RABBITTOWN — It wasn’t exactly how East Hall coach Eric Fowler had wanted it to happen, but despite a 7-5 loss to Union County Wednesday at East Hall Park, his scrappy Vikings squad is playoff bound for the first time since 2015.
The eventual clincher came later Wednesday when North Hall completed a 10-1 win over Dawson County in Dawsonville. East Hall came into the day’s action with a one game lead over the Tigers with two games left. The Vikings owned the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Tigers.
“Obviously we would rather have just taken care of it ourselves but we’ve fought through a lot of adversity this year so it feels great, no matter how it happens, to get into the playoffs,” Fowler said. “(Region 7-3A) is so tough. This is a big accomplishment with all that has gone on this year.”
The Vikings found out they would be without three of their top pitchers before the season began. Luke England was diagnosed with cancer and has been unable to play; Luke Holtzclaw suffered a knee injury at the beginning of the season that has kept him out; and Luke Cooper, perhaps the best arm on the team, has yet to pitch as he rehabbed an injury. Cooper, however, has started in centerfield all season and is expected back in the rotation just in time for the playoffs.
“If you would have told me we wouldn’t any of those three and make the playoffs I’m not sure I would have believed you,” Fowler said. “This group has really overcome a lot and has come together and gotten better as the season has gone on.”
East Hall (13-13, 8-9 Region 7-3A) came into the game having won three of its last four and looked to be peaking at just the right time. They nearly staged a monumental comeback as Union County (9-19, 2-15) used a three-run third and a four-run fourth to jump out to a 7-0 lead.
But the Vikings began to chip away. Levi Crocker scored East Hall’s first run on a Union County error in the fourth. In the bottom of the fifth Matt Matuska blooped a two-run single to right driving in Matt Lacey and Trevor Rider, who had both singled, to cut the Union County lead to 7-3. In the sixth Trey Campbell singled in Dylan Day to trim it to 7-4.
The Panthers brought in Del Reff in the seventh in relief of starter Pierson Allison (6IP, 7H, 3BB, 1K, 4R, 3ER) to try and close out the win but the Vikings got the winning run to the plate quickly as Crocker reached on an error and Matuska walked with no one out. Taylor Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Day drove in Crocker on a swinging bunt to cut it to 7-5 and bring the tying run in scoring position. But Mikey Parker’s sharp grounder to short was turned into a double play by the Panthers’ Patrick Baggett to end the game.
It was a pitcher’s duel early as Crocker got the Panthers in order in the first but Coleson Daniel reached on a two-base error to lead off the second. Crocker rallied, however, stranding Daniel where he started as Baggett and Candler Colwell flied out to sandwich a Johnathon Everrett pop to the catcher on a bunt attempt to get out of the inning.
East Hall also tried to crack the scoreboard in the second as Tripp Rider singled and Taylor Smith walked with two out. But Allison struck out Day to get out of the jam.
Crocker found trouble in the third, however. Cayden Rich singled and Alec Cole walked and both advanced on an error to load the bases with one out. RJ Banton followed with a RBI single and Daniel looped a two-run double down the right field line for a 3-0 lead.
The Panthers continued to batter Crocker with five hits in the fourth, including going 3-for-3 with runners in scoring position, to blow it open for a 7-0 lead.
Crocker settled down from there retiring 10 of the final 12 Union County batters yielding just a pair of walks.
“We kicked it around a little, but I was real pleased with how we fought back,” Fowler said. “Dylan’s hit nearly got through and that would have tied it. But now we’ll go up there and try to get a win and get some momentum heading into the playoffs.”
The two teams will close out the regular season on Friday with a 5:55 p.m. first pitch in Blairsville.
