CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — Riley Mitchell was all Flowery Branch needed in its winner-take-all Game 3 against Woodland-Cartersville on Tuesday.
The senior tossed a one-hit complete-game to lead the Falcons to a 7-0 victory on the road to capture the two teams’ Class 5A best-of-three first-round series, 2-1.
However, it was a tight pitching duel between Mitchell and the Wildcats’ Zach Lambert into the fifth, with Branch leading just 1-0 on an unearned run in the fourth.
The Falcons exploded for six runs in the sixth. Austin Bourrie highlighted the big inning with a two-run single, and Mason Compton added an RBI double.
Lambert was knocked out in the inning, surrendering four runs on four hits over five-plus innings.
Mitchell allowed just two baserunners over the final two innings to preserve the win.
The Falcons (21-11) will next travel to Region 6-5A champion Centennial on Saturday to open a three-game series.
FRANKLIN COUNTY 8,
DAWSON COUNTY 1
The Region 8-3A champion Lions scored six runs in the final two innings to pull away for the win in the deciding Game 3 of the two teams’ Class 3A first-round playoff series.
Franklin County, who won the series 2-1, moves on to play Adairsville in the second round.
Dawson County, which took a 1-0 lead in the third on a Jacson Rickett RBI sacrifice fly, could not get anything else going against Lions’ starter Caden Cawthon.
Cawthorn went the distance, allowing just one run on one hit and striking out five.
Banks Hickman pitched well until the fifth when Franklin County began to pull away. Hickman lasted 4 1/3 innings giving up five runs on five hits, striking out three. Sawyer Bearden did not fare much better, surrendering three runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.
Preston Bannister had Dawson County’s lone hit and scored the only Tigers run.
