FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Cherokee Bluff continued its hot play with a dominating doubleheader sweep of East Hall on Friday in Region 8-3A play.
The Bears opened the day with a 15-1 win in five innings and followed with a 16-0 three-inning shutout of the Vikings in the second game to stay unbeaten in region play. The two wins for Bluff (10-8, 6-0 Region 8-3A) pushed its win streak to six straight and also set up a three-game battle with Jefferson for first place in the region next week.
Against East Hall (6-12, 0-6 Region 8-3A) the Bears got two hits and four RBI each from Landon Kemp and Cody Bridger. Bryce Fontenot had two hits, including a solo home run, for Bluff in the first game.
In the second game, Ethan England belted a pair of home runs and drove in four runs and Fontenot homered again and knocked three. KT Thompson had two hits and two RBI for Bluff.
Logan Robinson and Landon Rawlins scattered five hits in the opening game. Tucker Hoton and Fontenot allowed just one hit in the second game on the mound.
FLOWERY BRANCH 11-13,
MADISON COUNTY 1-3
The Falcons moved into a tie for first place in Region 8-4A with a pair of lopsided wins at the Hog Mountain Sports Complex to sweep their season series with the Red Raiders.
Flowery Branch (10-6, 5-1 Region 8-4A) got three RBI each from Parker Bourie and Jackson Freeman, including a home run from Bourie, to pace the win in game one.
A huge seven-run fourth blew it open.
In the second game, Madison County (1-16, 0-6 Region 8-4A) led 1-0 in the third before Branch scored five in the bottom of the third, three in the fourth, and invoked the Mercy Rule with five more in the fourth.
Anthony Almeroth drove in four runs and Luke Stone had two hits and three RBI. Riley Bourie ended the game with a two run single for the Falcons.
Branch next will travel to Eastside to open another Region 8-4A series on Tuesday.
JEFFERSON 5-6,
OCONEE COUNTY 7-4
The Dragons split with the Warriors in a key Region 8-3A doubleheader on Friday.
The split gave Jefferson (10-9, 5-1 Region 8-3A) the 2-1 series win over Oconee County (13-5, 4-2 Region 8-3A) and kept the Dragons just one game behind Cherokee Bluff for first place.
In the second game, Jackson Sims and Caden Pipelow both drove in two runs as Jefferson led 4-0 heading into the sixth. But the Warriors scored twice in the sixth and two more in the seventh and had the bases loaded with one out.
But Reece Romans was able to induce the Warriors’ Isacc Smith to hit into a double play to end the game and preserve the win.
The Dragons will open a huge series with Cherokee Bluff on Tuesday on the road in a battle for first place.
NORTH HALL 15,
WHITE COUNTY 5 (5 inn)
The Trojans got a 10-run second inning to erase an early deficit on the way to a series-clinching win over the Warriors in Region 6-3A play on Friday in Cleveland.
White County jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run double from Alex Freeman. It was all North Hall from there.
The Trojans (11-5, 7-2 Region 6-3A) wrapped out seven hits in the big inning, highlighted by a grand slam home run from Cutis Honeycutt. Jake Beard capped the inning with a solo home run.
After White County pulled within 10-5 with three runs in the third, North Hall exploded for five more in the fourth.
Shelton Ramey took the loss for White County (7-10, 2-7 Region 6-3A) giving up eight runs on four hits and four walks in just two-thirds of an inning.
Branson Crawford made his first start of the season for North Hall and allowed four earned runs on six hits while striking out five in three innings.
North Hall next will open a series with Lumpkin County on Tuesday at Cottrell Field Region 6-3A.
White County travels to Chestatee on Tuesday in Region 6-3A action.
UNION COUNTY 11,
SONORAVILLE 3
The Panthers earned a split of their season series with the Phoenix with a win at home on Friday.
Maddox Patton and Bo Brown each had three hits and combined for four RBI to lead an 11-hit Panthers offensive attack.
Union County jumped out to an 8-0 lead after the third inning and cruised from there.
Gunnar Akins got the win on the mound for Union County, allowing just two runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings. He fanned seven.
Eli Gwynn had two hits for the Panthers.
Union County next will travel to Ringgold on Tuesday.
LANIER 6,
GAINESVILLE 5
The Red Elephants saw their Region 7-5A four-game win streak come to an end Friday at Ivey-Watson. Though it didn’t come without a late-game surge.
Gainesville (5-14, 2-10 Region 7-5A) took the initial lead on Cohen Miller sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third.
The Longhorns (5-14, 2-10 Region 7-5A) tied the game in the fourth on a RBI single from Andrew Lee. They added a pair of runs in the fifth on RBI doubles from Elias Barsikh and Nicholas Sampona.
Lanier got some huge insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a three-run home run from Zach Diaz for a 6-2 lead.
The Red Elephants did not go away. Dawson Vaughn singled in two runs in the bottom of the seventh and he later scored on a sacrifice fly by AJ Rice to pull within 6-5. But Beckett Brown struck out to end the game.
The loss dropped Gainesville into fifth behind Chattahoochee, who owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Red Elephants after taking 2-of-3 games in their series earlier in the season.
WEST FORSYTH 6
NORTH FORSYTH 4
The Raiders fell behind early and never caught up in a tough Region 6-6A loss on the road.
West Forsyth (11-7, 6-3 Region 6-6A) scored twice in the second to break a scoreless tie. North Forsyth (11-7, 4-5 Region 6-6A). Cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth on back-to-back RBI doubles from Ozzie Patterson and Ty Womack.
But the Wolverine made it 6-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Trey Windham homered to left field in the top of the seventh with no outs for the Raiders to trim the lead but they could not get another base runner.
North Forsyth opens another Region 6-6A series at home on Monday against Forsyth Central.
(Check back throughout the night for updates on Friday's action.)
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCOREBOARD FOR FRIDAY, March 21
Banks County 7-11, BASA 5-0*
Cherokee Bluff 15-16, East Hall 1-0 (5 inn)
East Forsyth 13-8, Eastside 4-2*
Flowery Branch 11-13, Madison County 1-3*
Lanier 6, Gainesville 5*
Monroe Area 5, West Hall 3*
North Hall 15, White County 5*
Oconee County 7-4, Jefferson 5-6*
Pickens 5, Lumpkin County 3*
Rabun County 14, Commerce 6*
Stephens County 13, East Jackson 3
Union County 11, Sonoraville 3*
Washington-Wilkes 15, Towns County 14*
West Forsyth 6, North Forsyth 4*
Winder-Barrow 9, Jackson County 8 (8 inn)*
(* -- denotes region contest)
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