Baseball playoffs: Area teams face stiff challenges in Sweet 16; Branch series moved to Monday

Most of the teams to qualify for the Georgia High School Association playoff will start their second round action on Saturday.

Class 7A began on friday, and Buford, the only Northeast Georgia-area team in the 7A playoffs, was swept out by Walton on Friday, 4-2 and 8-3, at Gerald McQuaig Field

North Forsyth (22-10) in Class 6A will be the only team to play host to a second-round series on Saturday. The Raiders (22-10) are taking on 2022 Class 7A state runner-up Etowah (19-13) in Coal Mountain.

Flowery Branch in 5A, Cherokee Bluff, and East Forsyth in 4A will all be on the road in the second round. Branch also needed three games to advance, taking out Woodland-Cartersville on the road. The Falcons (21-11) are heading to Centennial (24-8), a team they beat 6-1 last week in their regular-season final at home.

But Branch's series has been moved to Monday due to an unplayable field at cenntennial after Thursday's and Friday's rains.

Cherokee Bluff (27-3) has a huge task traveling to perennial playoff power Lovett (23-5), a semifinalist in Class 2A in 2022. East Forsyth (20-11) heads to Holy Innocents (28-2), which has won 19 straight in the second round.

Lakewview Academy will open the GIAA Class 3A playoffs on the road against Dominion Christian.

(Check below for the scores and full schedule of the second-round series involving Northeast Georgia-area teams.)

BASEBALL PLAYOFFS, 2nd round, Saturday, April 29
(Best-of-three series)

Class 6A
Etowah (R6, S3) at North Forsyth (R8, S1) DH, 2 p.m.

Class 5A
Flowery Branch (R8, S3) at Centennial (R6, S1) -- (series moved to Monday & Tuesday)

Class 4A
Cherokee Bluff (R8, S2) at Lovett (R5, S1) DH, 1 p.m.
East Forsyth (R8, S3) at Holy Innocents' (R6, S1) DH, 1 p.m.

BASEBALL PLAYOFFS, 2nd round, Monday, May 1
(Best-of-three series)

Class 6A (Game 3, if necessary)
Etowah (R6, S3) at North Forsyth (R8, S1), 6 p.m.

Class 5A
Flowery Branch (R8, S3) at Centennial (R6, S1) DH, 4 p.m. -- (moved from Saturday)

Class 4A (Game 3s, if necessary)
Cherokee Bluff (R8, S2) at Lovett (R5, S1), 6 p.m.
East Forsyth (R8, S3) at Holy Innocents' (R6, S1), 5 p.m.

GIAA 3A
Lakeview Academy (12) at Dominion Christian (5) DH, 4 p.m.

BASEBALL PLAYOFFS, 2nd round, Tuesday, May 2
(Best-of-three series)

Class 5A (Game 3, if necessary)
Flowery Branch (R8, S3) at Centennial (R6, S1), 6 p.m.

GIAA 3A (Game 3, if necessary)
Lakeview Academy (12) at Dominion Christian (5), 5 p.m.

BASEBALL PLAYOFFS SCORES, 2nd round, Friday, April 28

Class 7A
Walton 4-8, Buford 2-3 (Walton wins series 2-0)

Class A Division 1 (1st round)
Commerce 8-9, Pepperell 2-5 (Commerce wins series 2-0)

Class A Division 2 (1st round)
Towns County 13-12, Mt. Zion-Carroll 3-1 (Towns County wins series 2-0)

Bryce England (16) and Jacob Vokal (7) will lead Cherokee Bluff against Lovett in monster second-round showdown in the Class 4A playoffs. (Photo/Seth Chapman, FILE)

Luke Stone will help lead Flowery Branch against Centennial in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. (Photo/Seth Chapman, FILE)

East Forsyth is coming off its first-ever GHSA playoff series win. The Broncos will have a tough road task against taking on Holy Innocents' beginning on Saturday in the Class 4A playoffs. (Photo/Seth Chapman, FILE)

http://accesswdun.com/article/2023/4/1180342/baseball-playoffs-4-28-23-sked