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, 7A, Class 3A and 4A or see the Class A Division I, II and 2A recaps below.
Georgia Southern University – JI Clements Stadium
Friday
Class A Division I
Prince Avenue Christian 6, 9, Tallulah Falls 5, 4
Defending-champion Prince Avenue Christian needed just two games to win the program’s second state championship after moving past Tallulah Falls 6-5 in the first game (8 innings) and 9-4 in the championship-clinching second game.
In the opening game, Prince Avenue trailed 5-3 entering the bottom of the seventh inning and a two-RBI single from senior Trey Taylor scored sophomore Dylan White and senior Andrew Gillespie to tie the game and force extra innings.
White’s double to right-center scored senior Will Goff and secured the victory in the eighth inning. Senior Mason Banks pitched six innings of the first game and had five strikeouts while allowing 11 hits after facing 29 batters. Cole Broxton closed the game, allowing one hit with three strikeouts after facing eight batters.
In the second game, the teams were scoreless through the first four innings but scored five runs in the top of the fourth inning to take control. Iin the streak, Eli Attaway doubled to left-center to score Judson Hartwell and Goff, senior Connor Causby singled to left field to score Attaway, Kyler Giddens singled to score Taylor and Hudson Hill singled to score Causby.
Tallulah Falls got on the board with a fielder’s choice single from senior Chris Waldron which scored Chase Pollock. Prince Avenue scored on a single from Attaway which plated Hartwell after a throwing error from the centerfielder.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Tallulah cut into the lead on a triple from junior Danny Vigille-Grant, which plated senior Caden Walker. Junior Diego Gonzalez hit a pop-fly to center field to score Vigille-Grant.
Prince Avenue scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning on a single from Gillespie, a walk by White and a single from Taylor to extend the lead to 9-3. Walker singled to left field to score Waldron but Tallulah could manage no more offensive production.
Sophomore Drew Payne pitched four innings, allowed four hits, two runs and faced 19 batters to fuel the Wolverines.
Tallulah Falls was trying for the program’s first-ever state championship.
Saturday
Class A Division II
Lanier County 1, 8, 3, Charlton County 5, 7, 2 (Lanier County wins 2-1)
Lanier County has a group of sophomores to thank for a comeback which captured the team’s first-ever state championship. Trailing 2-0 entering the top of the sixth inning, Lanier County reeled off three runs to secure a victory in the do-or-die Game 3 Monday afternoon.
Charlton scored in the bottom of the first inning on a double from Cole Crawford which plated junior David Walters. Crawford singled to the pitcher in the bottom of the second inning to score Isaiah Baker, expanding the margin. In the top of the sixth inning, Lanier County scored on a pop-fly from sophomore Grant Gano, which plated sophomore Drake Wolford. Sophomore Talen Tarbox singled and advanced to second base on a fielder error, which scored sophomore Stone Carey and sophomore Kendrick Nobles.
Defending-champion Charlton was trying for the team’s fourth title after winning in 2013, 2014 and last season.
Charlton County and the Lanier County split the first two games of the Class A Division II championship series. Charlton County won 5-1 in the first game followed by Lanier County winning 8-7 in game two to force the series-deciding game three Monday afternoon.
A four-run second inning was the difference in game one for Charlton County. The team recorded 10 hits, opposed to six from Lanier County. The scoring in the second inning began with a throwing error which allowed one run to score followed by an RBI-single from David Walters to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.
Senior Cole Crawford added to the Charlton County offense with a double to left center, bringing home Walters and senior Garrett Vickers to give the Indians a 4-0 game early in the state championship. Vickers led Charlton County at the plate going three-for-four in game one. Another run for the Eagles in the fifth inning off a bases-loaded walk allowed Haze Johnson to extend the lead to 5-0. A throwing error allowed a Bulldogs runner to get home in the seventh, but it was too little too late giving Charlton County the game one victory. The pitching in game one from Cole Crawford was the story of the game as he struck out seven Lanier County batters in seven innings.
“I think we had a good approach and game plan, still left too many runners in scoring position,” said Charlton County coach Thad Marchman.
Lanier County recorded nine hits and held off 12 hits from Charlton County to secure the second game victory. The Bulldogs responded to an early run from Charlton County by scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning, to give them the early lead with their season on the line.
Three RBI-singles in a row from Lanier County’s Grant Gano, Talen Tarabox and Hayden Mullis gave the Bulldogs an early 3-1 lead. A Charlton County throwing error allowed another two runs to score before sophomore right fielder Drake Wolford hit an RBI-groundout single to extend the Bulldog lead to 6-1. Gano’s second RBI of the night came in the bottom of the second as he added another run to the Bulldogs total bringing it to 7-1.
