LAGRANGE, Ga. — Gryson Cockrell's RBI line drive in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted Lagrange past Buford, 3-2, on Saturday in the Lagrange Toyota Invitational tournament.
The hit also broke up the Buford pitching staff's no-hit bid in the final game of the invitational.
Buford's Braden Burton started the game on the mound, tossing four innings of no-hit baseball while striking out five batters.
The Wolves got on the board first when senior catcher Sam Humphrey blasted a towering solo shot to centerfield. It was the first home run of his varsity career. Senior Nate Taylor added to the scoring in the seventh inning with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored junior Cannon Goldin.
But things started to go south for Buford in the bottom of the seventh inning. Two walks and two balks later, mixed in with a costly error in the Buford outfield, Lagrange tied the game 2-2, forcing extra innings.
In the eight inning, Goldin took the hill and immediately went to work, striking out two Grangers, but a Buford error, and a stolen base, Cockrell drove in the game-winning run with a line drive to left field.
Goldin finished the day 2-for-3, Ethan Murray was 2-for-4, Cam Wood was also 2-for-4 with a stolen base, and Humphrey was 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
The Wolves will host Loganville on Wednesday at Gerald McQuaig Field. Game time is set for 5:55 p.m.
