The Jefferson Dragons opened up region play by sweeping Rabun County in a double header on Friday.
The Dragons next travel to Banks County to face the Leopards in round two on Thursday in a game that will determine the seeding for the state tournament.
A win for Jefferson would put them playing again at 8 p.m. against either Fannin County or North Oconee at Banks for first or second seeding and host in the first round. A loss means they will play at 5 p.m. for third or fourth seeding on the road.
First pitch against Banks County is slated for 11 a.m.
Game One
Jefferson hosted Rabun County in a double header for the region 8-AA tournament opening round.
The Dragons took control early on, and never looked back. After putting their first runner across in the bottom of the first, Jefferson added five more in the bottom of the second, two more in the bottom of the fourth and another two in the bottom of the sixth to win 10-0, holding Rabun County to one hit on the game.
Chris Beck went the distance for the win, striking out 11 batters in the process.
Lucas Redd went 2-3 at the plate, as did Tyler Bailey. Jamie Sexton was 1-2 with a home run and two RBIs. Jason Demos went 1-3 with two RBIs. Jake Fields went 1-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Kyle
Hardy went 1-3 with one RBI. Corey Wilkins went 1-2 with two RBIs. Caleb Meek went 1-3 with one RBI.
Game Two
The second game against the Wildcats went pretty much the same as the first, with Jefferson taking control early on. The Dragons put one runner across in the first two innings to take an early lead, then added two more in the fourth and one more in the fifth, all while holding Rabun County scoreless. The nail in the coffin came in the seventh, as Jefferson added six runs to their tally. The Wildcats would score a lone run in the bottom of the inning, but Jefferson went on to win 11-1.
Chris Swancey recorded the win, striking out 12 and giving up only one hit in six innings.
Chris Back went 1-4 with a homer and an RBI. Caleb Meek went 1-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Jamie Sexton went 1-5 with two RBIs. Jason Demos went 2-4. Jake Fields went 2-4 with a home run
and three RBIs. Lucas Redd went 2-4. Kyle Hardy went 1-3. Tyler Bailey went 2-3 with an RBI. Michael Cidboy went 1-3.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.
