NEWNAN, Ga. — Habersham Central used a three-run third inning to rally for a 4-2 win over Newnan in Game 2 of the two teams' Class 5A series on Wednesday.
The win sent the series to a deciding Game 3 on Thursday in Newnan with a spot in the semifinals on the line. The Tigers won the opening game 2-1 in 12 innings.
Maverick Chitwood had three hits and two RBI, including a RBI double in the third. He later came around to score on Ethan Wheeler's two-run single for a 3-1 lead. Chitwood added another run-scoring single in the fourth. Callum Spivey also had three hits in the game for the Raiders.
CHitwood also got the win on the mound for Habersham central, tossing six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out six.
Newnan got the go-ahead run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but Lucas Machado closed out the game with a strikeout for the save.
In the first game, Newnan got a one-out single in the bottom of the 12th inning to pull out a 2-1 win
Wheeler was outstanding on the hill for Habersham Central, pitching 8 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on four hits and five walks. But the Raiders' offense could not take advantage of nine hits and six walks.
Habersham Central left the bases loaded in the third and the sixth. They also had a runner gunned down at the plate in the sixth that would have given them a 2-0 lead.
The Raiders scored their only run in the fifth when Spivey scored on a wild pitch. Newnan tied the game in the sixth on a RBI single by Caden Truitt.
The Tigers won it in the 12th on an RBI single from Cole Gilmore, driving in Dax Kilby, who had doubled with one out.
TROUP 9-5,
JEFFERSON 3-4
The Class 21st-seeded Dragons luck ran out against the No. 4-seed Tigers on the road suffering a sweep to be knocked out of the Class 3A playoffs on Wednesday.
In Game 1, Jake Perry took a perfect into the fifth inning to spark the Tigers to a lopsided win. At the same time, the Dragons’ Eston Simpson was roughed by the Troup offense, giving up four runs on nine hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Troup led 4-0 after scoring a pair of runs each in the second and fourth innings. Jefferson finally broke through in the fifth.
Steven Tavares tripled to lead off the inning and break up Perry’s perfect game. He later scored on a RBI groundout from Ryan Reed. But the Dragons left the bases loaded with a chance to tie the game.
The Tigers dashed any hopes of a comeback exploding for five runs in the sixth to push the lead to 9-1.
Perry went six innings, scattering three hits and allowing just one run while striking out seven to get the win.
In Game 2, the Dragons could not hold an early 4-1 lead. Jefferson took the big early lead, highlighted by a two-run single from Daniel Coker in the first.
But the Tigers chipped away against Matt Earon, who allowed five runs on seven hits in eight-plus innings. Troup scored one in the fourth and two in the sixth to tie the game at 4.
Jefferson had chances late to send the series to a third game but left two runners on in each of the sixth and seventh innings. The Dragons had the potential game-winning run thrown out at the plate to end the eighth.
Troup scored the eventual game-winner on a two-out, bases-loaded passed ball in the top of the ninth. Jefferson got two more runners on the bottom of the ninth but could not keep the series going..
BASEBALL 3rd ROUND PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD, Wednesday, May 7
(All series are best-of-3 games at site of higher-seeded team)
(Doubleheaders)
Class 5A
Habersham Central 1-4, Newnan 2-1 (Series is tied 1-1)
Class 3A
Cherokee Bluff 7-10, North Hall 3-2 (Bluff wins series, 2-0)
Troup County 9-5, Jefferson 3-4 (Troup wins series, 2-0)
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