Though the Hawks had already clinched the title, Mill Creek head coach Doug Jones said it was important to end the regular season on a positive note.
“You want to finish with a good taste in your mouth,” he said.
Mill Creek will host Kennesaw Mountain, the fourth seeded team from region 5-AAAAA, in the first round of playoffs on May 9. As the higher seeded team, the Hawks will have the advantage of playing on their home field.
The double header against the Mustangs will begin at 4 p.m. with the second game starting at 7 p.m.
With nine days between the last regular season game and the first playoff game, Jones said his team would rest and recuperate for a few days before getting back to work.
“We're going to take a couple of days off,” he said. “We're beat up and banged up and bruised. Nine days is a long time -too much to be honest with you. We'll try to catch our breath a little bit.”
Jones said the break would give him and his staff the opportunity to scout potential playoff opponents.
“Then we'll just try to win ten more games,” he said.
LIONS TAMED
In their first meeting this season, Peachtree Ridge (9-15, 5-9) handed Mill Creek its first region loss in a 5-0 shutout.
The Lions failed to duplicate that success this time around.
Mill Creek got on the board first. With Zach Hogan on base, Johnny Knight hit a home run to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
Peachtree Ridge scored its lone run of the night in the third inning, closing the gap to 2-1. It was as close as the Lions were to get.
After two scoreless innings, Mill Creek’s offense came alive.
Matt Tunnell took first base on a walk. Pinch runner Jordan Gauthier came in and immediately stole second base. A few pitches later, Gauthier stole third.
The Lions walked Zach Hogan, putting runners on first and third and bringing Knight back to the plate.
For the second time in less than a week, Knight followed his earlier home run with a second one. The three run homer put Mill Creek up 5-1 with one out.
After getting hit by a pitch, Eric Hicks walked to first. That brought Travis Hammond to the plate. His double off the left field wall put runners on second and third.
Hunter Pope’s double sent Hicks and Hammond home and gave Mill Creek a 7-1 lead heading into the last inning.
The Hawks finished the Lions off with a quick three outs to clinch the win.
Jones said the game was just what he wanted as his team heads into the playoffs.
"It was a little scary for a while,” he said. “That kid's a pretty good pitcher. It's exactly what I wanted to be honest with you. I wanted to see their best - a good quality kid going into the playoffs.”
Jones said pitcher Brandon Bast threw a great game and praised Knight for his offensive efforts, but said he still had some concerns about his team’s defensive play.
“We still made a couple of blunders and you can't do that,” he said. “We managed to work through it. As a coach, you'd like to have every game clean, but it isn't going to be. We just need to minimize our mistakes. As long as we get good pitching and play decent defense, we'll have a chance.”
After the game, Mill Creek was officially presented with the region 7-AAAAA championship trophy.
Jones said he was very proud of his team and was happy to see them celebrate a region championship.
“This is what high school athletics is all about,” Jones said. “I tell them all the time, our greatest glory as a coach is to sit back and watch them celebrate. They've worked for it. They've come a long way. They're a bunch of great kids.”
