On the brink of elimination, Loganville followed its 7-3 loss in Game 1 of its Class AAAAA state championship double-header at Houston County with a 4-1 victory in Game 2.
In the opener, Houston County fell behind 3-0 after Loganville plated three runs in the top of the second inning. Houston County’s Blake Dawson hit an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to cut it to 3-1. After three scoreless innings, the Bears took their first lead in the final out of the fifth inning on an RBI double by Jake Fromm that, with the help of a two-run error, put Houston County up 4-3. Tony Locey pitched six innings and allowed eight hits and three earned runs, while striking out 11 Loganville batters. Houston County’s Tanner Hall pitched a scoreless seventh inning to get the save. Timothy Elliott took the mound for Loganville and struck out 12 batters, while giving up four earned runs.
In Game 2, Loganville’s Mitchell Miller and Houston County’s DL Hall staged a pitcher’s duel that went scoreless into the fifth inning. Loganville broke the scoring drought in the bottom of the fifth with a run off of a wild pitch to take a 1-0 lead. Houston County tied it up the next inning on another wild pitch run and the teams entered the bottom of the sixth tied 1-1. Hall was taken out with one out left in the fifth inning after striking out 10 Loganville batters and allowing just one earned run. Tyler Flewellyn then took the hill for Houston County and walked four batters and allowed three runs in his 1 1/3 innings pitched. Bryce Fowler drove in the three Loganville runs on an RBI single in the sixth inning before Miller closed the door in the top of the seventh inning with a strike out and two groundouts. Miller tossed a three-hit complete game.
Houston County will host Game 3 of the series Tuesday at 6 pm.