Friday January 24th, 2025 6:33PM
5:50PM ( 43 minutes ago ) Radio Alert

Baseball: Quarterfinals offer intriguing challenges for area teams

By Jeff Hart Sports Reporter

Gainesville, Buford, Jackson County, and Winder-Barrow will try to keep their playoff runs going Tuesday when the quarterfinal round of the state baseball playoffs get under way around the area and state.

Gainesville and Buford will have intriguing matchups at home while the Panthers and Bulldoggs face tough road tests.

The Red Elephants, who are taking on Dalton at Ivey-Watson Field, have swept through the first two Class AAAAA rounds but not without challenges from Alexander and LaGrange. Gainesville has allowed just 10 runs over the first two rounds. The Catamounts bring in an offense that has scored 12 or more runs in three of their five postseason games so far.

Buford, which is taking on old nemesis Cartersville at Gerald McQuaig Field, is the defending Class AAAA champion and has outscored their first two playoff opponents 45-11. The Wolves also have now won 14 straight playoffs going back to last season. The Purple Hurricanes have been just as dominant outscoring their first two opponents 42-10 giving this series the chance to be an instant classic.

Jackson County, the lowest seeded team left in Class AAA, has gotten hot at the right time behind a resurgent offense and timely pitching. The Panthers have needed three games each to advance through the first two rounds and face their second straight region champ in No. 7 Ringgold (7-AAA) after knocking off No. 4 Appling County (1-AAA) in the second round. They will be on the road the rest of the way but are 4-2 on the road in the playoffs and 6-3 overall in their last nine road contests.

Follow us on Twitter -- @AccessNGASports -- for updates from all of the days contests. We'll also bring you game stories and video highlights.

Class AAAAA

This classification is proving it may be the toughest in the state. There are four unranked teams -- Dalton, South Effingham, Kell, Houston County -- still alive. Top-ranked Allatoona, the favorite coming into the playoffs, was knocked off by No. 7 Columbus in the second round. ... Only two of the eight region champions are still alive -- Gainesville (8-AAAAA) and Houston County (2-AAAAA) -- and both are on the same side of the bracket. ... Region 8-AAAAA had four different teams during the season ranked in the top 10 and it is showing that is still the most dominant region with three teams in the quarterfinals in Gainesville, Winder-Barrow, and Loganville. And all three are the only ones left who have swept through the first two rounds. ... Four No. 2-seeds advanced along with a No. 3 (Loganville) and a No. 4 (Kell) who take on each other. ... Gainesville is the only state semifinal team from 2015 still left in the 2016 playoffs. ... If Loganville and Winder-Barrow both advance it will set up a rematch where the two teams split a pair of games during the regular season.

Class AAAA

Buford, Locust Grove, and Eastside, who are all in the top five in fewest runs allowed in AAAA, are still alive. The Wolves also are the highest scoring team in the classification. ... Buford and Locust Grove, who played earlier in the season with the Wildcats taking a 3-0 win in Buford, are on a collision course for the finals. The Wolves will have home field advantage through the semifinals. ... Only three region champs -- Buford, Locust Grove, Heritage-Catoosa -- are still alive. Eastside is the only No. 4 seed to advance with four No. 2 seeds. ... It is a balanced playoffs in AAAA with Regions 4 and 7 each with two teams advancing and one each from Regions 2, 5, 6,  and 8. ... Only three ranked teams from the final poll advanced (No. 1 Locust Grove, No. 2 Buford, and No. 5 St. Pius) to the quarterfinals.

Class AAA

Five region champs advanced to the quarterfinals and six of the top 10 teams in the final poll also made it through the first two rounds. Jackson County, the No. 3 seed from Region 8-AAA, is the lowest seed still left and will have to earn it on the road the rest of the way. ... Class AAA is also balanced. Regions 4 and 6 had two teams advance while Regions 3, 5, 7, and 8 had one each. ... The Panthers could face the prospect of having to knock off four region champs to claim the title. ... No. 1 and two-time defending champion Blessed Trinity will be tough to dethrone. The Titans have allowed just 33 runs in 30 games so far and only Westminster (310) the highest scoring team in AAA and still alive in the playoffs, and Washington County, have scored more runs than the Titans (281). ... Franklin County, the Region 7-AAA champ, has given up just 69 runs. ... Jackson County faces a tough task against No. 7 Ringgold, who has allowed just 5 total runs in a pair sweeps in the first round. The Panthers are averaging just under 6 runs a game. ... Blessed Trinity has yielded just 3 total runs in the first two rounds.

QUARTERFINAL STATE BASEBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 10
(All games Tuesday are doubleheaders)

CLASS AAAAA
Dalton at Gainesville, 4 p.m. (1240 ESPN Radio)
Winder-Barrow at South Effingham, TBA

CLASS AAAA
Cartersville at Buford, 4:30 p.m.

CLASS AAA
Jackson County at Ringgold, TBA

QUARTERFINAL STATE BASEBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Wednesday, May 11
(Game 3s, if necesaary)

CLASS AAAAA
Dalton at Gainesville, TBA (1240 ESPN Radio)
Winder-Barrow at South Effingham, TBA

CLASS AAAA
Cartersville at Buford, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS AAA
Jackson County at Ringgold, TBA

 

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