FLOWERY BRANCH Ga. — With a chance to stake the first claim on the Region 8-4A North subregion, Class 4A sixth-ranked Cherokee Bluff did not waste its opportunity Wednesday night.
The Bears belted three home runs, used a 10-run third inning, and ran away with a 12-4 victory over seventh-ranked North Hall at Bluff Ballpark to clinch the two teams’ three-game series.
The win for Bluff (18-4, 6-2 Region 8-4A North) gives them the tiebreaker edge over the Trojans (10-12, 5-3 Region 8-4A North) on the heels of their 3-2 win on Monday.
They are undefeated (2-0) since a players-meeting following a series loss to East Forsyth last week.
“This was a huge win for us,” Bluff coach Jeremy Kemp said. “The seniors talked to the team after last week and it was well-received. It was needed because we were doing some lackadaisical things that needed to be addressed.”
Normally a reliever, senior Jack Sparks has been called on of late to start. After a shaky beginning, Spark settled down to go 4 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks. He fanned five as he got the win.
“We know he likes coming in in relief better but we needed him to start a game and he said he’d do whatever the team needed,” Kemp said. “He’s that kind of a guy and he battled for us tonight.”
Both teams had some early chances. In the first inning, North Hall stranded a runner after a two-out single from Jon Jon Read and the Bears got a pair of walks to open their half of the inning but Trojans’ starter Campbell Payton was able to get out of the jam with a pair of groundouts sandwiched around a strikeout.
In the second, North Hall got on the board when Mills Lothridge reached on an error and eventually scored on a fielder’s choice. But North Hall left the bases loaded with a chance to make it a big inning.
In the third, North Hall added on but had another chance to break it open. The first three batters reached on singles, with Read scoring on a wild pitch. Micah Jimerson knocked in Korbyn Sosebee for a 3-0 lead. But Sparks was able to strike out both Charlie Wright and Ty Kemp to get out of the jam with no further damage.
That would be huge because the Bears responded in the bottom of the third sending 13 batters to the plate, with the first six all reaching base, in a 10-run outburst.
Bluff loaded the bases on an error and two hit batters with no one out and Caleb Miele blasted a grand slam over the center field wall with Jakob Vokal following with a solo homer on the next pitch. Ethan England’s single knocked Payton out of the game (2+ IP, 3H, 2BB, 2K, 2 HPB, 6R, 5ER). Jimerson took over and did not fare much better (3.0 IP, 6H, 1BB, 2K, 6R, 6ER).
Against Jimerson, Bubba Coleman later added an RBI double, Caleb Davis drove in Coleman with a single to right, and after a walk to Ty Corbin, KT Thompson capped the huge inning with a three-run shot to right for a 10-3.
“I was sitting on fastball and I got one,” Miele said. “I think (the home run) overall lit some fire under us. This week has been huge for us. We’re building back up and we’re starting to play some of our best baseball.”
North Hall got a run back in the fourth but the Bears scored two more in the fifth on a KT Thompson RBI double and then Thompson stealing home.
Gabe Gowder pitched the final two innings for Bluff, giving up just one hit and striking out six of the eight batters he faced.
The two teams will close out the series on Friday at Lynn Cottrell Field.
“Now it’s just about trying to figure out how to win our side (of the region),” Kemp said as they look for the improbable sweep.
