OAKWOOD, Ga. — West Hall rallied for a 4-3 win over Chestatee at Spartans Field to give former Spartans standout and new coach Zach English a win in his debut on Monday at home.
West Hall scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to break a 2-2 tie and then held on in the seventh.
Chase Berger and John Kendrick both provided RBI singles in the sixth. In the seventh, Chestatee got a run on a passed ball but Kendrick was able to get Zac Benna to strike out to end the game with the tying run at third.
Kendrick got the win pitching the final 1 1/3 innings, striking out two. Brett Sturm had a solid opening game for West Hall scattering four hits in 5 2/3 innings while striking out 11 in the start.
Chestatee scored first in the top of the first but West Hall tied it in the fourth. Each team scored in the fifth before the late inning fireworks.
WINDER-BARROW 5,
CHEROKEE BLUFF 3
The Class 3A No. 1-ranked Bears fell behind early to the Class 5A Bulldoggs and never recovered in both teams’ season openers.
Winder-Barrow scored two runs each in the first and second off starter Gabe Gowder, who allowed just two earned runs on three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. Nate Wilson went four innings in relief for Bluff but the offense managed just five hits for the game.
Jordan Wilkerson and Bryce Fontenot had two hits apiece in five at-bats while the top of the Bears order, playing without Georgia Southern-signee KT Thompson, went 0-for-20 for the game.
Three Winder-Barrow pitchers struck out 11 Bluff batters.
NORTH HALL 5,
HABERSHAM CENTRAL 1
Three Trojans pitchers allowed just two hits and struck out 13 in their season opener over the Raiders on the road.
Kaleb Sexton (3.2I, 2H, 2R, 7K), Kian Allen (1.1I, 0H, 3K), and Jake Beard (2.0I, 0H, 3K) stymied the Habersham lineup. However, the game was tied at 1 after the first inning until Campbell Payton singled in a run in the third inning for a 2-1 lead. In the sixth, Sexton singled in a run and then scored on a double by Eyen Etris. Allen knocked Etris in on a single to center to push the lead to 5-1.
Spencer Frady and Charlie Mills had the two Raiders hits.
North Hall, ranked sixth in Class 3A, will play host to Pace Academy on Tuesday, weather permitting.
RABUN COUNTY 15,
JOHNSON 0
Lleyton Phillips tossed a no-hitter and Reid Giles drove in three runs to lead the Wildcats to a four-inning win in both teams’ 2025 season openers.
Rabun County scored eight run in the bottom of the first to jump out to the big lead and added four in the third and two more in the fourth to invoke the Mercy Rule.
Giles, along with Ty Truelove, each had three of Rabun’s 14 hits. Truelove knocked in two runs. Noah English and Parker Smith both had two hits and combined for four RBI as well.
Phillips fanned eight in his four innings and walked three to get the win.
EAST FORSYTH 11,
DAWSON COUNTY 0
The Broncos scored seven runs in the third to break open a close game en route to the road win.
Makayle Moon, Ryan Ward, and Grant Barden all had two hits for East Forsyth. Ward and Mason Schreiber each drove in two runs.
Trey Farr got the win, going three innings and allowing no runs or hits while striking out five. Barden pitched the final two innings, fanning five and allowing no runs or hits.
JEFFERSON 13,
APALACHEE 3
Rett Hemphill went a perfect 5-for-5 with two RBI to pace the Class 3A fifth-ranked Dragons to open the season with a big road win.
The Dragons led 5-1 after the third but blew it open with five runs in the fifth, highlighted by a solo home run from Eli Primm.
Steven Tavares, Primm, and Candler Cain each had two hits as part of a 14-hit attack.
Eston Simpson started for Jefferson and went two innings giving up two runs on four hits. Matt Earon pitched three innings allowing just one hit for the Dragons.
HEBRON CHRISTIAN 10,
GAINESVILLE 5
The Lions spoiled coach Chan Brown’s Gainesville debut, beating the Red Elephants at Ivey-Watson Field on Monday.
Hebron scored five runs in the third to extend a 1-0 lead, knocking out Gainesville starter Dawson Vaughn, who allowed six runs on six hits in two-plus innings.
Hebron led 10-2 before the Red Elephants plated three in the seventh.
CJ Saudarg had three hits to lead Gainesville. Hayden Graham and Cohen Miller had two hits apiece for Gainesville.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/2/1285742/baseball-rabun-eafo-open-with-dominating-wins