Fifth-ranked Titans sweep the ninth-ranked Gators
rankings, put together two late inning rallies here Tuesday night to oust visiting ninth-ranked Ware County in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs The Titans (27-6) stretched their winning streak to eight games escaping with a 2-1 victory in Game 1 and a 7-4 comefrom- behind decision in Game 2 over the Gators (25-7).
Ware County had reached the quarterfinals in three of the previous four seasons and advanced to the “Final Four” in 2021 and 2024.
The Gators, who are 1322 overall in playoff series dating back to 1988, have participated in the playoffs in 12 of the last 14 years missing in 2016 and the 2020 COVID campaign.
North Oconee, the Region 8 champion, will be on the road in the quarterfinals at No. 5 Allatoona, the Region 7 champion. Allatoona has swept Region 6 fourth-seed Westminster and Region 3 third-seed Harris County by a four-game combined score of 38-3.
Fourth-ranked Region 1 champion Wayne County will host No. 8 Kell (Region 6 runner-up) after rallying to beat Region 8 runner-up Flowery Branch 9-1 and 1-0 in the final two games after dropping the series opener 2-0.
All eight of the topranked teams by Max-Preps are in the “Elite 8” with top-ranked Marist (Region 5 runner-up) and No. 2 Blessed Trinity (Region 6 champion) facing off. Third-ranked St. Pius X (Region 5 champion) is hosting No. 7 Cartersville (Region 7 runner-up).
Game 1 No. 4 N. Oconee .......2 No. 9 Gators .............1
A two-out, bases loaded single in the bottom of the seventh capped a two-run rally lifting the Titans over Ware County.
The Gators’ Evan Joiner (6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 K, 1 BB, 2 HBP) took a twohit shutout into the seventh inning. The righthander had allowed just three baserunners through the first six innings needing only 63 pitches to get the first 18 outs.
After retiring the first North Oconee batter in the seventh, Joiner issued a walk and surrendered the first of three hits in the uprising.
The second out followed with the lead runner tagging and moving to third. A first-pitch, pinch-hit single evened the score at 1all. After hitting the next batter to load the bases, Joiner was touched for the game-winning single off a 3-2 pitch.
Ware County stranded three runners over the first two innings (six total) against the Titans’ Sam Clower (7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 WP). The Gators were 1for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Walker Hudson (1-for-2) and Bryce Dixon (1-for-3) had back-to-back two-out hits in the first inning. Joiner (1-for-3) led of the second with an infield hit. Courtesy runner Collin Crawford was stranded at second after a stolen base.
The Gators drew first blood in the third inning. Seth Suess (1-for-3) ripped a one-out double and moved to third on an error. After Hudson worked a walk, Dixon’s ensuring fielder’s choice groundout plated Suess for a 1-0 lead.
Following a single by Slade Sweat (2-for-3), Clower retired 13 of the final 14 Ware County batters surrendering a oneout single to Sweat in the sixth inning.
Joiner kept the North Oconee bats quiet allowing a leadoff single in the second and a two-out single in the sixth. The only other base runner reached via a hit batter to start the fourth.
Game 2 No. 4 N. Oconee .......7 No. 9 Gators ............4
North Oconee broke a 4-all tie with a three-run sixth inning and three pitchers combined to twirl four innings of shutout ball after the Gators grabbed a 4-3 lead in the third inning.
The Titans pushed home three runs in the top of the first inning against Suess (1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 K, 1 BB, 2 HBP). Five consecutive batters reached and three scored after the first out was recorded.
Suess was able to get the final out with the bases loaded. North Oconee finished the game leaving 11 runners on base going 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Ware County tallied a run in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to 3-1. Cole Cox (2-for-4) lined a leadoff single with Hudson (1-for-4) drawing a one-out walk and being removed for courtesy runner Colt Cox.
After a double steal, Dixon (2-for-3) lifted a sacrifice fly to center scoring Cole Cox.
The Gators plated three runs in the third inning after two outs and nobody on base to take a 4-3 lead. Five straight batters reached starting with Hudson’s single to center.
Courtesy runner Colt Cox moved to second on Dixon’s first-pitch single, and raced home on Sweat’s (1-for-4) ensuing first-pitch single closing the deficit to 3-2.
After a four-pitch walk to Joiner, Landon Smallwood (1-for-3) drilled a two-run single to center scoring Dixon and Sweat for a one-run advantage.
The Titans scored in the fifth against Dixon (4+ IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 K, 4 BB), who had thrown three scoreless innings in relief of Suess, after getting out of bases loaded situation in the bottom of the fourth.
Luke Hooks (2-for-3) and Cole Cox led off the fourth with consecutive base hits. Dixon kept the inning alive with a twoout, first-pitch single loading the bases.
North Oconee turned a leadoff walk to start the fifth into a run with the Gators making consecutive errors on sacrifice bunt attempts. The first put runners on the corners and the second allowed the tying run to score to even the score at 4-all.
The Titans took the lead for good at 5-4 in the sixth getting a leadoff homer on a 2-0 offering from Dixon. A bunt single, a walk and a third error on a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases ending Dixon’s outing.
Smallwood (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB, 1 HBP) was greeted with a tworun single to extend the lead to 7-4. He retired three of the next four batters hitting a batter to load the bases before getting the final two outs of the inning.
Isaiah White worked the final inning setting North Oconee down in order and picking up a strikeout.
Hooks had the Gators’ only base hit over the final three innings with North Oconee pitchers retiring 10 of the last 11 batters following Dixon’s two-out single in the fourth.
