Baseball: 'Cardiac' Falcons do it again, rally for win

FLOWERY BRANCH -- One run games have become the fashion for the Flowery Branch baseball team.

And coach Scott Meyers said he definitely needs some time off because of it after the Falcons rallied in thrilling style to beat Winder-Barrow, 7-6, Wednesday in a crucial Region 8-AAAAA battle at the Hog Mountain Sports Complex.

It was the Falcons (13-8, 8-4 Region 8-AAAAA) fourth straight one-run game and eighth of the season, but just their second win (2-6) in those contests.

"It's been nerve-wracking and I don't know if I can take too many more of those," Meyers said after C.J. Navin drove in Andrew Weekley with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. "What a great game though. I can't say enough how pleased I am with how the guys kept battling and competing. (Winder) is a solid team and that was a quality win for us."

It was also a huge win to keep pace in the region. The Falcons, who lost a 3-2 affair Monday to the Bulldoggs, are battling Apalachee for fourth place for the moment but they will take a week off before starting a critical two-game series with Gainesville next week.

"This was huge for us. No doubt," Meyers said. "We could really use a week off and recharge and then get ready for Gainesville. That will be the biggest series for us yet."

Weekley not only scored the winning run but also kept the Falcons playoff chances alive with a solid outing in relief. Weekley tossed 3 2/3 innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts and did not yield a run.

"Andrew kept us in the game and kind of got us back on track," Meyers said. "He did a fantastic job."

Falcons starter Jonathan Hughes allowed five runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings but deserved a better fate after some untimely bounces and two errors helped the Bulldoggs (14-4, 9-3) rally from a 5-2 deficit to take a 6-5 lead in the sixth inning.

It was just the second loss for Winder-Barrow in its last 11 games. The Falcons had lost two of their last three before Wednesday.

In the final inning Weekley had gotten out of a jam in the top of the ninth striking out two batters with the go-ahead run at third base. He would lead off the bottom of the inning reaching on an error and then scored on Navin's hit after moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brad Keller.

Early on it looked like it would be an offensive showcase for both teams as they combined for six runs on four hits and stranded four runners combined in the first inning alone.

The Bulldoggs struck quick as Division I and possible Major League prospect Travis Demeritte took the third pitch of the game from Hughes deep to left over the trees for a solo home run. They would add another run on an RBI ground out by Christian Hodge for a 2-0 lead.

But the Falcons answered back in the bottom of the first with four runs, taking advantage of three Winder-Barrow errors to go with two hits, a hit batsman, and a walk. Two runs would score on a pair of errors by Demeritte on a ground ball to short by Weekley. Dylan Gibeau would score on an error by the first baseman, and Robert Rose would give them a 4-2 lead on a RBI ground out scoring Weekley.

Flowery Branch would extend its lead to 5-2 on a RBI single by Weekley in the second scoring Gibeau, who had reached on a fielder's choice.

Winder-Barrow cut the lead to 5-4 in the third on a two-out, two-run single from Jake Frady. The Bulldoggs would retake the lead in the sixth. Drew Dunagan would reach on a bunt single and score on a single by Dalton Carter. Cole Baggett, who reached on a fielder's choice, later scored on a sacrifice fly by Hodge for a 6-5 lead.

The Falcons answered in the bottom of the sixth. Drew Miles got a one-out, pinch-hit single for Stephen Skeggs and Skeggs, who re-entered to run, later scored on a two-out single by Gibeau to tie the game at 6-6. The inning was kept alive when Justin Seabolt reached on a wild pitch on a swinging third strike with two outs one batter before Gibeau.

Both teams had chances to end it in the eighth inning but each stranded runners in scoring position.

Hughes and Seabolt each finished with two hits and scored a run for Flowery Branch. Gibeau, Weekley, and Navin each had a hit and one RBI and Weekley also scored twice. Miles finished with one hit for the Falcons.

Demeritte reached base all five times for Winder-Barrow adding four intentional walks to his first inning home run. Dunagan, Carter, Patrick Overstreet, and Frady all had two hits for the Bulldoggs.