DUBLIN, Ga. — Aucy Jacobs drilled a double to left scoring Walker Brown with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Banks County to a thrilling 8-7 win over Bacon County on Saturday in Game 3 of the two teams’ Class A Division series.
Jacobs’ hit capped a wild contest that saw five lead changes and two ties. It also capped a series where the Leopards faced elimination for the final two games after dropping the opener, 4-2, to the Red Raiders.
The series win pushed the ninth-seeded Leopards into next week’s second round. They will travel to No. 8 seed Washington County.
Bacon County led 2-1 when Banks County seemed to take control with a four-run fourth, powered by a three-run double from Chase Morrison for a 5-2 lead. But the Red Raiders answered with a four-run fifth to reclaim the lead 6-5.
The Leopards answered that with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to lead 7-6 going into the seventh. But Bacon County scored on a RBI groundout to tie the game.
It stayed that way until Jacobs ended it with his second hit and second RBI of the game.
Knox Ledbetter single-handedly kept the Red Raiders in it with three hits, including a pair of home runs, and 4 RBI. He had six hits, three of them homers, and 7 RBI for the series.
JEFFERSON 4,
WEST LAURENS 3
The Dragons rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to beat the Red Raiders and clinch the two teams’ best-of-three, Class 3A series on Saturday.
Jefferson dropped the series opener on Friday but rallied to win the final two games to win the series. The Dragons move on to play fellow Region 8-3A foe Oconee County in the second round in Watkinsville. However, the Warriors took 2-of-3 from Jefferson during the regular season, with all three games being decided by two runs each.
Against West Laurens in the deciding game, Jefferson quickly fell behind 3-0 when starter Kade Seabolt was roughed up for four hits and three runs in just one inning of work.
But Steven Tavares continued his tremendous series hitting a pair of solo home runs, the second coming in the fifth to tie the game. Rett Hemphill got the eventual game-winner in the sixth on a RBI single driving in Christopher, who reached on a pinch-hit double.
Matt Earon got the win in relief, going four innings and surrendering just three hits. Cody Britt picked up the save for the Dragons, pitching around a jam in the sixth and working around a two-out single in the seventh.
DAWSON COUNTY 10,
SE BULLOCH 0 (6 inn)
The Tigers used a huge 5-run second inning to blow open a close game en route to a run-rule victory to win their best-of-three, Class 3A series with the Yellow Jackets on Saturday.
Dawson County trailed 1-0 in the series before winning the final two games by a combined 23-1 score. The Tigers will move on to play No. 4 seed Troup County next week in the second round.
In the big inning on Saturday, Dawson County took advantage of four walks and just three hits, getting two-run singles from Ryder Sorace and Carson Sosebee to run out to a 6-0 lead. They continued to blow it open with three runs in the fourth on a Elijah Odom RBI single and two RBI groundouts. They put the game away with a run in the sixth.
Anden Wallace got the win for the Tigers, scattering eight hits and a walk while striking out four in four innings. Case Gravitt pitched the final two innings allowing just two hits.
STEPHENS COUNTY 1-10,
UNION COUNTY 0-0
The 13th-seeded Indians rallied from a game down in the series to sweep a doubleheader on Saturday to advance in the Class 2A playoffs.
Union County, the No. 20 seed, had its chances to sweep the series after winning Game 1, 9-3, on Friday. But the Panthers stranded all five baserunners they had. Twice Union County got the tying run to second base but could not get the equalizer in a 1-0 loss.
Stephens County got an unearned run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth and then held off the Panthers down the stretch to tie the series in the first game of the day.
Stephens County starter Hayden Scott scattered four hits and a walk in a complete-game effort. He fanned five and retired the final six Union County batters and 10 of the last 12 overall.
The Panthers’ Gunnar Akins matched Scott on the mound, going the distance as well. Akins allowed just six hits and two walks and struck out two. He retired 9 of the last 11 Indians batters.
In the second game, Stephens County exploded for five runs in the second inning and sealed it with five more in the fifth to invoke the Mercy Rule.
Konnor Loudermilk pitched a two-hitter for the Indians and belted a two-run home run in the second.
Stephens County moves on to play No. 4-seed Redan in the second round.
FRANKLIN COUNTY 10,
EAST JACKSON 4
The Eagles could not hold an early 2-1 lead as the Lions scored seven runs over the final three innings to escape the upset in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs to win the series 2-1.
East Jackson, seeded 21st in the 32-team field, had forced a Game 3 on Friday scoring two runs on a Jayden Nunez single in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-4 win on Game 2.
On Saturday, the Eagles led Game 3, 2-1, in the third, getting a bases-loaded walk and a RBI single from Nunez. After Franklin County took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third, East Jackson tied it at 3 in the fourth.
It was all Franklin County from there as the Lions scored twice in the fourth and then four times in the fifth for a 9-3 lead.
PREP BASEBALL 1st ROUND PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD, Saturday, April 26
Class 3A
Jefferson 4, West Laurens 3 (Jefferson wins series, 2-1)
Dawson County 10, SE Bulloch 0 (6 inn) (Dawson Co. wins series, 2-1)
Class 2A
Franklin County 10, East Jackson 4 (Franklin Co. wins series, 2-1)
Stephens County 1-10, Union County 0-0 (Stephens Co. wins series, 2-1)
Class A D1
Banks County 8, Bacon County 7 (8 inn) (Banks Co. wins series, 2-1)
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