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 link to see the Class 5A, 6A and 7A, A Division I, II, 2A or see the Class 3A and 4A recaps below.
Rome Emperors – AdventHealth Stadium
Friday
Class 3A
Harlem 13, 7, Calvary Day 5, 0 (Harlem sweeps)
Harlem won the first seven of its state championships from 1974 to 1986 before capturing last year’s 3A championship. Following a two-game sweep of Calvary Day in the championship series, the Bulldogs have successfully defended a state championship for the first time since 1983.
The Bulldogs kept Calvary Day from crossing the plate in the championship-clinging Game 2 7-0 victory. Junior Walker Spivey reached on a fielder’s choice to score senior Shane Wheeless in the top of the second inning. Spivey scored on a walk by senior Tyler Simmons and junior Will Holder hit a sacrifice fly to score senior Jeremiah Hamilton.
In the top of the third inning, senior Amerson Guy reached first base after a pitching error which scored junior Steven Harshbarger to extend the lead to 4-0. Spivey singled to right-center to score Guy to expand the margin. Iin the top of the fifth, Harlem added a run on an error by the pitcher, which plated Spivey. Senior Caiden Coile singled to left field to score Simmons and secure the title in the top of the sixth inning. Coile pitched all seven innings of the second game and had seven strikeouts after facing 30 batters.
In the opening game, Harlem scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning to expand the margin. The Bulldogs got on the board in the bottom of the first inning after TJ Lindo took advantage of a wild pitch to get to first base while Holder scored. In the bottom of the second inning, Spivey singled to right field to score Coile, Simmons singled to played Spivey and Hamilton scored on a wild pitch to put Harlem up 4-0. Holder singled to score Simmons, Guy doubled to scored Holder and Harshbarg reached on an error, which plated Lindo and gave Harlem a 7-0 lead.
Senior Jake Fulmer singled to score Wheeless in the bottom of the third inning and then stole home plate to extend the lead. Calvary Day scored its first runs of the championship series in the top of the fourth inning on a single from sophomore Carter Hampton to score junior Cutter Powell. Senior Caden Arnold singled up the middle to score junior Brody Dawson and junior Sam Renshaw scored on an unearned run after an error by the first baseman.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Holder singled to score Hamilton and Harshbarg singled to the left field to score Fulmer. Calvary Day added on run on a single from Hampton in the top of the sixth inning but Harlem added a run in the bottom of the sixth inning on a single from Hamilton to score Coile to put the first game out of reach.
Calvary Day was trying for the team’s third state championship after winning in 2005 and 2007.
Class 4A
Starr’s Mill 11, 2, Cherokee Bluff 1, 1 (Starr’s Mill wins 2-0)
Starr’s Mill had a sour taste after losing in a sweep to North Oconee, the eventual champions, in the semifinals of last year’s baseball championship. At the time, the Panthers were one year removed from the team’s first-ever state championship in 2021 and felt somewhat short-changed to see the season end in that round.
But after outlasting Cherokee Bluff in a sweep, Starr’s Mill has won the team’s second state title following an 11-1 victory in the first game and a 2-1 victory to secure the championship.
In the championship-clinging victory, junior pitcher Kyle Rudolph pitched five innings, allowed two hits and one run with four strikeouts after facing 20 batters. Rein pitched two innings and faced two batters while allowing two hits.
But it was a double from senior Austin Sellers which scored senior Bo Walker in the top of the fourth inning which proved to be the go-ahead, championship-clinging run.
Cherokee Bluff took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a single from sophomore Ethan England to score senior Ty Corbin. Starr’s Mill tied the game on a double from senior Drew Richardson to score Walker.
Starr’s Mill opened with an offensive flurry in the 11-1 victory in the first game of the championship series. Trailing 1-0 entering the bottom of the second inning, Starr’s Mill scored three runs to take the lead for good.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Panthers scored seven runs to secure the victory.
Senior Drew Richardson walked, and Austin Killingsworth advanced to third on a wild pitch, which allowed Sellers to score. Senion Charlie Clem singled to left field which scored Killingsworth.
Senior Max Prozny singled to right field to score Richardson and give Starr’s Mill a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Walker singled to score sophomore Brock Rein. Sellers singled to center field to score senior Jack Ryan. On a failed pickoff attempt, Walker scored on an error to extend the lead.
Killingsworth bunted to score Seller and senior Heath Whitlock gave the Panthers a 10-0 lead on a triple to left center which scored Richardson and Killingsworth. In the bottom of the sixth, the Panthers scored on a single from Killingsworth to plate Ryan.
Cherokee Bluff was trying for the team’s first-ever state championship. Starr’s Mill won the 2021 Class 5A title after beating Loganville 1-0, 4-2. The championship this season marked the second for long-time Starr’s Mill head coach Brent Moseley.
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