Baseball: Elephants rally again to beat Lumpkin (4/16)

DAHLONEGA -- The Gainesville baseball team is developing a flare for the dramatic.

Two days after getting a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to beat North Hall, the Elephants rallied for six runs in the final two innings to beat Lumpkin County 6-5 Wednesday in a key Region 7-AAA game for both teams.

Lumpkin County (9-8, 7-8 in region) led 5-0 by the fourth inning with hard-throwing ace Devin Dunson on the mound. But Gainesville chipped away with three runs in the sixth and then knocked Dunson out with a lead-off double by Robbie Hefflinger to start the seventh.

After Zach Bennett grounded out, Sloan Strickland reached on an error scoring Hefflinger, Adam Parker walked, and then Strickland scored on another Lumpkin error on a ground ball by Lorenzo Jerome that moved Parker to third. Parker would then score the go-ahead run on the Indians' third error of the inning on an errant pick-off throw.

Hefflinger, who pitched the final four innings to earn the win, then survived a Lumpkin rally in the bottom of the seventh. Hefflinger got the first two Lumpkin batters but then allowed two straight two-out hits to put the winning run at second base. But Hefflinger struck out the next batter to preserve the win.

Hefflinger finished with three hits to lead the Gainesville offense. Zach Thellman and Bennett each had two hits for the Elephants.

Gainesville (14-5, 13-2) reamined tied with Flowery Branch for the region lead with the win. The loss for the Indians' was their third in the last four games after being in a three-way tie for fourth place and drops them into seventh place.