, Marist 2-3: The host Wolf Pack swept defending state champion Marist on the strength of complete games by Georgia Tech-commit Jordan Hunt and Austin Robinson. Greenbrier had a balanced attack, with nine hits in Game 1 and 10 hits in Game 2. The Wolf Pack scored in four innings of each game.

Loganville 2-3, Pope 5-2: Duane Underwood got the win for visiting Pope in Game 1, and Nate Lowe sparked the offense with a two-run homer in the first inning. Loganville’s Christian Miller picked up the complete-game win in Game 2. The Red Devils got a two-run homer from David Mayo and a solo shot from Clint Frazier to force Game 3 at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Johns Creek 4-4, Harris County 2-1: The Gladiators advanced to the semifinals thanks to wins by Matthew Gorst, who went 6 2/3 innings in Game 1, and a complete game by Ryan O’Connell in Game 2. Skye Overton hit a solo home run in the first inning of Game 2, and scored a run in the third. Dylan Dore was 1-for-2 with an RBI in Game 1.

Whitewater 5-8, Forsyth Central 4-6: Whitewater rallied for the win after trailing 4-1 entering the Wildcats’ final at-bat. John Mark Rhodes drove in a pair of runs in the seventh before Hunter Bening doubled home the tying and winning runs. In the second game, Forsyth Central claimed an early 4-1 lead, but Whitewater would again rally. Alex Liquori doubled home a pair for the Wildcats.

Class AAA

Gainesville 11-12, Carrollton 1-1: David Gonzalez (11-0) threw a complete game in Game 1 and Michael Gettys (11-0) went four innings to win Game 2, both games lasting five innings. In Game 2, host Gainesville got two two-run home runs from Hunter Anglin, two solo homers from Luke Moore, and a homer each from Skyler Weber and Gettys, who was 3-for-3 in Game 1.

Class AA

Appling County 5, Blessed Trinity 4, eight innings: Byron Buxton was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a single and two runs – including the game-winner – for the host Pirates. Buxton also threw all eight innings, striking out eight and giving up four earned runs. Nathaniel Maggio hit a two-run homer for Blessed Trinity. Game 2 was rained out and will be played Wednesday.

Buford 6-14, Pierce County 8-2: The Bears and Wolves split the first two games, with Game 1 going to nine innings. Pitcher Sam Clay went six innings for Pierce County, striking out eight Buford hitters. Clay also had three hits (including a home run) and drove in a pair of runs. Pierce County capitalized on the five errors committed by the Buford defense.

Calhoun 3-0, Lovett 2-2: The Yellow Jackets pulled out a win at home in Game 1 as Austin Norrell pitched seven innings to beat out Mitch Stallings, who also tossed a complete game. In the second game, Jack Geraghty went the distance as the visiting Lions used a two-run third to earn a split. Robby Blair singled and scored for Lovett.

Class A

Eagles Landing Christian Academy 1-1, George Walton Academy 0-3: Jacob Heyward hit the game-winning homer in the seventh inning for the Chargers. In Game 2, Ben Parr pitched a complete game for the visiting Bulldogs, allowing just one run on two hits. Casey Schubert began a fifth inning rally with a triple, and Evan Alderman drove home two for George Walton.

Providence Christian 2- 2, Hebron Christian 0-1: In a rematch of last year’s state championship series, the visiting Stars got two RBIs from John Bailey in Game 1. For Hebron Christian, Jordan Hillyer took the loss despite striking out 12. Steven Slaughter struck out six batters in earning a complete game in Game 2 for Providence Christian. Mason Felt struck out 12 in the second game for the Lions.