The Winder-Barrow baseball team rallied for a 4-3 win at Lanier on Friday and won its second straight GHSA Region 8-AAAAAA championship.
It's the first time the Bulldoggs have won back-to-back region titles since 1979-1980.
Sixth-ranked Winder-Barrow (18-10, 11-4 region) scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning on doubles by Brady House and Hunter Marsh to take a 4-3 lead over the Longhorns and Zack Smith pitched the Bulldoggs the rest of the way from there. Smith went 4 2/3 scoreless innings, surrendering just four hits and a walk while striking out six.
Marsh led the Bulldoggs at the plate, going 3-for-3 with an RBI.
The Bulldoggs will wrap up the regular season Saturday with a non-region game at Heritage-Conyers. They'll open the Class AAAAAA playoffs at home Thursday with a best-of-three series against Dunwoody, the No. 4 seed from Region 7.
See more coverage in the April 25 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.
Entries from April 2018
No contest: JCCHS boys’ tennis team claims second straight region title with ease
Jackson County replaced the drama of last year’s region championship with dominance this time around.
After having to survive two three-set wins to beat Franklin County 3-2 a year ago for the title, the Panthers blanked the Lions 3-0 — all straight-set wins — Thursday in Morgan County to cruise to a second consecutive 8-AAA title in domineering fashion.
“I feel like we’re a lot better team than last year and we’ve built more chemistry over time,” senior doubles player David Cristea said. “We’ve hit in the offseason, practiced in the offseason, and it just feels great to be back-to-back region champs.”
Kade Graves won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles, Nicholas Bergeron won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 singles and Brendon Mitchell and Hayden Dutton picked up a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles as the Panthers polished off another title and clinched a No. 1 seed in the Class AAA state tournament.
The commanding finals performance only reaffirmed Jackson County’s domination of the region in the regular season. The Panthers swept through region play at 10-0, earning the top seed, and then beat East Jackson 3-0 last Wednesday in the region semifinals before disposing of Franklin County promptly in the finals.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” coach Wayne Brooks said. “These gentlemen really showed what they’re made of. They owned that 10-0 record and brought it right in to the region tournament and showed why they’ve been dominant all year in the region.”
For more on this story, see the April 18 edition of The Jackson Herald.
After having to survive two three-set wins to beat Franklin County 3-2 a year ago for the title, the Panthers blanked the Lions 3-0 — all straight-set wins — Thursday in Morgan County to cruise to a second consecutive 8-AAA title in domineering fashion.
“I feel like we’re a lot better team than last year and we’ve built more chemistry over time,” senior doubles player David Cristea said. “We’ve hit in the offseason, practiced in the offseason, and it just feels great to be back-to-back region champs.”
Kade Graves won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles, Nicholas Bergeron won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 singles and Brendon Mitchell and Hayden Dutton picked up a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles as the Panthers polished off another title and clinched a No. 1 seed in the Class AAA state tournament.
The commanding finals performance only reaffirmed Jackson County’s domination of the region in the regular season. The Panthers swept through region play at 10-0, earning the top seed, and then beat East Jackson 3-0 last Wednesday in the region semifinals before disposing of Franklin County promptly in the finals.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” coach Wayne Brooks said. “These gentlemen really showed what they’re made of. They owned that 10-0 record and brought it right in to the region tournament and showed why they’ve been dominant all year in the region.”
For more on this story, see the April 18 edition of The Jackson Herald.
Track and Field: AHS girls win region title
The Apalachee girls track and field team made history Thursday, capturing the GHSA Region 8-AAAAAA championship, the first team track and field title in school history, on the third and final day of the region meet at R. Harold Harrison Stadium.
Apalachee finished with 171 points, well ahead of second-place Lanier (134). Winder-Barrow finished fifth with 85 points. On the boys side, Winder-Barrow finished fourth and Apalachee finished fifth.
