LAWRENCEVILLE — Leave it to Mother Nature to kill a good pitcher’s duel.
Jackson County and Flowery Branch were forced to finish a thrilling extra inning game in a 1-1 tie Tuesday at Coolray Field after the game was called in the eighth inning after the skies opened up before Jackson County was ready to take the field in the bottom of the eighth.
The Panthers’ Coleman Barbee and the Falcons’ Kohlton Hamann were masterful allowing just three total hits. Hamann worked six innings allowing just two hits but he walked four and fanned six. He gave up one unearned run. Barbee allowed just one hit and no runs with three walks and fanned nine in four innings of work
Both Barbee and Hamann were solid to start. Barbee struck out the side in the first and added two more in the second after walking Anthony Grutadaurio to start the inning.
Hamann fanned two in the first and worked around a two-out walk. He ran into big-time trouble in the second giving up a single to Ty Smith and a double to Caleb Mathews to put runners at second and third with no one out. But courtesy runner Logan Youngblood was gunned down at home on a steal attempt. Ryan Fogarty struck out on the next pitch and then Hamann got Jase Latty to ground to second to get out of the mess with no runs scored.
The Falcons threatened in the top of the third getting walks to Blake Coxworth, Jackson Harrell, and Trey Groves to load the bases with two outs. But Barbee induced a ground out to third by Grutadaurio to get out of the jam to keep the game scoreless.
The Panthers had another golden opportunity to break through getting three consecutive one-out walks by Hamann to load the bases. But Joel Ellis flied out out to right and then Brett Bowen was gunned down at home trying to score for a double play to end the inning.
Then it was Flowery Branch that again looked poised to grab the first lead when Hamann doubled to lead off and then courtesy runner Cam Holmes moved to third on a sacrifice. But Barbee kept it scoreless fanning Dylan Childress and Coxworth to get out of the inning.
Barbee was replaced by Chris Griggs in the fifth. Griggs was tough striking out four of the first seven batters he faced. But he also walked six, including Coxworth to lead off the seventh. Coxworth eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Groves to tie the game at 1-1.
Harrell, who came in the sixth for Hamann for the Falcons, struck out four and got out of a tough spot in the seventh getting a pair of fly outs to right with the winning run at second base.
Branch was poised to take the lead in the top of the eighth but Griggs managed to get out of a bases loaded jam getting a double play on a grounder back to the mound that resulted in Grutadaurio getting gunned down at the plate trying to score.
That’s when the rains came and the game was called after a meeting at the plate.
Flowery Branch (2-3-1) is off until opening its Region 8-AAAAA schedule next Monday at home against rival Gainesville.
Jackson County (2-2-1) next will travel to Lilburn on Friday to take on Providence Christian.
