Baseball playoffs: North Forsyth splits with Mill Creek; Buford sweeps; Jefferson eliminated

HOSCHTON, Ga. — North Forsyth used a Tyler Triche home run in the first inning to take the lead and keep it en route to a 3-2 road win over No. 9 Mill Creek in Game 1 of the Class 7A playoffs Wednesday. 

The Raiders (21-11 Region 6-7A No. 4 seed), however, couldn't complete the sweep, falling 8-2 in Game 2. The decisive Game 3 is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Mill Creek. 

In Game 1, Triche went 2-for-2 to lead the Raiders in the win with one RBI and scored three runs. 

North Forsyth tacked on another run when Brett Barfield reached on an error. Triche strolled home on the same error for a 2-0 lead. In the sixth inning, M Harris singled to once again send Triche home and a 3-0. 

Mill Creek (20-11 Region 8-7A No. 1 seed) added two runs in the bottom of the inning after the Raiders' pitching gave up a walk and a double to open the inning. A batter later, N Hollifield doubled to left field to drive the two runs home. 

The Raiders held Mill Creek scoreless in the seventh. 

Barfield surrendered two runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings, striking out eight to earn the win on the mound. In 1 2/3 innings of relief, Cason Engert recorded the last five outs to earn the save for the Raiders.

But Game 2 was a different story for the Raiders, as the Hawks slowly built a lead behind solid hitting and stellar pitching from Beau Brailey.

Brailey went the distance, giving up just two runs on four hits while striking out 10 Raiders.  

Mill Creek's scoring started in the second on a home run by Cole Mullins and a sacrifice fly by Chandler Klein to go up, 2-0. 

The Hawks flipped the scoreboard again in the fifth inning with a run and had a three-run sixth inning to go up 6-0. 

In the sixth, Mill Creek scored on an error and a double from Klien. Klien was 1-for-2 with three RBIs on the day. 

The Raiders' two runs came off a Josh Zirlott single. 

BUFORD 14, 7
KENNESAW MOUNTAIN 4, 2

No. 2 Buford scored 21 runs in the opening series of the Class 6A playoffs to advance to the second round on Wednesday. 

After falling behind 4-3 in the first inning of Game 1, Buford scored 10 unanswered runs to rout the Mustangs (18-14 Region 6-6A No. 4 seed). 

Buford (24-7 Region 8-6A No. 1 seed) scored three runs in the second inning on a two-run Kaden Martin sac fly and a Riley Stanford single, the start of the runaway for the Wolves. 

The fourth inning put an exclamation mark on the opener for the Wolves when they exploded for seven runs. Stan Zagrodnik, Carson King, Andrew McMurry, Parker Walsh and Brant Baughcum drove in runs. 

Buford racked up 16 hits with Baughcum, King, Walsh, McMurry and Martin recording multiple hits. Walsh, King and Baughcum led the Wolves with three hits each. 

Jackson Gaspard allowed five hits and four runs over 5 1/3 innings, striking out 10.

In Game 2, Riley Stanford joined Gaspard in the double-digit strikeout column, fanning 12 Mustangs in the six-inning outing. He gave up two runs on five hits. 

Offensively, the Wolves took control quickly, with four homers on the day, including Martin and Stanford going back-to-back in the seventh inning. Martin hit his first of two in the third inning, and Parker Walsh smashed a three-run homer in the second inning.

The Wolves will play host to Glynn Academy May 3-4. 

DRUID HILLS 7, 7
JEFFERSON 4, 2

Druid Hills outscored Jefferson 14-6 to eliminate the Dragons in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs. 

In Game 1, the Dragons (16-15, Region 8-4A No. 3 seed) took the lead on a wild pitch, but Druid Hills (17-6 Region 6-4A No. 2 seed) erupted for five runs in the fourth inning on singles from Colin Ross and Banks Coffman, and a sacrifice bunt from Ian O'Conner. 

The Dragons scored one run in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings. 

Bowman Horn and Brett Horn and Kelley both were 2-for-4 with one RBI to lead the Dragons at the plate. 

In Game 2, Druid Hills rushed out to a 3-0 advantage after three innings of play and extended it to 5-0 in the sixth inning. 

Jefferson got on the board in the bottom of the sixth on a single from Matthew Perrin and an error on a hard-hit ground ball by L Jones to cut the lead, 5-2. 

Druid Hills, however, added two more runs in the seventh and held the Dragons in the bottom of the inning to seal the win. 

Jase Peoples and Perrin were 2-for-3 at the plate.