Middle School Baseball: Top-seeded Generals take down LaFayette
The top-seeded Heritage Generals advanced to this week’s North Georgia Athletic Conference baseball tournament championship series after a tw-game sweep of fifth-seeded LaFayette last week.
Heritage 4, LaFayette 2
In the best-of-three semifinal series last Wednesday at Heritage, the Ramblers took a 1-0 lead in Game 1 of the doubleheader after manufacturing a run in the second inning.
Ethan Adams singled and Skylar Cepeda would draw a walk off Heritage starter Cade Kiniry. Hunter Deal moved the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before Ethan Adams would score on a ground ball out off the bat of Zach Sharp.
However, the Generals would answer with three runs in the bottom of the inning. A pair of hit batters and a single loaded the bases and Hayden James would bring in a run with a bases-loaded walk.
Garrett Pennington brought in the second run on a sacrifice fly and a Kiniry single would make it 3-1. Heritage threatened to add to the lead when Dylan Bryan singled, but LaFayette outfielder Cade Fisher threw out a runner at the plate to end the frame.
Kiniry singled home Pennington in the fourth to give the Generals an insurance run.
LaFayette’s final run of the game came in the sixth inning as Davis Richardson drew a two-walk before taking advantage of three passed balls to score.
Skylar Cepeda suffered the loss for the Ramblers.
Heritage 5, LaFayette 2
In the nightcap, Heritage would score solo runs in each of the first three innings against Richardson, who started on the hill for LaFayette.
Nick Hanson hit into a fielder’s choice to score Kiniry with the first run. Caden Snyder scored in the second inning on a perfect bunt by C.J. Robertson and Bryan would draw a walk in the third and pick up two bases on two passed balls before a Preston Etter RBIsingle.
LaFayette got a run back in the bottom of the third as they loaded the bases before Carson Jenkins scored a Generals’ error. However, Heritage would record three outs before the Ramblers could get another run home.
Two final Heritage runs in the top of the fourth would salt the game away. James and Jake Cobb would reach base before a double by Bryan brought in both runners.
The Ramblers would get their final run in the fifth as back-to-back doubles by Richardson and Dylan Deering added to LaFayette’s run total.
Hanson collected the victory for the Generals, while Richardson was saddled with the loss for the Ramblers.