GAINESVILLE -- Fowler Brooks picked just the right time for a personal milestone.
With North Hall trailing Pickens 2-0 midway through Game 2 of their best-of-three Class AAAA first round series, the junior catcher hammered a Tyler Garner fastball and in an instant turned the deficit into a 3-2 lead with his first-ever varsity home run and helped propel the Trojans to an 8-3 win and complete a two-game sweep of the Dragons Friday at Jody Davis Field.
“I was looking for a fastball and I got it and got a good swing on it,” Brooks said. “It was exciting to see it go over. You could feel things change after that.”
The blast highlighted a four-run fourth inning and it was the first homer for North Hall (19-8) from anyone other than Micah Strickland, who had the Trojans’ previous five home runs, including a solo shot in a 7-2 victory in Game 1.
The Trojans now will move on to play host to Upson-Lee next week in the second round. The Knights, the No. 4 seed from Region 2-AAAA,knocked out Region 1-AAAA champ Crisp County saturday with a 3-0 victory to win their series 2-1.
North Hall coach Trent Mongero said it was a total team effort and feels his group is hitting its stride just when it matters most.
“We got timely hitting, we only had one error in two games, and we got good pitching,” Mongero said. “You want to be peaking at this time and I feel like we’re playing our best ball of the season right now.”
Corbin Lewallen went the distance on the mound to get the win in Game 1 while Lincoln Hewett pitched 3 2/3 innings in relief of Aaron Miles in Game 2 to get the win. Drew Atha pitched the final 1 1/3 of Game 2 allowing two hits and a run.
“Corbin was outstanding and Lincoln came in and threw strikes and gave us a chance to get back in the game,” Mongero said. “After Fowler’s home run you could the air come out of (Pickens) a little bit.”
Hewett also sparked the offense with three hits, four RBI, and scored two runs in the series. Taber Mongero had three hits and reached base six times from the leadoff spot for the Trojans.
GAME 1: North Hall 7, Pickens 2
Lewallen started for North Hall and mowed down the Dragons quickly in the top of the first with a pair of strikeouts and then the North Hall offense went to work against Pickens starter Travis Huffman.
Taber Mongero reached on an error, Micah Strickland singled to right, and Lincoln Hewett brought both home on a scorching double to left for a 2-0 lead. Lewallen would line into a double play at short but the Trojans were not done. with two outs, Fowler Brooks walked, Drew Coker singled to left, and Drew Atha doubled to right driving in Brooks and Coker for a 4-0 lead.
Pickens trimmed the lead to 4-1 in the top of the second on a RBI double by Walker Lawrence scoring Tyler Garner, who doubled to lead off the inning. Lawrence was left stranded after Lewallen got a strikeout and line out to end the inning.
The North Hall offense went back to work in the bottom of the secon. Matthew Cox and Mongero walked to lead off. Strickland moved them over with a ground out and Hewett followed with another two-run double to give the Trojans a 6-1 lead.
In the fourth Strickland added to the lead with a long solo home run to left, his fifth of the season, for a 7-1 North Hall lead. Pickens cut the lead to 7-2 in the top of the fifth on a RBI groundout by Zach Hermann.
Lewallen finished strong retiring eight of the nine batters faced, including the side in the seventh for the complete-game victory. He gave up seven hits and fanned four while walking none.
“I just tried to throw strikes,” Lewallen said. “I gave up some hits but my defense was solid behind me. I just wanted to help us get that first one because it is a huge momentum builder.”
Huffman went five innings yielding seven hits, walking four, fanning three and allowing seven runs, just four earned.
GAME 2: North Hall 8, Pickens 3
Both pitchers breezed through the first inning before the Dragons touched up Aaron Miles for two runs on two hits for a 2-0 lead in the second. Wyatt Good singled in Dalton Presley and Lawrence, who doubled, scored on a fielder’s choice.
Pickens starter Tyler Garner cruised through the first three innings retiring nine of the first 11 batters with no hits and just one walk. But Hewett reached on an error to start the fourth and that opened the door.
Lewallen followed with a double and Brooks belted his game-changing home run moments later to give the Trojans a 3-2 lead. They were not done. Coker doubled and then came around to score on a RBI single by Josh Hammond to push it to 4-2.
North Hall added a run in the fifth when Coker drew a bases loaded walk scoring Hewett for a 5-2 lead. The Trojans extended the lead to 6-2 in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Lewallen with the bases loaded scoring Cox.
North Hall put the game out of reach in the seventh. Cox knocked in Hammond with a suicide squeeze and then Mongero drove in Brock Wingo with a single to left for an 8-2 lead.
Pickens, which finished the season 13-11, scored one run in seventh but could not get the big hit. The Dragons stranded seven base runners in the second game.
