WATKINSVILLE, Ga. — Jefferson definitely has Oconee County’s number.
Steven Tavares singled in Candler Cain in the bottom of the seventh to give the Dragons a sweep of the Warriors in their Class 3A second-round series on Thursday.
(NORTH HALL SWEEPS HERITAGE-CATOOSA ON THURSDAY TO ADVANCE)
Tavares’s hit gave Jefferson a 5-4 win in game two after they took a 6-3 win in the opening game. It also came after Oconee County had scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the game.
Oconee County led 1-0 in the first, but Jefferson scored one in the bottom of the first and took a 2-1 lead in the third. After the Warriors tied it in the fifth, Jefferson scored runs in the fifth and sixth to take a 4-2 lead.
Matt Earon went 6 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits for Jefferson. Cody Britt got the final out and the win for the Dragons.
In the first game, the Dragons also had to erase an early deficit after the Warriors scored two in the first off Jefferson starter Eston Simpson. And it stayed that way until the fourth.
The Dragons responded with two runs in the fourth on a two-run single from Daniel Coker and then grabbed a 3-2 lead on a solo home run to left by Eli Primm in the fifth.
Cole Johnson homered for Oconee County in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game, but the Dragons answered back in the sixth on another RBI hit from Coker, a run-scoring sacrifice bunt by Logan Woodruff, and Rett Hemphill’s RBI for a 6-3 lead.
Simpson would finish the complete-game win, scattering just five hits but walking three and fanning four.
Jefferson will next travel to Troup, which knocked out Dawson County, next week in the quarterfinals.
CHEROKEE BLUFF 6-6,
NW WHITFIELD 4-5
Bluff got two thrilling finishes to complete the series sweep in Class 3A on the road on Thursday. The Bears got a bases-loaded groundout from Beau Bruns in the bottom of the seventh in Game 2 after they scored the final three runs to win the first game against the Bruins.
In Game 1, Bluff led 3-0 in the third after scoring on a bases-loaded hit batter, a sacrifice fly, and then a wild pitch. NW Whitfield answered with four runs in the bottom of the third, getting a solo home run from Chance Whitfield and a three-run bomb from Gavin Nuckolls to take the lead.
But the Bears reclaimed the lead on a two-run blast by Cody Bridger in the fifth and extended the lead to 6-4 on Ethan England’s RBI double.
Gabe Gowder took control from there, retiring 10 of the last 11 NW Whitfield batters to close out the complete-game win. Gowder surrendered just four hits and struck out eight.
In Game 2, Bluff jumped out to a 2-0 in the first on a two-run double by Ethan England. Northwest Whitfield scored single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings after Bubba Coleman hit a solo home run to left in the second to tie the game at 3.
Bluff plated two more in the fourth, and it stayed that way until the seventh, when the Bruins were down to their final strike, when they got a two-run double to tie it at 5.
Cherokee Bluff will next travel to rival North Hall in the quarterfinals next week. The Trojans swept Heritage-Catoosa on Thursday in their Sweet 16 showdown.
TROUP COUNTY 5-8,
DAWSON COUNTY 4-5
The Tigers dropped a heartbreaker in the first game as Troup scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh on a steal of home with two outs.
In the second game, they trailed 8-2 in the seventh, scored three runs, and got the tying run at the plate before Troup was able to get the final out and hang on to sweep their Class 3A series.
In Game 1, Dawson County rallied from a 4-1 deficit with three runs in the top of the seventh, highlighted by a two-run single from Preston Bannister.
The Tigers led 1-0 on a sacrifice fly from Dylan Edwards in the first but Troup tied the game with a run in the bottom of the inning and eventually pushed its lead to 4-1 with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
Case Gravitt took the loss for Dawson County, surrendering five runs (four earned) on seven hits, striking out five and walking one in 6 1/3 innings.
WASHINGTON COUNTY 7-4,
BANKS COUNTY 4-2
Banks County could not find the magic of the first round, where the Leopards rallied from a game down, suffering a two-game sweep on the road to be knocked out of the Class A D1 playoffs.
A red-hot lineup for most of the season that averaged 7.5 runs/game was limited to just 12 total hits against the Golden Hawks.
In the first game, the Leopards led 4-1 in the fourth, highlighted by a pair of RBI doubles from Warren Leftwich. But the Golden Hawks responded six unanswered runs.
Washington County scored four runs in the fifth as five consecutive batters all reached with two outs. The Golden Hawks got a big insurance run in the sixth.
Ty Mobley got the win for Washington County, going the distance and retiring the final seven Banks County batters.
Austin Anderson started for Banks County and allowed two runs on three hits and struck out four in 3 2/3 innings. Gatlin Green took the loss, giving up five runs (just two earned) on six hits in 2 2/3 innings in relief.
In the second game, Banks County fell behind 3-1 in the fifth. Judd Schmakel cut it to 3-2 in the fifth, but Washington County starter Mack May shut down the Leopards the rest of the way, retiring the final seven batters to close out the series.
PREP BASEBALL 2nd ROUND PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD, Thursday, May 1
Class 3A
Cherokee Bluff 6-6, NW Whitfield 4-5 (Bluff wins series, 2-0)
Jefferson 6-4, Oconee County 3-4 (Jefferson wins series 2-0)
North Hall 10-6, Heritage-Catoosa 0-4 (North Hall wins series, 2-0)
Troup County 5-8, Dawson County 4-5 (Troup wins series, 2-0)
Class A D1
Washington County 7-4, Banks County 4-2 (Washington Co. wins series, 2-0)