The Apalachee girls got individual titles from Sierra Barnett in the long jump, the 4x100-meter relay team of Samira Barnett, Sierra Barnett, Tahlia Ferguson and Joanna Gross, the 4x400-meter relay team of Sierra Barnett, Ferguson, Destiny Gibbs and Gross, and Molly Silva in the 1,600-meter run.
Apalachee's Malik Wiggins won the boys high jump while Tucker Keadle won the boys pole vault.
For Winder-Barrow, Logan Cash won the boys discus, Breanna McNamara won the girls pole vault, Jaidon Turner won the boys long jump and Djangmah Narhmartey won the boys 800-meter run.
Both schools had several other top-four finishes that qualified for the Class AAAAAA sectionals, which will be held April 28 at Grovetown High School. Region 8 athletes will be competing against athletes from regions 1, 2 and 3.
The top eight in each event will advance to the state meet May 10-12 in Carrollton.
See more coverage in the April 25 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.
Apalachee finished with 171 points, well ahead of second-place Lanier (134). Winder-Barrow finished fifth with 85 points. On the boys side, Winder-Barrow finished fourth and Apalachee finished fifth.
The Apalachee girls got individual titles from Sierra Barnett in the long jump, the 4x100-meter relay team of Samira Barnett, Sierra Barnett, Tahlia Ferguson and Joanna Gross, the 4x400-meter relay team of Sierra Barnett, Ferguson, Destiny Gibbs and Gross, and Molly Silva in the 1,600-meter run.
Apalachee's Malik Wiggins won the boys high jump while Tucker Keadle won the boys pole vault.
For Winder-Barrow, Logan Cash won the boys discus, Breanna McNamara won the girls pole vault, Jaidon Turner won the boys long jump and Djangmah Narhmartey won the boys 800-meter run.
Both schools had several other top-four finishes that qualified for the Class AAAAAA sectionals, which will be held April 28 at Grovetown High School. Region 8 athletes will be competing against athletes from regions 1, 2 and 3.
The top eight in each event will advance to the state meet May 10-12 in Carrollton.
See more coverage in the April 25 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.
Softball: BCA sweeps past Peachtree Academy, advances to semifinals
The Bethlehem Christian Academy softball team had no problems in its GICAA quarterfinal series with Peachtree Academy on Thursday, sweeping a doubleheader, 18-1 and 16-1, to advance to the state semifinals.
The Knights will either travel to Woodstock to take on The King's Academy or host Holy Ground Baptist Academy in the Final Four. A date and time has not been set yet.
The Knights made quick work of Peachtree Academy, winning both games in three innings.
Mycah Baker and Lindzie Owen homered in the first game. Clancy Borbeau pitched both games, allowing just two runs and seven hits over six innings of combined work.
See more coverage in the April 25 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.
The Knights will either travel to Woodstock to take on The King's Academy or host Holy Ground Baptist Academy in the Final Four. A date and time has not been set yet.
The Knights made quick work of Peachtree Academy, winning both games in three innings.
Mycah Baker and Lindzie Owen homered in the first game. Clancy Borbeau pitched both games, allowing just two runs and seven hits over six innings of combined work.
See more coverage in the April 25 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.
Bridges: Diamond Doggs benefit from steady hand of leadership
The Winder-Barrow High School baseball team is headed for the postseason once again, and in reality it should surprise no one.
Going into this week’s final regular season region series against Lanier High School, WBHS was tied for first place but held the tiebreaker against 8-AAAAAA foe Gainesville. This is happening in a spring after one of the most successful baseball seasons in school history which did not end in a state championship.
Despite losing several key players to graduation and facing what many felt would be a rebuilding season, the Diamond Doggs have played well in 2018 and are primed once again to host an upcoming opening-round state playoff series.
It’s not really a mystery as to the program’s long-term success. Yes, WBHS has had quality players on the diamond in recent years, but good players come and go pretty quickly at this level.
