Ware County hammers Yellow Jackets in finale
Walnut Grove visits No. 10 Gators in first round of playoffs Wednesday, April 22
Tenth-ranked Ware County made a “winner take all” matchup a laugher, rolling to a 13-2 victory in Thursday’s Region 1-AAAA season finale over visiting Wayne County in five innings.
The Gators (18-11 overall, 11-4 region) ended a three-game losing streak to nail down the No. 2 seed in the region two games behind second- ranked Benedictine.
The Yellow Jackets (17-13, 10-5), who had their five-game winning streak snapped, enter the state tournament as the No. 3 seed with Perry in the No. 4 spot.
Ware County will host Region 8 third-seed Walnut Grove (20-9), winners in four its last five games, in a best-of-three first round twinbill Wednesday, April 22. An “if” game is scheduled for Thursday, April 23.
Second-ranked Benedictine (245), the region champion, will host fourth-seed Madison County (1514). Third-seed Wayne County travels to seventh-ranked region runner-up East Forsyth (21-9). Perry (13-15) tangles with topranked region champion North Oconee (20-6).
The second round best-of-three series will be contested Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30.
The Gators took control of the series finale early with a four-run first. They added two in the second and put the game on ice with a seven-run third inning to open up a 13-0 bulge.
Ware County banged out 13 hits against “Johnny Wholestaff” with the Yellow Jackets needing six pitchers to get through four innings.
Ryder Kinnon (3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 4 BB) and Isaiah White (2IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K, 4 BB) combined on a four-hitter.
Slade Sweat (1-for-4) provided the big blow, a grandslam homer in the first inning for his ninth roundtripper of the season.
Sweat’s blast off a 1-1 offering from reliever Cohen Tyre followed consecutive walks starting the inning to Collin Crawford (1-for-3), Landon Smallwood (2-for-3) and Seth Suess (2-for-3) over the first 14 pitches. Walks to Tanner Larisey and Keaton Holloway ensued before the inning ended.
Wayne County threatened to get back in the game in the second against Kinnon. Consecutive one-out walks were followed by a two-out walk before a fielder’s choice groundout ended the scoring opportunity.
Smallwood opened the Ware County two-run second with a single, stole second and scored on a Suess double. Following a one-out error on a ball hit by Isaiah White (1for-4), a double steal and an errant pickoff attempt allowed Smallwood to cross the plate for a 6-0 lead.
The Gators would leave the bases loaded after Larisey was hit by a pitch and Walker Hudson walked.
After McKinnon stranded two Yellow Jackets in the top of the third, Ware County exploded for seven runs in the home half of the inning.
Crawford legged out an infield hit to set up the inning. After moving around to third on an error, Crawford scored the first run on a Suess single to left.
Following an error on a ball hit by Sweat, White lined an 0-2 offering to left scoring Suess for an 8-0 lead. Three consecutive walks to Larisey (loading the bases), Walker and pinch-hitter Colt Cox forced home two runs,swelling the lead to 10-0.
Ashton Suess was hit three pitches later plating a run. Smallwood’s twoout, two-run single to center capped the uprising taking the Gators to a 13-0 lead.
White stranded two runners in the Wayne County fourth issuing a leadoff walk and surrendering a two-out double.
The Yellow Jackets averted the shutout with a two-run fifth. A leadoff double and three consecutive walks forced home the first run. A one-out, run-scoring single cutting the margin to 13-2 was followed by a game-ending doubleplay.
