OAKWOOD — The West Hall baseball team used a strong start to pace the 6-3 win over Gilmer on Wednesday at home.
The Spartans (13-5, 6-2 Region 7-3A) scored five runs in the first three innings to take a 5-0 advantage. Gilmer added three runs in the fourth but couldn’t get any runs home in the final three at-bats.
West Hall added one insurance run in the bottom of the fifth.
The Spartans explosive third inning was started by a double from Braden Simms and a single from Justin Shaffer. Simms scored off an error when Kyle Murphy hit a hard ground ball toward third base. The ball was booted allowing Simms to stroll home.
West Hall scored two straight runs after the error – Shaffer stole home and Murphy scored on Nick Sturm’s pop fly to right field. Strum scored two batters later on a fly ball to centerfield to go up 5-0.
Alex Holman pitched 6 2/3 innings to earn the win, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five. Simms and Shaffer had three hits and Ryan Svetz had two.
CHEROKEE BLUFF 9,
LUMPKIN COUNTY 6
The Indians gave the No. 4 Bears (12-4, 4-1 Region 7-3A) all they had in the loss at home on Wednesday.
Cherokee Bluff’s bats were hot early on, scoring six runs over the first two innings, but the Indians (4-13, 0-8 Region 7-3A) were able to stay close and even cut the lead to one by the third inning, 6-5.
The Bears, however, scored three more runs, one in the fourth and two in the fifth, to extend their lead, 9-5.
Clay Tyas was 2-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Bears, while Dylan Kautz was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Ben Jenkins drove home one run on a 2-for-3 performance.
Kautz started for Bluff and went three innings allowing three runs on four hits and had six strikeouts. Lucas Tritt pitched three innings in relief, striking out four to get the win. Braxton Beal pitched the final inning to earn the save for the Bears.
JACKSON COUNTY 5,
CLARKE CENTRAL 3
A four-run third inning sparked the Panthers' offense in the win over Clarke Central on Wednesday in Jefferson.
The Panthers (15-4, 4-1 Region 8-5A) scored the first two runs on an error, a Phillip Glander single that scored Nicholas Streuer and a Bryson Evans’ single to left field that brought Sam Bradley to go up 4-0 after the third.
The Gladiators found a rhythm in the three-run top of the fifth inning, cutting the Panthers’ lead, 4-3.
But Evans came through again in the bottom of the inning, driving home Ayden Griswold.
The Panthers gave up one hit in the final two innings.
Kedric Zimmer gave up eight hits in six innings of work and struck out eight to pick up the win for the Panthers.
HAB CENTRAL 5,
DAWSON COUNTY 4
The Raiders (7-9) needed an extra inning to beat the Tigers (6-8) on Wednesday at home.
After going up 4-0 in the fifth inning, the Tigers’ bats came alive scoring fourth straight runs to tie the game in the seventh, 4-4. Brandon Cramer’s single to right field scored the tying run.
In the top of the eighth, the Tigers loaded the bases off three straight Raider errors setting up what could have been a disaster for Habersham.
But the Tigers helped out the Raiders of trouble when Luke Mulberry was picked off by Hunter Tatum at first, Andrew Burt was caught stealing third, and Nick Mullinax grounded out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning, the Raiders started with a single and a walk. On Cervantes at-bat following the walk, Roberts advanced to third off an error. Cervantes then ripped a line-drive RBI single to left field to win the game.
SOUTH FORSYTH 13,
GAINESVILLE 5
The War Eagles scored 10 runs late to blow past Gainesville at home on Wednesday.
The Red Elephants (4-10, 1-5 Region 6-7A) were in the game in the fifth inning, but the War Eagles(12-5, 4-2 Region 6-7A) hammered out four runs in the bottom of the fifth and six in the sixth to solidify the win.
Gainesville did score four runs in the sixth inning, on a sacrifice fly by Baxter Wright, a groundout by Jaden Johnson and an Anthony Lugo double.
Lugo was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Wright was 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
CHESTATEE 10,
EAST HALL 2
The War Eagles (9-10, 3-6 Region 8-4A) didn’t need any extra innings to beat East Hall (0-14, 0-9 Region 8-4A) at home on Wednesday.
Chestatee slowly built its lead scoring two runs in the first, one in the second and third innings, two in the fifth and four in the sixth.
The Vikings’ two runs came in the first and sixth. Orlando Mayweather was 1-for-3 with an RBI to lead East Hall.
Chestatee’s Nathan Bull and Levi Stowers drove in two runs, while nick McKoy, Mattox Miller, Nolan Turner, Hunter Fouche and Hunter Potzner had an RBI apiece.
Turner fanned 15 War Eagles in a strong seven-inning performance on the mound. He allowed one run on four hits.
JEFFERSON 11,
CEDAR SHOALS 0
The Dragons (14-0, 9-0 Region 8-4A) used five pitchers to toss the perfect game against Cedar Shoals on the road Wednesday.
Cole Watkins, JJ Rapp, Jase Peoples, Jake Walker and Mason Cooper combined for no runs, no hits, no walks and no base runners in the blow-out win. The five pitchers also sat down 13 of the 18 batters via strikeout. Watkins was credited with the win.
Landon Richards was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, while Watkins was 2-for-2 with two RBIs.
The Dragons scored two runs in the first, three in the second, two in the third, two in the fourth and two in the sixth.
