BUFORD — Buford had to rally for one win and then hold off a late rally by Eastside before eventually pulling out a 7-3 and 6-4 sweep of the Eagles Monday in the Class AAAA semifinals at Gerald McQuaig Field.
The No. 2 Wolves next will take on No. 1 Locust Grove in the state championship series beginning on Saturday. Locust Grove beat Buford 3-0 in Buford earlier in the season.
Buford (31-3) trailed 3-2 after the third inning in Game 1 but used a four-run fourth to reclaim the lead for good. Georgia-signee Justin Glover did his part on the mound retiring nine of 10 batters at one point en route to a comnplete-game victory. He fanned eight.
In the second game, Griffin Jolliff was outstanding early on for Buford. The senior retired 10 of the first 11 Eastside batters while the Wolves ran out to a 3-0 lead on a three-run double by Glover. Buford built its lead to 4-0 and led 6-2 going into the bottom of the seventh.
Eastside trimmed the lead to 6-4 but Austin Wilhite struck out the final batter, which represented the tying run, to preserve the victory.
Buford is the defending Class AAAA state champion. It will be the first-ever trip to the state championship series for Locust Grove.
The Wolves swept Locust Grove out of the playoffs last year in the quarterfinals.