One face in the Bulldogg dugout which hasn’t changed in a long time is that of head coach Brian Smith. The WBHS mentor has been in this for the long haul at Winder-Barrow and the program, school, players and community are all benefiting from it.
In the years guiding the program, Smith hasn’t changed much. He is certainly still the same low-key coach I first met back in the spring of 2009 after we first launched the Barrow Journal.
In watching him during games, he never seems to get rattled. His cool, calm and collected manner without a doubt carries over to his players. I honestly don’t recall ever seeing Smith get that upset during a game.
It’s almost unheard of in baseball, including the high school level, for a head coach or manager to stay so calm.
Yet Smith seldom, that I remember, even complains about balls and strikes that are called by the home plate umpire.
If he does discuss something with an umpire, it is done so in a quiet tone. One certainly wouldn’t see him yelling or carrying on or throwing things the way I have seen it done by other high school coaches.
It’s one thing to have a successful season every once in a while. Talent dictates that is going to happen. However, to win practically every spring has to go beyond just having good players.
At times the talent base will not be as deep and other teams will have successful seasons. However, it has become so commonplace for the WBHS Diamond Doggs to enjoy success on an annual basis, it really comes as no surprise anymore. On the surface that sounds like a dangerous thing but Smith clearly knows how to connect with his players and his message is getting through season after season.
Regardless of how far this season advances, it has already been another successful campaign for the program which has a long history of quality teams. It’s not as easy as some might think to put together quality seasons and advance to the playoffs. Consider the fact that Apalachee High School, despite its hard work, is still trying to get inside the postseason door for the first time. The Wildcats are not exactly a young program anymore and have now been officially eliminated once again this season.
Success is never guaranteed. When you reach the point where you expect it, you know you have reached a different level. All one has to do is look at the WBHS program for an example of that.
—
Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former sports editor of the Barrow News-Journal. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.
Going into this week’s final regular season region series against Lanier High School, WBHS was tied for first place but held the tiebreaker against 8-AAAAAA foe Gainesville. This is happening in a spring after one of the most successful baseball seasons in school history which did not end in a state championship.
Despite losing several key players to graduation and facing what many felt would be a rebuilding season, the Diamond Doggs have played well in 2018 and are primed once again to host an upcoming opening-round state playoff series.
It’s not really a mystery as to the program’s long-term success. Yes, WBHS has had quality players on the diamond in recent years, but good players come and go pretty quickly at this level.
One face in the Bulldogg dugout which hasn’t changed in a long time is that of head coach Brian Smith. The WBHS mentor has been in this for the long haul at Winder-Barrow and the program, school, players and community are all benefiting from it.
In the years guiding the program, Smith hasn’t changed much. He is certainly still the same low-key coach I first met back in the spring of 2009 after we first launched the Barrow Journal.
In watching him during games, he never seems to get rattled. His cool, calm and collected manner without a doubt carries over to his players. I honestly don’t recall ever seeing Smith get that upset during a game.
It’s almost unheard of in baseball, including the high school level, for a head coach or manager to stay so calm.
Yet Smith seldom, that I remember, even complains about balls and strikes that are called by the home plate umpire.
If he does discuss something with an umpire, it is done so in a quiet tone. One certainly wouldn’t see him yelling or carrying on or throwing things the way I have seen it done by other high school coaches.
It’s one thing to have a successful season every once in a while. Talent dictates that is going to happen. However, to win practically every spring has to go beyond just having good players.
At times the talent base will not be as deep and other teams will have successful seasons. However, it has become so commonplace for the WBHS Diamond Doggs to enjoy success on an annual basis, it really comes as no surprise anymore. On the surface that sounds like a dangerous thing but Smith clearly knows how to connect with his players and his message is getting through season after season.
Regardless of how far this season advances, it has already been another successful campaign for the program which has a long history of quality teams. It’s not as easy as some might think to put together quality seasons and advance to the playoffs. Consider the fact that Apalachee High School, despite its hard work, is still trying to get inside the postseason door for the first time. The Wildcats are not exactly a young program anymore and have now been officially eliminated once again this season.
