FLOWERY BRANCH -- After letting a two-run lead get away in the top of the seventh inning, the Flowery Branch offense bailed out its defense Friday in a crucial Region 8-AAAAA battle against Apalachee at the Hog Mountain Sports Complex.
Drew Miles drove in Stephen Skeggs with the bases loaded to cap a four-hit, two run bottom of the seventh to give the Falcons a 4-3 victory.
The win moved Flowery Branch (12-7, 7-3 in Region 8-AAAAA) one game ahead of Apalachee (11-9, 6-4) for fourth place in the region. The Wildcats took a 3-2, eight-inning win over the Falcons on Wednesday.
"This was huge for us. Had to have it," Flowery Branch coach Scott Meyers said. "I wasn't pleased with giving up the lead but the guys knew what they needed to do (in the bottom of the seventh) and they came out and got it done."
With two-game series against both Winder-Barrow and Gainesville beginning next week, the Falcons control their own destiny in the chase for a playoff spot. Winder-Barrow was taking on Class AAAAA No. 1 Loganville Friday and a loss would put the two teams into a tie with their two-game series beginning Monday at Flowery Branch.
"We do, but really we just have to take things one at a time," Meyers said. "Winder and Gainesville are both tough. But if we keep getting pitching like we got (tonight) we have a chance to win some games."
Flowery Branch had led 2-0 until the seventh inning when three untimely errors led to three unearned runs to help Apalachee take a 3-2 lead. But the Falcons offense, which had managed just one hit since the first inning, woke up.
Robert Rose led off with a single and moved to second on a bunt single by Skeggs that Rose beat the throw to second. Jonathan Hughes followed with an RBI single scoring Rose to tie the game and then after Justin Seabolt was walked to load the bases and Dylan Gibeau hit into a fielder's choice at home, Miles stroked the game-winner through the hole at short scoring Skeggs.
"It was good to see the guys fight back after a disappointing inning," Meyers said. "They could have hung their heads but they came right back. Huge."
Andrew Weekley would have come away with a shutout if not for the crazy seventh inning. The senior right-hander scattered eight hits and fanned four in a complete-game effort to improve to 4-1 on the season. None of the runs were earned.
Weekley knew the importance of getting a win on Friday.
"I felt a little pressure to make sure we didn't let them beat us again," he said. "We really needed this one. I thought it was one of my better games."
"Andrew has been steady all year," Meyers said. "He did a great job when we needed him."
The Falcons got the early lead with two runs on three hits in the first inning. Hughes doubled to left to start and then scored two batters later on a one-out single by Gibeau. After a walk to Miles, Weekley drove in Gibeau with a single to left. But they failed to add on stranding two runners.
It turned into a pitcher's duel between Weekley and the Wildcats' Tyler Adams after that.
Weekley allowed base runners in each of the first four innings and worked out of two jams. He fanned three and got help from his defense with a caught stealing in the third and two good defensive plays in the fourth as the Wildcats stranded five runners, three in scoring position, through the first four innings.
After the first five batters, Adams retired 17 of the next 20 batters until the seventh inning. He hit Skeggs in the second, walked Weekley in the third, and gave up a single to Seabolt in the fifth.
The Wildcats finally broke through against Weekley in the seventh taking advantage of three Falcons errors, the second coming on a ground ball by Adams leading to two runs to tie the game at 2-2. After Weekley struck out Clint Ashe for the second out, another error and then a single by Austin Miller scoring Adams gave the Wildcats a 3-2 lead.
Hughes finished with two hits, one RBI, and scored a run for Flowery Branch. Seabolt, Gibeau, Miles, Weekley, Rose, and Skeggs each had one hit for the Falcons.
Austin Leazer had two hits and scored a run to lead Apalachee.
Friday
February 7th, 2025
6:08PM
