Generals on brink of 6-AAAA title
Last week was supposed to be a showdown between the Region 6-AAAA-leading Heritage Generals and the Pickens Dragons, the only team with any real shot of catching the Navy-and-Red in the league standings.
Instead, it was a beatdown.
As they have done to most opponents during their current 15-game winning streak, the third-ranked Generals simply flattened the Dragons, outscoring them 31-2 in the threegame set to put them on the brink of closing out a second region championship in the past three seasons.
Heritage 7, Pickens 2
In Tuesday’s opener, a pair of homers, one each by Josh Gibson and Nolan Letzgus, provided all of the offense that the Generals would need as they took the opening game of the series in Boynton.
Gibson had a hand in four of the first five runs that the home team put on the board. The senior first baseman lifted a solo homer in the bottom of the second and followed up by rocketing a two-run double in the bottom of the third. He would come around to score moments later on an RBI single by Brody Campbell.
Letzgus, the sweetswinging second baseman, followed up Gibson’s homer by doubling and scoring in the second. He would tack on the final two insurance runs for the Generals in the bottom of the sixth inning by launching a two-run blast to left-center, plating Blake Bryan, who got on with a double.
Cole Wilcox scattered five hits and struck out 11 batters before departing with two outs in the top of the seventh.
The senior, who did not give up a hit until the fourth inning, stranded runners in the fourth and fifth. His final two strikeouts came after the Dragons had loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh. However, Hunter Herman would touch him up for a tworun ground rule double to center, signaling the end of his night.
Senior Justin Morris came in to close it out and needed just two pitches before Campbell snared a line drive at third to end the game.
Gibson went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs, while Letzgus and Luke Grant both had two hits apiece. Grant saved one and perhaps two runs with a running catch of a sinking liner in centerfield in the fifth. Lance Dockery had two nice running grabs early in rightfield and catcher Alex Coulter would gun down a would-be base stealer at third to end the top of the sixth.
Heritage 14, Pickens 0
The Dragons faced the Generals and the wind back in Catoosa County on Wednesday and frankly didn’t handle either one very well.
Heritage took advantage of a stiff breeze to right field to torment Pickens with multiple hits in the gaps and down the first base line. Those hits, along with another stellar pitching performance by senior Tripp Church, worked together in the five-inning shutout victory.
The Generals used a 6-4-3 double play to escape trouble in the top of the first inning and the offense awoke in the second as they put up five runs. They would tack on a solo run in the bottom of the third before frustrating Pickens in an eight-run fourth inning to put the game away.
Bryan had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run. Dockery ripped a two-run triple as one of his two hits and Grant also had an RBI-double. Gibson, Letzgus and Jonathan Hickman also doubled in the victory, while Wilcox, Letzgus and Coulter also picked up RBIs.
used by Gordon Lee. Jake Poindexter started and went four innings, allowing just the one earned run on three hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Will Sizemore took the loss in relief.
Gordon Lee 12, Darlington 1
The Trojans stunned Darlington by scoring six runs in the top of the first inning on Friday night, en route to a thumping of the Tigers in a Region 6-A North game in Rome.
The Trojans made it 8-0 with two runs in the top of the second and scored their final four runs in the fifth, while Darlington’s lone run came in the third.
Sizemore, Hopkins, Barbee and Hunter Hodson had two hits apiece in the victory. Day drove in a teamhigh three runs, while Sizemore and Thompson each had two RBIs. Barbee, Hudson, Hopkins and Pettigrew each had one RBI.
Hodson, Hopkins and Day all homered for the Trojans. Day’s homer was a three-run bomb in the first inning, while Hodson and Hopkins both had solo homers in the second. Hodson, Hopkins and Pettigrew each had doubles in the victory.
Hopkins also got the win on the hill. He threw four innings, allowing just the one earned run on five hits and one walk and finishing with two strikeouts. Logan Streetman allowed just
one hit as he worked the fifth.
Gordon Lee (17-4, 9-1) also announced on Friday that it was moving Saturday’s home game with Heritage to Monday (April 9) at 5 p.m. due to possible inclement weather.
However, due to newspaper deadlines, results of that game were not available in today’s edition.
The Trojans will close out their subregion portion of the schedule this week with a game at Mt. Zion on Tuesday and a home game with Mt. Zion on Wednesday. A win in either game will clinch a spot in the Region 6-A championship series.
They will close out the week with a rematch against Rockmart at home on Thursday. All games will start at 5:30.