While the rest of the area is winding down their regular season, Region 8-4A is already in full playoff mode. And what a wild first day of the region play-in series' it was on Tuesday.
Second-year program East Forsyth made it consecutive seasons in the playoffs after hammering Walnut Grove 5-4 and 16-1 to sweep their best-of-three series to advance to the Class 4A playoffs next week. The Broncos made the Class 3A playoffs in their first season last year.
North Hall staved off elimination against Seckinger rallying for a 5-2 win in Game 2 of their best-of-three series after getting shelled in a 13-7 loss in the opening game. They will meet at Cottrell Field on Wednesday in the third and deciding game, with the winner moving on and the loser out of the playoffs. The Trojans currently have a 12-season playoff streak (not counting the COVID year of 2020) working. They last missed out on the playoffs in 2009.
And, No. 1-ranked Cherokee Bluff and No. 3 North Oconee split their first two games at Bluff Ballpark on Tuesday. Many were expecting a pair of pitcher's duels. Instead, the two potent offenses hammered the opposing pitching staff, combining for 37 runs in two game. The Bears took a 13-7 win in Game 1 but the Titans exploded for a 16-1 win in four innings in Game 2. They will meet in Bogart on Wednesday with the winner grabbing the Region 8-4A title and No. 1 seed and the loser taking the No. 2 seed into the playoffs.
For the Bears, a win on Wednesday would give them their first-ever region title.
Flowery Branch, which secured the No. 3 seed in the brutal Region 8-5A on Tuesday, will play host to Class 2A No. 6 Redan at the Hog Mountain Sports Complex in a final tune-up for next week's state playoffs.
(Check below for the full schedule of baseball games on Wednesday involving area teams.)
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCHEDULE
(All games start at 5:55 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
Wednesday, April 19
Cherokee Bluff at North Oconee, 6 p.m. (Region 8-4A playoffs)*
Gilmer at West Hall (DH), 5 p.m.*
Johnson at Cedar Shoals, 5:30 p.m.
North Forsyth at Jackson County*
Providence Christian at East Jackson (DH), 5 p.m.*
Redan at Flowery Branch
Seckinger at North Hall, 6 p.m. (Region 8-4A playoffs)*
(* -- denotes region contest)
