Cherokee/Forsyth Beat: April 16-22

Woodstock and Sequoyah faced each other in a cross county rivalry, as both teams eased their way back from Spring Break with the non-classification game. The Wolverines won the decision 1-0 making it their second-straight shutout as they beat Cherokee 5-0 one week prior. Kent Emanuel, K.J. Reid and Carter Sangrey combined to get the win while scattering four hits against Sequoyah. David Mason knocked in the game’s only run with a pinch hit single. The two wins were welcomed by the Wolverines who had been on a three-game slide against region competition.
Next up for Woodstock is the tail end of the schedule as they face Kennesaw Mountain and McEachern, two teams they have beaten in previous meetings this season. Only one run separated Woodstock and Kennesaw Mountain in their last game as the Wolverines held on for the 6-5 victory. They followed up that victory with a 12-2 bashing of last place Region 5, Class 5A McEachern. A regular season sweep of both teams would go a long way as the Wolverines battle for the final playoff spot with seven region games to go.
One player who has been outstanding for Woodstock this season is Kent Emanuel. While his contribution on the mound certainly made an impact against Sequoyah, he was nearly perfect in the game against Cherokee, in which he missed having a perfect game by one error committed by the Wolverines. Emanuel also broke a school record in that game recording 17 strikeouts.
Etowah is a team that Woodstock is looking up at on top of the Region 5, Class 5A standings. It was business as usual for the Eagles over Spring Break, as they played three games against top flight out-of-state competition. Saturday’s game against Marietta will be a rematch of a game played earlier this season in which Etowah won 11-9 in an eight inning thriller.
CLASS 3A ACTION …
Creekview beat Gilmer to push their winning streak to four as they hold a two-game advantage over White County for first place in the Region 7A, Class 3A standings. Over the four-game winning streak, the team has plated at least 10 runs in each appearance, including 16 against Pickens and more recently 19 against Gilmer. The Grizzlies travel today to face Lumpkin, a team they beat 9-0 at home earlier in the season. While Creekview will certainly be the heavy favorite, as they have been more of a complete team with strong offense as well pitching, Lumpkin is a young team that has played well, although inconsistently, this season.
Forsyth Central hosted Cherokee in a cross county showdown that went nine innings, eventually ending in a win for the Warriors 8-6. The Bulldogs showed a lot of fight playing from behind most of the game to force the extra innings. Cherokee struck first with an unearned run in the second inning. Central held a slight 2-1 lead, but not for long as Cherokee jumped out in front. Spencer Transue came up big hitting a two-run triple in the bottom of the seventh that scored two runs sending the game into extra frames. Jake Landry and Josh Lemons both had RBIs in the ninth inning to give the Warriors a two-run advantage.
In a very competitive game with region and county bragging rights on the line, West Forsyth avenged a 2-1 early season loss with a 10-8 victory in eight innings over Lambert. The Longhorns trails Gainesville in Region 7B, Class 3A by two games. Will Skidmore led the deep offensive attack for West going 4-for-5, with a triple and 3 RBI. His most important RBI came in the eighth inning when he singled in Reece Patten for the go-ahead run.
ON THE COURTS …
The West Forsyth boys and girls tennis teams both enter region play with aspirations of qualifying for state. The county rivals have played close matches against each other on two occasions this season and all four teams have recently cracked the top 10 in the state rankings.
The Lambert girls have been particularly good down the stretch. After losing 3-2 to West Forsyth in the fifth match of the season, the team is yet to give up another loss, winning nine-straight matches 5-0, including a March 24 rematch with West. In the last match of the regular season, the sixth-ranked Lambert girls didn’t even give up a set. Kealee Heffner didn’t even lose a game in her singles match and the doubles team Taylor Lefton and Erica Hoggatt came out unscathed as well winning 6-0, 6-0.