Success is never guaranteed. When you reach the point where you expect it, you know you have reached a different level. All one has to do is look at the WBHS program for an example of that.
—
Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former sports editor of the Barrow News-Journal. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.
Baseball: Winder-Barrow routs Lanier, has chance to clinch region Friday
The Winder-Barrow baseball team is one win away from winning a second consecutive region championship.
Austin Lockridge gave up just one hit in six innings of work and the Bulldoggs' bats exploded for a 10-0, six-inning victory Wednesday over Lanier in the second game of a three-game, GHSA Region 8-AAAAAA series.
The sixth-ranked Bulldoggs (17-10, 10-4 region) scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning off a bases-loaded walk by Trevor Maddox, two-run double by Brady House and two-run single by Zack Smith. They added four more in the fifth and another in the sixth to end the game.
Lockridge was dominant, going the distance and allowing just the one hit and two walks while striking out six. House led the Bulldoggs at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Smith drove in three runs and Lance Sikes had a pair of hits.
The Bulldoggs will enter the final day of region play Friday at Lanier tied with Gainesville for first place, but they hold the tie-breaker over the Red Elephants after winning the season series. Gainesville beat Apalachee 13-2 on Wednesday to keep its region title hopes alive. A Winder-Barrow win or Gainesville loss to Apalachee Friday would give the Bulldoggs the No. 1 seed, but a Bulldogg loss and Gainesville win would drop the Doggs back to the No. 2 seed.
The state playoffs begin April 26 and Region 8 will be paired up with Region 7. Lanier is locked in as the third seed from Region 8. The winner of Friday's game between Dacula and Habersham Central will be the No. 4 seed.
Austin Lockridge gave up just one hit in six innings of work and the Bulldoggs' bats exploded for a 10-0, six-inning victory Wednesday over Lanier in the second game of a three-game, GHSA Region 8-AAAAAA series.
The sixth-ranked Bulldoggs (17-10, 10-4 region) scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning off a bases-loaded walk by Trevor Maddox, two-run double by Brady House and two-run single by Zack Smith. They added four more in the fifth and another in the sixth to end the game.
Lockridge was dominant, going the distance and allowing just the one hit and two walks while striking out six. House led the Bulldoggs at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Smith drove in three runs and Lance Sikes had a pair of hits.
The Bulldoggs will enter the final day of region play Friday at Lanier tied with Gainesville for first place, but they hold the tie-breaker over the Red Elephants after winning the season series. Gainesville beat Apalachee 13-2 on Wednesday to keep its region title hopes alive. A Winder-Barrow win or Gainesville loss to Apalachee Friday would give the Bulldoggs the No. 1 seed, but a Bulldogg loss and Gainesville win would drop the Doggs back to the No. 2 seed.
The state playoffs begin April 26 and Region 8 will be paired up with Region 7. Lanier is locked in as the third seed from Region 8. The winner of Friday's game between Dacula and Habersham Central will be the No. 4 seed.
BASEBALL: Panthers’ second-place hopes take a hit with Tuesday loss
Jackson County has clinched a spot in the state playoffs but its hopes to host a first-round series are in jeopardy.
The Panthers (10-14) fell 10-7 to Hart County in nine innings Tuesday in the first game of a three-game series with the Bulldogs, dropping to third place in the 8-AAA standings.
Morgan County (12-1) leads the region, while Franklin County (8-5) sits in second. The top two seeds out of the region will host first-round state playoff series.
For the Panthers to finish in second place, Jackson County will need to sweep a doubleheader Friday at Hart County (9-14, 5-8), and Franklin County must drop both ends of its Friday doubleheader against Monroe Area at home.
“We’ve got to win two Friday and hope for a lot of help now to get that two seed,” Jackson County coach Jonathan Gastley said. “Winning this one would have definitely been big from that standpoint.”
Four Panther errors weighed heavily in the loss to Hart County.
