LAWRENCEVILLE — Gainesville got a solid playoff tune-up Thursday in a thrilling 7-5, 9-inning win over Class AAAAAA Mountain View in a non-region battle of ranked teams.
The Class AAAAA second-ranked Red Elephants (22-4) scored two runs in the top of the ninth to get the win after letting a 5-1 lead get away from them. Jack Langford got the win pitching the final three innings in relief.
Gainesville led the Class AAAAAA seventh-ranked Bears (17-9) 2-1 in the fifth when Sam Carpenter belted a three-run home run to push its lead to 5-1. Mountain View rallied to tie the game at 5 in the seventh to send the game to extra innings.
Fedrick Cardona had two hits and one RBI and AJ Smallwood and Jared Smith each had one hit for Gainesville. Anthony Carrera had one RBI for the Red Elephants.
Smallwood started and went six innings allowing two earned runs on four hits for Gainesville.
Gainesville is the No. 1 seed from Region 8-AAAAA and will open the Class AAAAA playoffs at Ivey-Watson Field next Friday. The Red Elephants are trying to duplicate or improve on their state runner-up finish in 2015.