The Indians began a run, scoring six-consecutive unanswered runs, beginning in the third inning to tie the game in the sixth inning. The Indians responded to the seven unanswered runs in the first two innings with a Cole Crawford RBI-single in the third and two runs in the fourth inning from an RBI-single from Vickers and an RBI from Isaiah Baker to cut the lead to 7-4. A two-run home run to left field in the top of the fifth inning by Eli Hobbs brought the Bulldog lead to just a run by the end of the fifth inning. In the top of the sixth, another Baker RBI, this time a double into left field, scored the sixth unanswered run for the Indians to tie the game 7-7.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lanier County broke the tie with an RBI-single from junior shortstop Ashton Cook gave the Bulldogs a one-run lead, 8-7 which proved to be the difference maker in the second game of the series. With runners on first and second in the top of the seventh with two outs, Charlton County’s Ethan Crawford lined out to left field as Lanier County was able to force game three.
”We made poor decisions defensively with runners on base that cost us,” said Marchman. “They also had some timely hits.”
Monday
North Cobb Christian 6, 0, Appling County 2, 3 (Series tied 1-1)
Defending champion North Cobb Christian and Appling County will have to wait one more day to decide which school will win its second-ever state title after splitting the first two games of the series, with North Cobb Christian winning the opening game 6-2 and Appling County winning the second game 3-0.
In the Game 3-forcing second game, with the season on the line, Appling County pitcher Dayson Griffis pitched a gem, throwing a complete game shutout while only giving up three hits and striking out 11 batters.
The Pirates used a two-run second inning to take the lead, with John Evan Sikes scoring the game’s first run on a Greyson Hall sac fly and a Griffis two out RBI single that scored Isaac Edenfield. Appling County added one last run in the fifth when Hall scored on a Landon Anderson single.
The Eagles had several opportunities to put runs on the board.
However, they struggled to hit with runners on base, going 1 for 9 with runners on base and 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, leaving six runners on base. On the other hand, Appling County hit 4 of 12 with runners on base and 2 of 7 with runners in scoring position, a discrepancy that ended up being the difference in the 3-0 game.
In Game One, a big second inning was the difference for North Cobb Christian. After Hudson Newell scored the Eagles’ first run off a fielding error in the first inning, North Cobb Christian put four runs across the plate in the bottom of the second. Jackson Uggla started the scoring with a home run, followed by a two-run RBI double by Brock Parker that scored Carson Bruce and Spears Martin. Parker then finished off the inning by scoring on a wild pitch by Appling County pitcher Collin Ewaldsen.
Appling County closed the gap to three runs in the top of the fifth inning after two RBI singles, one in the fourth inning by Nate Livingston that scored Ewaldsen and one in the fifth inning by Griffis that also scored Ewaldsen. However, North Cobb added one more run in the bottom of the fifth, to win 6-2 on the back of a dominant performance from pitcher Asher Sabom, who threw six innings, giving up only five hits and two runs while striking out 11 batters.
Tuesday
Class 2A
North Cobb Christian 6, 0, Appling County 2, 3 (North Cobb Christian wins 2-1)
North Cobb Christian successfully defended last season’s championship and secure the program’s second title after outlasting Appling County 3-0 in a decisive Game 3 Tuesday.
North Cobb’s junior pitcher Ross Rea was the key, pitching a complete-game shutout, facing 24 batters and allowing just three hits. The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth inning – much thanks to Rea — when senior Ryan Kelley advanced to third base on a wild pitch which scored senior Carter Van Orden.
Senior Michael Mullinax reached base on a fielding error by the short stop which advanced freshman Austin Tamborra to third base and scored senior Asher Sabom. Tambora scored on a fielding error after Mullinax stole second base, allowing the unearned run and capping scoring.
North Cobb Christian won the opening game 6-2 and Appling County winning the second game 3-0. In the Game 3-forcing second game, with the season on the line, Appling County pitcher Dayson Griffis pitched a gem, throwing a complete game shutout while only giving up three hits and striking out 11 batters.
The Pirates used a two-run second inning to take the lead, with John Evan Sikes scoring the game’s first run on a Greyson Hall sac fly and a Griffis two out RBI single that scored Isaac Edenfield. Appling County added one last run in the fifth when Hall scored on a Landon Anderson single.
The Eagles had several opportunities to put runs on the board.
However, they struggled to hit with runners on base, going 1 for 9 with runners on base and 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, leaving six runners on base. On the other hand, Appling County hit 4 of 12 with runners on base and 2 of 7 with runners in scoring position, a discrepancy that ended up being the difference in the 3-0 game.
In Game One, a big second inning was the difference for North Cobb Christian. After Hudson Newell scored the Eagles’ first run off a fielding error in the first inning, North Cobb Christian put four runs across the plate in the bottom of the second. Jackson Uggla started the scoring with a home run, followed by a two-run RBI double by Brock Parker that scored Carson Bruce and Spears Martin. Parker then finished off the inning by scoring on a wild pitch by Appling County pitcher Collin Ewaldsen.
Appling County closed the gap to three runs in the top of the fifth inning after two RBI singles, one in the fourth inning by Nate Livingston that scored Ewaldsen and one in the fifth inning by Griffis that also scored Ewaldsen. However, North Cobb added one more run in the bottom of the fifth, to win 6-2 on the back of a dominant performance from pitcher Asher Sabom, who threw six innings, giving up only five hits and two runs while striking out 11 batters.
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