“The bottom line is, we’ve got to catch and pitch, and pitch and catch,” Gastley said. “When you give anybody four unearned runs, five unearned runs, whatever it was, and let them stick around — the quality team they are — that’s just the nature of the beast. They did a good job fighting back, and we’ve just got to do a better job defensively and be ready to go Friday.”
Jackson County led 3-1 until the top of the fourth inning when Hart County, with the aid of two errors, scored five runs before the Panthers recorded an out.
Jackson County retook the lead briefly in the bottom of the fourth. An RBI single from Logan Stockton and a two-out, three-run triple from Tanner Crump put the Panthers ahead 7-6. But Hart County tied the game in the top of the fifth with a run off an error.
The teams went scoreless over the next three frames before Hart County broke the tie in extra innings with three runs on two hits in the top of the ninth.
The Panthers, who went scoreless over the final 5 1/3 innings, were retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.
Crump produced a huge offensive night in the loss, going 4-for-5 with five RBIs. In addition to his three-run triple in the fourth inning, Crump singled home Jackson County’s first two runs of the game during the first inning.
“He had a big night, obviously,” Gastley said. “You can’t take anything away from him.”
Jackson County finished with 12 hits.
“I’m proud of the way we swung the bats tonight,” Gastley said. “That’s probably our biggest offensive output all year … We had a lot of guys swing the bat well tonight.”
Jackson County will conclude region play Friday with its doubleheader with the Bulldogs and move on to a pair of non-region contests against St. Francis (Monday and Tuesday) and another non-region game against Calloway (April 19) before the state playoffs begin on April 26.
“Our goal every year is to win a region championship and host the first round of the playoffs,” Gastley said. “I tell our kids we can’t be satisfied with just making the playoffs, but we can only control what we can control. We get some free baseball, some extra (non-region) games. We’re going to go and see what happens.”
The Panthers (10-14) fell 10-7 to Hart County in nine innings Tuesday in the first game of a three-game series with the Bulldogs, dropping to third place in the 8-AAA standings.
Morgan County (12-1) leads the region, while Franklin County (8-5) sits in second. The top two seeds out of the region will host first-round state playoff series.
For the Panthers to finish in second place, Jackson County will need to sweep a doubleheader Friday at Hart County (9-14, 5-8), and Franklin County must drop both ends of its Friday doubleheader against Monroe Area at home.
“We’ve got to win two Friday and hope for a lot of help now to get that two seed,” Jackson County coach Jonathan Gastley said. “Winning this one would have definitely been big from that standpoint.”
Four Panther errors weighed heavily in the loss to Hart County.
“The bottom line is, we’ve got to catch and pitch, and pitch and catch,” Gastley said. “When you give anybody four unearned runs, five unearned runs, whatever it was, and let them stick around — the quality team they are — that’s just the nature of the beast. They did a good job fighting back, and we’ve just got to do a better job defensively and be ready to go Friday.”
Jackson County led 3-1 until the top of the fourth inning when Hart County, with the aid of two errors, scored five runs before the Panthers recorded an out.
Jackson County retook the lead briefly in the bottom of the fourth. An RBI single from Logan Stockton and a two-out, three-run triple from Tanner Crump put the Panthers ahead 7-6. But Hart County tied the game in the top of the fifth with a run off an error.
The teams went scoreless over the next three frames before Hart County broke the tie in extra innings with three runs on two hits in the top of the ninth.
The Panthers, who went scoreless over the final 5 1/3 innings, were retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.
Crump produced a huge offensive night in the loss, going 4-for-5 with five RBIs. In addition to his three-run triple in the fourth inning, Crump singled home Jackson County’s first two runs of the game during the first inning.
“He had a big night, obviously,” Gastley said. “You can’t take anything away from him.”
Jackson County finished with 12 hits.
“I’m proud of the way we swung the bats tonight,” Gastley said. “That’s probably our biggest offensive output all year … We had a lot of guys swing the bat well tonight.”
