WINDER — Ayden Digiacomo drove in five runs on a pair of doubles to lead No. 1 Buford over No. 3 Winder-Barrow on Monday in the first of three games for the Region 8-6A title.
The two teams will meet on Wednesday at Gerald McQuaig Field with the Wolves (26-0, 15-1 Region 8-6A) looking for a win to clinch the region title.
Digiacomo gave Dylan Lesko more than he needed to get the win. Lesko went five innings scattering five hits and fanning seven with all four runs being unearned.
Buford never trailed scoring a run in the first and then got a bases-clearing double from Digiacomo in the third to extend the lead to 4-0. An RBI single from Nathan Smith in the fourth made it 5-0.
The Bulldoggs (19-3, 12-1 Region 8-6A) got back in the game in the bottom of the fourth taking advantage of a big Buford error. Brady House, who had three hits, roped a two-run double and Drew Lewis added an RBI single after a Lesko wild pitch plated a run to trim the lead to 5-4.
Buford, however, scored one run in the fifth and two in the sixth to pull away.
Treyton Rank had two hits and an RBI, Stan Zagrodnik had a pair of hits, and Lesko had a hit for the Wolves as well.
NORTH HALL 8,
DAWSON COUNTY 0
Jaret Bales, Landon Lee, and Brady Stephens combined on a four-hitter and struck out eight to lead the Class 3A No. 2 Trojans to a win at Cottrell Field.
The win was the seventh straight for Trojans (18-4, 12-1 Region 7-3A) and snapped Dawson County’s (10-12, 4-9 Region 7-3A) three-game win streak.
The two teams will resume their three-game series on Wednesday in Dawsonville.
North Hall used a huge seven-run first inning to storm out to a quick lead. Bales started things with an RBI single, and after scoring a run on a Dawson County error, Eli Reece smacked an RBI double for a 3-0 lead. Cooper Helton followed with an RBI groundout and with two outs Luke Erickson added an RBI double and Jay Johnson capped the inning with a two-run single.
North Hall added a run in the second but the Tigers’ Kolton Rucker went the final 4 1/3 innings scattering four hits and allowing no runs.
Andrew Burt had two hits and Julian Horner and Nick Mullinax had one hit each for Dawson County.
NORTH FORSYTH 5,
GAINESVILLE 3 (8 inn)
The Red Elephants didn't make it easy for North Forsyth on Monday at Ivey Watson in the rubber match of the season three-game series.
The Raiders, however, rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game in the fifth inning and sealed the win in the eighth to take the season series, 2-1.
North Forsyth's Jess Ackerman was dominant on the mound, going seven innings, allowing just four hits while striking out 15.
But the Red Elephants were able to shake the Raiders' defense, scoring two runs on passed balls and one on a throw down to second, in the second inning. Jaden Johnson and Jackson Still both scored on passed balls, and Cooper Reid scored on the next at-bat on a throw down to second.
The Raiders pushed two more runs across the plate, including Casen Blackburn's line-drive single to right field. Brett Barfield strolled to the plate on the hit to tie the game, 3-3 in the fifth.
North Forsyth scored two runs in the top of the eighth, one on a sacrifice fly, the other on a dropped strike three. Tyler Triche and Ackerman both scored.
Gainesville went down in order in the bottom of the inning.
HABERSHAM CENTRAL 16,
SHILOH 1
The Raiders were home very early on Monday thanks to a 16-run explosion through the first three innings to run-rule Shiloh at home.
Hab Central scored nine runs in the first inning to set the pace and added three in the second and four in the third.
Azzi Cervantes was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Trevor Stevens had a 2-for-2 day at the plate with four RBIs to lead the Raiders.
Austin Jones picked up the win in three innings of work, allowing two hits, while striking out three.
NORTH OCONEE 10,
EAST HALL 0
No. 7 North Oconee kept it close until the five-run sixth inning on Monday at East Hall Park.
The Titans scored two runs in the first inning and one in the third to take a 3-0 lead. They added seven more runs, two in the fifth and five in the sixth.
AREA SCOREBOARD, Monday, April 12
Buford 8, Winder-Barrow 4*
Chestatee 20-17, Cedar Shoals 0-2*
Habersham Central 16, Shiloh 1*
Lumpkin County 13, Gilmer 1*
Madison County 5, Flowery Branch 3*
North Forsyth 5, Gainesville 3 (8 inn)*
North Hall 8, Dawson County 0*
North Oconee 10, East Hall 0*
Union County 13, Towns County 2*
White County 5, Cherokee Bluff 1*
