CHICKAMAUGA — Top-seed Gordon Lee’s bats came to life in Saturday’s “if” game of Class A Division I first round series with 32ndseed Brantley County rolling to a 11-0 series clinching victory.
The Herons (9-23), who have made eight consecutive playoff appearances excluding the 202o COVID interruption, picked up their biggest win of the season in the Friday, April 25 series opener beating the Trojans (31-2) 2-1 in eight innings.
Gordon Lee, who started the season 24-0 before a 2-1 loss April 10 at Gordon Central, bounced back in Game 2 winning 5-3 to force an “if” game winning a 30th game for the fifth time since the 2012 season.
The Trojans scored four times in the first inning of the series finale and never looked back to advance to the second round for the ninth consecutive time excluding 2020.
The series loss ended Brantley County’s two-year run of advancing to the second round. It also dropped the Herons’ record to 9-10 in first round series dating back to their first appearance in 1996.
Game 1 No. 32 Herons ......................2 No. 1 Gordon Lee .......1, 8 Inn.
Gaven Grafford’s bloop, one-out single scored Eli Thomas in the eighth inning breaking a 1-all tie helping Brody Howell’s complete game masterpiece.
Brantley County scored the tying run in the seventh to force extra innings. Howell allowed just three hits over his eight innings of work surrendering a first inning run. He fanned seven, walked two and uncorked a wild pitch in the 96-pitch outing.
The Trojans’ first inning tally was set up by a one-out double, a wild pitch and a groundout. Aiden Goodwin made the lead stand until the seventh pitch 6.2 innings of shutout ball.
BCHS left Carson Coger (1-for-2) standing in the second after a oneout single. Cain Roberson (2-for-3) ended Goodwin’s streak of 10 straight batters retired with a twoout single in the fifth. Thomas (2for-3) led of the sixth with a base hit.
Kaden Hendrix (1-for-4) led off the seventh with a hit. Coger drew a one-out, four-pitch walk putting Hendrix in scoring position. A firstpitch, two-out single by Roberson plated Hendrix tying the score at 1apiece.
Thomas opened the eighth with a leadoff double and moved to third on Colt Thrift’s ensuing sacrifice bunt. Grafford followed two pitches later with his game-winning hit.
Meanwhile, Howell was silencing Gordon Lee’s bats. He stranded a one-out walk in the second, a oneout single in the fourth, a two-out walk in the fifth and a two-out single in the sixth. Howell retired the final seven batters with only one ball leaving the infield. He struck out the side in the seventh.
Game 2 No. 1 Gordon Lee ..................5 No. 32 Herons ......................3
Gordon Lee scored two runs in the sixth inning to take the lead for good and added an insurance run in the seventh to even the series with the Herons.
The Trojans scored the only run over the first four frames in the top of the opening inning against Hendrix (5.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 K, 5 BB, 2 HBP). A hit by pitch, stolen base and ensuing run-scoring single gave Gordon Lee a quick 1-0 lead.
Hendrix surrendered a two-out hit and walk in the second before retiring the next seven batters to get through the fourth inning.
Meanwhile, Gordon Lee sophomore right-hander Maddox Millard (5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 K, 2 BB) twirled a one-hit shutout over the first four innings allowing just a leadoff single in the first to Thrift (1for-3).
The Trojans doubled their lead with a run in the fifth to open up a 2-0 lead with a one-out scrafice fly.
Brantley County roughed up Millard in the bottom of the inning scoring three times to take a 3-2 lead.
Dennis Raulerson (1-for-3) reached on an infield hit to start the frame. He stole second and raced home cutting the deficit to 2-1 when Kent Thomas’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away for a two-base error.
After Thomas stole third, Eli Thomas (1-for-2) ripped a one-out triple to right tying the game at 2-all. He scored on a passed ball one pitch later giving the Herons a 3-2 lead.
Gordon Lee responded with two runs in the top of the sixth after two outs and nobody on base. A dropped third strike extended the inning starting a stretch of five consecutive batters reaching without the benefit of a hit.
Following two straight walks loading the bases and ending Hendrix’s afternoon, Grafford (1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP) walked his first batter forcing home the tying run. He hit the next batter to force home a second run giving the Trojans a 4-3 lead.
Gordon Lee added a run in the top of the seventh after a one-out single and double put runners at second and third. The lead runner avoided the tag at the plate on the ensuing batted ball for a two-run cushion.
Trojans’ reliever Jackson Scali retired all six batters he faced in the sixth and seventh innings.
Game 3 No. 1 Gordon Lee ....11 No. 32 Herons..........o
The Trojans scored eight of their first nine runs with two outs over the first three innings en route to winning the elimination game with BCHS.
Brantley County put two runners on base in the opening frame after two outs with Hendrix working a walk and Clark Carter (2-for-2) slapping a single off a 2-2 pitch.
Kent Thomas (1.2 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 K, 5 BB, 2 HBP) retired the first two Gordon Lee batters before running into trouble struggling to get the third out. Six consecutive batters reach with four scoring for a 4-0 lead.
The Trojans scored on a first-pitch, two-run double with runners at second and third and a first-pitch, bases loaded single before the final out of the first inning was recorded.
Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs in the second for Gordon Lee. A hit batter forced home the first run and was followed by a two-run single extending the lead to 7-0.
The Trojans plated two runs in the third inning against Grafford (1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 K, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 WP) scoring on a one-out fielder’s choice groundout and a run-scoring double for a 9-0 advantage.
Gordon Lee added a final pair of runs in the fourth against Hayden Hickox (1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 K, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 WP). the Trojans scored on a one-out single and bases loaded sacrifice fly to open up an 11-0 lead.
The Herons matched their hit total through four innings with two in the fifth. Roberson (1-1) lined a leadoff single and Thrift (1-for-3) delivered a oneout base hit. Gordon Lee turned a doubleplay to end the game.
