GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Lanier Christian Academy closed out the regular season in grand fashion, routing Johnson Ferry Christian 12-2 at Lanier Point Park and sweeping the series.
The Lightning finished the regular at 13-4, and next will play host to Creekside Christian School at Chestatee High School next Thursday in the first round of the GAPPS playoffs.
Against Johnson Ferry, LCA jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first but fell behind 2-1 in the second. The Lightning bats then came alive.
LCA batted around and plated six in the fourth to take the lead for good. The Lightning added five more in the fifth to invoke the run rule.
Isaac Dinn picked up the win in relief for Barry Waymack. Dinn struck out 5, giving up only two hits and 0 earned runs over the final two innings. Waymack allowed two runs on two hits.
Offensively, the Lightning pounded out 16 hits. Gavin Strabala and Camden Hohman led the way with three hits apiece. Carter Raulerson, Dinn, Tres Criste, and Titus Lulinski all had two hits. Joshua Waymack and Drew Kalinauskas added hits. Dinn, Strabala, and Criste each knocked in a pair of runs for LCA.
WESLEYAN 10,
LUMPKIN COUNTY 9
Wesleyan beat Lumpkin County and took the No. 2 spot in the Region 7-3A standings.
Lumpkin County will await Friday's Dawson County-White County outcome for the final seeding. If the Tigers beat White County, Lumpkin County will fall to the fourth seed, and Dawson County will be three seed.
On Thursday, Wesleyan scored four runs in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead, but the Indians rallied back in the bottom for a 5-4 advantage. In the third, Wesleyan added four more runs and the Indians two, leaving the Wolves on top, 8-7 after three innings.
In the fourth, Lumpkin County scored one run to tie the game 8-8. After a scoreless fifth inning, Wesleyan tacked on one run in the sixth to take the lead for good.
Schley Gordy and Reed Purcell were 3-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the Wolves. Peyton Wood, Dakota Bennett, and Cooper Scott had two hits each for the Indians. Bennett also drove in two runs.
DAWSON COUNTY 11,
WHITE COUNTY 3
The Tigers took control early in the win against White County at home on Thursday.
If the Tigers can complete the sweep on Friday in Cleveland, they'll secure a No. 3 seed in next week's Class 3A state tournament. If not, Lumpkin County will take No. 3, and Dawson County will be No. 4.
The Tigers jumped on White County early, scoring six runs across the first three innings for a 6-1 lead. The Warriors added a run in the fifth and one in the sixth to cut the Tigers' lead in half, 6-3.
But Dawson County hammered out five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to distance themselves for the win.
Julian Hoerner highlighted the day for the Tigers with a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Elijah Odum, however, was 2-for-2 with three RBIs. Chase Adams also drove in three runs for the Tigers.
Mason Gee homered in the second for White County. He was 2-for-3 on the day.
