And then there were three...
That is all that is left from a total of 14 teams to make the state baseball playoffs this season.
It has been a tough postseason so far for area teams, with Wednesday seeing two more programs fall short of title aspirations in second round action.
Flowery Branch had perhaps the toughest second round matchup, taking on defending Class AAAA state champion Locust Grove on the road. The young Falcons put up a fight despite being swept 8-1 and 5-0 by the Wildcats. Both contests were closer than the scores but Locust Grove, which returned most of last year's state title team roster, pulled away in the late innings of both games.
Rabun County, which was short-handed going into its series with Bacon County, fell to the Raiders 10-0 in five innings and 12-3. Much like Flowery Branch, Rabun County kept the games close before getting bombarded in the late innings of both games. The Wildcats, however, were playing without their top two catchers, and their No. 1 pitcher, Austin Jones, did not see action on the mound, as he was forced into taking duty behind the plate.
Below is a look at Wednesday's action and the rest of the second round schedule for area teams still alive in the playoffs:
STATE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND
WEDNESDAY RESULTS
Class AAAAA
Locust Grove 8-5, Flowery Branch 1-0 (Locust Grove wins series 2-0)
Class AA
Bacon County 10-12, Rabun County 0-3 (Bacon County wins series 2-0)
FRIDAY SCHEDULE
Class AAAAA
Buford at Wayne County 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Class AAA
North Hall at Southeast Bulloch, 5 p.m. (DH)
Class AAA
North Hall at Southeast Bulloch, 2 p.m. (Game 3, if necessary)
Class AA
Toombs County at Banks County, 5 p.m. (DH)
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
Class AAAAA
Buford at Wayne County, 2 p.m. (Game 3, if necessary)
Class AAA
North Hall at Southeast Bulloch, 1 p.m. (Game 3, if necessary)
Class AA
Toombs County at Banks County, 1 p.m. (Game 3, if necessary)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/5/532492/playoff-baseball-branch-and-rabun-co-fall-in-2nd-round-just-3-area-teams-left-standing