There are three locations playing host to the end of the GHSA baseball season – AdventHealth Stadium in Rome for Classes 3A and 4A, JI Clements Stadium in Statesboro for Classes A Division I, II and 2A and Coolray Field in Gwinnett for Classes 5A, 6A and 7A.
There will be one state championship recap file for each of the three locations.
Follow the links to see 3A and 4A, A Division I, II, 2A or see the 5A, 6A and 7A recaps below.
Gwinnett Stripers – Coolray Field
Thursday
Class 5A
Loganville 5, 3, 4, Cartersville 3, 14, 3 (Loganville wins series and championship 2-1)
Loganville won the program’s eighth state championship after outlasting Loganville in a decisive Game 3 Friday and a single from Angel Quezada to score Tucker Segars proved the game and series-winning hit. The victory marked the third consecutive championship for Loganville.
Cartersville did all its scoring on one play, a three-run home run by Luke Smith in the top of the second inning before watching Loganville’s rally. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Quezada singled to score sophomore Aiden Gorvett. Senior Jaylen Jones grounded to second base to score Phillips to cut into the Cartersville lead and, on a wild pitch, junior Ace Kenny scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3.
Defending-champion Loganville and Cartersville, a quarterfinalist from last season, split the first two games of the series after Loganville earned a 5-3 victory in the first game before Cartersville put on an offensive exhibition in a 14-3 victory in the second game.
Cartersville scored four runs in the top of the first inning in the key second game to take control on a single from junior Andrew Purdy which scored senior Luke Miller. Junior Tristan McKibben tripled to right-center field to score Purdy and senior Aidan Larkin, putting Cartersville up 4-0.
Loganville scored on a double from senior Tucker Segars, which scored senior James Beaver. Senior Nolan Keener scored Segars on an RBI single to center field and advanced to third and scored on a throwing error by the Cartersville catcher.
In the top of the third inning, McKibben singled to center field which scored Purdy after a throwing error. Senior Charlie Rothschild singled to left-center which scored McKibben and Cam Cochran to put the Hurricanes up 4-3. In the top of the fourth inning, Cochran scored Purdy on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead.
Miller was hit by a pitch in the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded to score McKibben. Larkin doubled to score senior Turner Abernathy and junior Thomas Peters. Caleb Daniel singled to right-center to score Larkin and Miller and senior Landon Cole grounded out to plate Daniel, extend the lead to 14-3 and cap scoring.
In the first game, Loganville too a 1-0 lead from a single by sophomore Jordan Johnson which scored Jack Phillips. Cartersville tied the game on a single to right field from Purdy to plate senior outfielder Caleb Daniel. The Hurricanes took a 2-1 lead from an RBI single by Miller to score McKibben.
Loganville tied the game on a single from Segars to plate Jones in the top of the third inning. The Red Devils took a 3-2 lead on a sacrifice bunt from Jones to score Phillips in the top of the seventh inning. Cochran hit an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to score Larkin.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Johnson scored on a throwing error by the first baseman to put Loganville up 4-3. Sophomore Matthew Berardinelli scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth inning after Phillips reached base on a fielder’s choice sacrifice bunt.
Friday
Lowndes 4, 4, Grayson 3, 2
Before last season’s 7A championship victory, Lowndes had not won a state championship since 2000 – that’s 23 years.
And before that? 1981.
But after a sweep of Grayson – with victories of 4-3 in 10 innings and 4-2 — the Vikings have won back-to-back titles for the first time in program history and secured the team’s third baseball title.
With the opening game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning, senior Ashton Bohler tripled to the left field to score sophomore Cason Fletcher and junior Garrett Moon to secure the victory. The Vikings took a 1-0 lead on a single from Noah Thigpen to score senior Tate Sirmans in the bottom of the first inning.
In the top of the third inning, Grayson’s Cole Wright ran to second base after a throwing error by the pitcher on a failed pickoff attempt, which scored junior Elijah Miller. Iin the top of the fifth inning, the Rams took a 2-1 lead on a double from junior Alex Espinosa, which scored Miiller.
Lowndes tied the game on a pop-fly to center field from senior Jordan Hudson, which scored junior Jacarre Fleming. In the top of the 10th inning, Grayson took a 3-2 lead on a balk, which plated junior Landon Arroyos, setting up Bohler’s heroics.
In the second game, Lowndes went up 1-0 in the top of the third inning on a pop-fly by Thigpen which scored Bohler. Grayson tied the game in the bottom of the third inning after Miller flied out to centerfield which scored senior Austin Williamson.
Lowndes retook the lead on an RBI from Bohler to plate Hudson and the Vikings expanded the margin in the top of the seventh inning. Thigpen reached base on a throwing error, which scored Page. Hudson got on base after a fielder’s choice which scored Lewis. IN the bottom of the seventh inning, Grayson scored on a single from sophomore Adrian Figueroa, which scored Jaaden Nicholson.
Grayson was trying for the program’s first-ever state championship.
Saturday
Etowah 15, 6, Pope, 0, 4
An offensive flurry was the story of the night at Coolray Field as Etowah combined for 21 runs in two games in the Class 6A GHSA state championship series to defeat the Pope Greyhounds to win their second state championship in program history.
This is the Eagles first state championship since 2017.
The mercy rule came into effect in game one as the Eagles defeated the Greyhounds 15-0 through four innings. The team recorded 12 hits in the opening game and followed with a 6-4 victory in the second game to win the state championship.
In game one, Etowah scored nine runs in the fourth inning, as they extended their 6-0 lead from the first three innings to 15-0 to ultimately end the game.
The fourth inning was highlighted by a three-run home run from sophomore center fielder and University of Miami baseball commit, Trevor Condon to extend the Eagles lead to 10-0– but the Eagles were not finished just yet at the plate. After Condon’s home run with one out in the bottom of the fourth, the onslaught continued as an RBI-single from senior outfielder Reece Wehr brought home senior Jake Zehner and Walker May.
Back-to-back walks from Pope with the bases loaded allowed two more runs to score before sophomore Matthew Sherman scored an RBI on a pop up to right field to put the mercy rule in effect with a 15-0 lead. Sherman was given the win on the mound tonight in game one while also making an impact at the plate as he recorded two strikeouts and held the Greyhounds to zero runs.
In game two, a five-run sixth inning for the Etowah Eagles proved to be the deciding factor.
The Greyhounds struck first with an RBI-single from Tanner Morneau up the middle in the bottom of the third to take the 1-0 lead. With two outs in the top of the fourth, Condon hit a triple into left field which was followed by a wild pitch during the next at-bat, bringing him home for the Eagles first run of the game.
After Etowah answered Pope to tie the game at 1-1, the Greyhounds had two runners on second and third before senior infielder Carter Joachim hit a 2-RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.
Condon continued his exceptional night at the plate with yet another RBI in the top of the sixth to cut the Greyhound lead to one run. After a throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt which was followed by a walk, the Eagles had the bases loaded with no outs. Zehner hit a single up the middle and was able to bring home Condon and Keller Foster to take the 4-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth. The runs didn’t stop there as two RBI singles from Bryce Adams and Jake Sabo extended the lead to 6-3 by the end of the top of the sixth.
With their season on the line, Pope scored a run in the bottom of the seventh but a Drew Abney groundout to third ultimately ended the game.
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