Jackson County will conclude region play Friday with its doubleheader with the Bulldogs and move on to a pair of non-region contests against St. Francis (Monday and Tuesday) and another non-region game against Calloway (April 19) before the state playoffs begin on April 26.
“Our goal every year is to win a region championship and host the first round of the playoffs,” Gastley said. “I tell our kids we can’t be satisfied with just making the playoffs, but we can only control what we can control. We get some free baseball, some extra (non-region) games. We’re going to go and see what happens.”
BOYS' TENNIS: Eagles make tennis playoffs for first time ever
There’s an old adage that says, “There’s a first time for everything,” and that adage now applies to the East Jackson Eagle tennis team.
For the first time in program history, the Eagles will be dancing into the state tournament as they qualified as the No. 4 seed for Region 8-AAA. The Eagles will play on the road at Greater Atlanta Christian in the first round today (Wednesday).
“It was very exciting for the team,” head coach Johnathan Harris said. “The players worked very hard to reach this point and embraced the moment during the region tournament.
“Needless to say I am very proud of them and the dedication they have shown. Being a part of the first team in school history to reach state is very special.”
East Jackson qualified for state with a 4-0 win over Morgan County last Wednesday in the 8-AAA tournament. The Eagles received wins from Ashton Sosebee (No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-0), Colby Henson (No. 2 singles, 6-2, 7-5), Garrett Lounder and Adam Richey (No. 1 doubles, 6-3, 6-2) and Kendall Sosebee and Braeden Lowe (No. 2 doubles, 6-0, 6-1).
Harris “definitely” thought the team could accomplish this feat. The Eagles had been close over the past several years.
“We were close a few years ago and lost 2-3 to Elbert County, and were in the same situation and lost to Hart County,” Harris explained. “In both situations, we were the higher-seeded team and just didn’t play well. The team came out against Morgan County this year and took control of the matches early to gain momentum. That momentum carried them to finishing off the matches and advancing.”
For the first time in program history, the Eagles will be dancing into the state tournament as they qualified as the No. 4 seed for Region 8-AAA. The Eagles will play on the road at Greater Atlanta Christian in the first round today (Wednesday).
“It was very exciting for the team,” head coach Johnathan Harris said. “The players worked very hard to reach this point and embraced the moment during the region tournament.
“Needless to say I am very proud of them and the dedication they have shown. Being a part of the first team in school history to reach state is very special.”
East Jackson qualified for state with a 4-0 win over Morgan County last Wednesday in the 8-AAA tournament. The Eagles received wins from Ashton Sosebee (No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-0), Colby Henson (No. 2 singles, 6-2, 7-5), Garrett Lounder and Adam Richey (No. 1 doubles, 6-3, 6-2) and Kendall Sosebee and Braeden Lowe (No. 2 doubles, 6-0, 6-1).
Harris “definitely” thought the team could accomplish this feat. The Eagles had been close over the past several years.
“We were close a few years ago and lost 2-3 to Elbert County, and were in the same situation and lost to Hart County,” Harris explained. “In both situations, we were the higher-seeded team and just didn’t play well. The team came out against Morgan County this year and took control of the matches early to gain momentum. That momentum carried them to finishing off the matches and advancing.”
BASEBALL: Dragon offense held in check in loss to Madison Co.
The Jefferson Dragons will have two more opportunities to clinch the Region 8-AAAA title, but they’ll have to bring their bats with them.
The sixth-ranked Dragons (17-8, 10-3) were limited to three hits in a 3-0 shutout loss to Madison County Tuesday at home. Patrick Hickox threw all seven innings, allowing eight hits and no walks while striking out four in taking the loss.
“Pat pitched good enough to win,” coach Tommy Knight said. “We should have given him some more (run) support. We had runners on and didn’t get a big hit when we needed it in several innings. Credit their guy, he did a good job against us. He kept us off stride.”
