Ryder Kinnon and Slade Sweat combined on a four-hit shutout pitching Ware County to a 2-0 win Thursday over Walnut Grove in a Class 4A first round deciding “if” game.
Kinnon worked five innings allowing four hits. He recorded five strikeouts, walked five and hit a batter.
Sweat followed with two hitless innings to get the save. He fanned two and hit a batter.
The series win advances the Gators (20-12), the Region 1 second seed, to the second round for the third consecutive season and fifth time in six years. Ware County travels to fifth-ranked Cartersville today (Wednesday, April 29) for a doubleheader with the “if” game scheduled for Thursday, April 30.
The Region 7 champion Hurricanes (25-7) enter on a 23-game winning streak. They swept Region 4 fourth-seed M.L. King 11-0 and 15-0 The series will be the third between the two programs in six years. Ware County posted a Game 3 4-3 victory in 2021 in the Class 5A quarterfinals. Cartersville swept the Gators in the Class 5A semifinals in 2024.
Second-ranked region top-seed Benedictine was the only other Region 1 member to advance rolling past Region 8 fourthseed Morgan County 10-2 and 19-2.
Third-seed Wayne County lost in three games to eighth-ranked East Forsyth. Perry was swept by top-ranked North Oconee.
Kinnon pitched out of one-out trouble in the first with Walnut Grove (21-11) collecting a one-out walk and single. He issued a one-out walk in the second.
The Gators, after leaving Seth Suess stranded in the opening frame after reaching on a one-out error, scored the only runs of the game in the bottom of the second of Jarrod Cook, who threw a third complete game for the Warriors.
Isaiah White (1-for-2) opened the inning with a first-pitch single. Keaton Holloway legged out a sacrifice bunt with each taking an extra base on the play. Walker Hudson’s long sacrifice fly to center scored both with Holloway beating the throw home for a 2-0 lead.
Kinnon surrendered consecutive oneout singles in the third inning before getting the next two batters. Walnut Grove ran itself out of a scoring opportunity in the fourth.
A leadoff hit batter and walk started the frame. A caught stealing at third from Hudson to Seth Suess nailed the lead runner for the first out. A fielder’s choice groundout and a fly out followed.
Ryder Kinnon worked five scoreless innings allowing four hits in the Game 3 series clinching victory over Walnut Grove. Photo By RICK HEAD
The Gators cut the lead to 6-1 in the fifth when White ambushed the first pitch of the inning sending it over the fence in left. Colt Cox was left standing after drawing a two-out walk.
Collin Crawford worked a walk to start the sixth before Staffins induced an ensuing doubleplay grounder.
Slade Sweat reached on an error to start the seventh with Staffins retiring the next three batters.
