FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Cherokee Bluff baseball coach Jeremy Kemp called it a dogfight.
The seventh inning was proof of that as the top-ranked Bears (10-0) rallied past Seckinger for a 4-3 win at home on Monday.
With two outs and staring down an 0-2 count, Landon Kemp (1-for-2, 1 RBI) ripped a hard grounder to second base and beat the throw, which hit the dirt and bounced to the first base line fence to score Bryce England (2-for-3, 1 RBI) for the walk-off run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
"Landon did a great job on a great curve ball from a left-handed pitcher; you know, it's tough lefty vs. lefty," Kemp said about the walk-off hit. "He hit it hard enough that it was tough enough on that second basemen. He got down the line. I thought he beat it out regardless of where the throw was. I was super proud of him. You know, Bryce England got us going there. He did a great job with that hit."
It was the culmination of another Region 8-4A slobber knocker. The Bears stunned then-No. 1 North Oconee at home last week.
"There are eight playoff-type teams in this region, and only four get to go to the playoffs," Kemp said. "So, it's a dog fight every night, so anybody can beat anybody on any given night. Those guys (Seckinger) can beat anybody. They're a good team."
Jacob Vokal earned the win in relief, pitching three stellar innings, allowing just one hit, zero runs and six strikeouts -- three of which came in a 1-2-3 top of the seven thing inning.
"Jacob was lights out. He's such a competitor," Kemp said. "I bring him in in some awful situations, and he finds a way to win. He does a good job."
The Bears grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Vokal scored on an error after stealing third, and England singled to centerfield scoring Ty Corbin. Corbin reached on a single earlier in the inning.
After a scoreless second inning, the Jaguars tied the game at 2-2 in a series of plays on Joseph Montgomery's single to right field. Jin Kasuya, who reached on a single earlier, scored on an error, and Malachi Jefferies, who doubled, scored on the throw home to tie the game.
The battle stayed that way until the fifth inning when Seckinger took the lead for the first time on Sebastian Hernandez's single to right field, scoring Jordan Oldknow for the 3-2 advantage.
The Bears answered in the bottom when House crushed a single to left field scoring Tanka Mukono, who had entered as a courtesy runner for Cable Miele, to tie the game 3-3, setting up the nail-biting finish.
"I love the way this team works," Jeremy Kemp said. "They want to work. They're great teammates to each other. It's a fun group to be around, and it's fun coaching them."
Seth Chapman contributed to this story.