The two teams will play again today (Wednesday) in Danielsville at 5:55 p.m. before wrapping the series up back at Jefferson Friday at 5:55 p.m.
Jefferson needs one win to close out the Region 8-AAAA title.
In a pitchers’ duel between Hickox and Madison County’s Holton McGaha, the game remained scoreless until the top of the sixth inning when the Red Raiders’ Chris Lukas ripped a two-out, two-run double. Madison County added another run in the top of the seventh with an RBI double from Josh Cotton.
Jefferson had a hard time figuring out McGaha, who threw six scoreless frames, allowing three hits and four walks while striking out 10.
“He kept us off balance,” Knight said. “He threw the fastball where he wanted to and mixed up enough breaking pitches to make his fast ball seem faster.”
For the rest of this story, see the April 18 edition of The Jackson Herald.
The sixth-ranked Dragons (17-8, 10-3) were limited to three hits in a 3-0 shutout loss to Madison County Tuesday at home. Patrick Hickox threw all seven innings, allowing eight hits and no walks while striking out four in taking the loss.
“Pat pitched good enough to win,” coach Tommy Knight said. “We should have given him some more (run) support. We had runners on and didn’t get a big hit when we needed it in several innings. Credit their guy, he did a good job against us. He kept us off stride.”
The two teams will play again today (Wednesday) in Danielsville at 5:55 p.m. before wrapping the series up back at Jefferson Friday at 5:55 p.m.
Jefferson needs one win to close out the Region 8-AAAA title.
In a pitchers’ duel between Hickox and Madison County’s Holton McGaha, the game remained scoreless until the top of the sixth inning when the Red Raiders’ Chris Lukas ripped a two-out, two-run double. Madison County added another run in the top of the seventh with an RBI double from Josh Cotton.
Jefferson had a hard time figuring out McGaha, who threw six scoreless frames, allowing three hits and four walks while striking out 10.
“He kept us off balance,” Knight said. “He threw the fastball where he wanted to and mixed up enough breaking pitches to make his fast ball seem faster.”
For the rest of this story, see the April 18 edition of The Jackson Herald.
Back to back: Tigers net second-straight area crown
If you asked head Commerce tennis coach Charlie Smith about how he feels on what his squads have accomplished this year, he will tell you both the boys’ and girls’ squads represented themselves well on and off the court.
On the court, the teams did damage last week in the Area 4-A tournament. The boys’ team blitzed through the semifinals and finals on their way to their second straight area crown. The team downed Lincoln County in the finals 3-0 and Georgia Military College in the semifinals 3-0. Two wins came from Cade Ridley at No. 2 singles, Dylan Deaton secured one win at No. 1 singles, Jake Frates/Moses Mullis at No. 1 doubles secured two wins and the No. 2 doubles team of Tyelon Brock/Levi Pate also got a win.
The girls’ team defeated GMC in the semifinals 3-0 to reach the finals. Wins came from Bethany Arnold at No. 2 singles, Maggie Hill/Jeanece Smith at No. 1 doubles and Conner Nash/Bree Ligon at No. 2 doubles.
For the rest of this story, see the April 18 edition of The Jackson Herald.
On the court, the teams did damage last week in the Area 4-A tournament. The boys’ team blitzed through the semifinals and finals on their way to their second straight area crown. The team downed Lincoln County in the finals 3-0 and Georgia Military College in the semifinals 3-0. Two wins came from Cade Ridley at No. 2 singles, Dylan Deaton secured one win at No. 1 singles, Jake Frates/Moses Mullis at No. 1 doubles secured two wins and the No. 2 doubles team of Tyelon Brock/Levi Pate also got a win.
The girls’ team defeated GMC in the semifinals 3-0 to reach the finals. Wins came from Bethany Arnold at No. 2 singles, Maggie Hill/Jeanece Smith at No. 1 doubles and Conner Nash/Bree Ligon at No. 2 doubles.
For the rest of this story, see the April 18 edition of The Jackson Herald.
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