Bulldogs see positives in final region series
Cedartown baseball wrapped up the regular season last week and, although they lost a region series for the first time in 2022, plenty of positives were seen as the Bulldogs begin postseason preparations.
Coach Gevin Johnson’s squad tangled with Heritage-Catoosa in the last week of the regular season. Last season’s meeting between the Bulldogs and the Generals had major playoff implications on both sides, as it determined the Region 7-4A championship, but this year’s series only mattered on one side.
Thanks to Central-Carroll’s upset of Heritage-Catoosa last week, Cedartown had already won the Region 7-4A title prior to Tuesday’s series opener. However, the Generals needed a series win over CHS in order to qualify for the playoffs.
Cedartown made the drive to Ringgold on Tuesday evening to open their last region series of the year. The visitors raced out to an early lead when Dylan Cupp drove in Cole Cochran to give CHS a 1-0 advantage. Unfortunately, this would be the only run support that the Bulldogs would receive in the opener. Cedartown managed just two hits against Generals ace Zach Barrett, and three defensive errors proved too much to overcome in Tuesday’s 6-1 defeat.
MJ Holiday (1-3) and Denver Nale (1-3) were the only Bulldogs to record a base hit in that loss. Cochran touched home plate once and Cupp was credited with one run batted in.
Jay O’Neal started the first game of the series and allowed three earned runs on three hits and three walks. The freshman also tallied one strikeout in four innings. Left-hander Samuel Formby pitched two innings in relief while surrendering one earned run and striking out one batter.
The two teams lined it back up on Friday for a doubleheader at Cedartown High School in the final day of the 2022 regular season.
The Bulldog offense had a much better output in Game 1 on Friday night. Eli Barrow crushed a first-inning homer to left field, bringing home Cupp and giving Cedartown a 2-0 lead. Heritage rallied to tie it in the third before Cedartown dropped a three-spot the following half-inning to control a 5-2 advantage. A sacrifice fly from Xavier Holiday and a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth brought home Reece Tanner and Cupp, pushing the lead to five runs. Although the Generals would make it interesting with a four-run fifth, the Bulldogs pitched around some trouble and held on for a 7-6 triumph.
Cole Dingler (1-3, 2B), Cupp (2-3, 2B, 3 R), and Barrow (1-3, HR, 2 RBI, R) had Cedartown’s only extra-base hits of the game. Xavier Holiday finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored while Tony Ware (1-3, 2 RBI) and MJ Holiday (1-2) had singles in Game 1. Tanner, who was playing in his first game back from injury, scored once.
MJ Holiday picked up the start and went four innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out three. Britt Baxter pitched one inning in relief and gave up three earned runs before O’Neal closed out the game by striking out five and surrendering just a single baserunner over the final two frames.
After showing plenty of grit by withstanding a fierce comeback attempt from Heritage in Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Bulldogs flashed some big-inning ability in the series finale. Despite trailing 7-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, Cedartown rallied to score five runs with two down. Although it was not enough for the Bulldogs to win in that 7-6 heartbreaker, the effort certainly lightened the mood and added some confidence to close out the regular season.
A scary moment occurred midway through the third game of the series when Tanner came up limping after rounding first base while batting. The junior outfielder left the game and did not return as he reportedly suffered another ankle injury.
Barrow (2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI) belted his second home run of the day and his team-leading fifth of the season in the loss. Dingler (1-3, 2 RBI) and Ware (1-4, 2 RBI, R) hit one double each while Xavier Holiday (1-3, R) had the Bulldogs’ only other base hit. Cupp and MJ Holiday were hitless but did score in Game 2, with the latter collecting an RBI as well.
Xavier Holiday had another strong start, tallying seven strikeouts and giving up three runs in five innings pitched. Formby entered in relief in the sixth and allowed no earned runs in two frames with three K’s.
After losing two out of three to Heritage-Catoosa (18-12, 11-7) last week, the Bulldogs will enter the playoffs with a 20-9 overall record. The Region 7-4A champions finished league play with a 14-4 mark, two games ahead of second-place Pickens (17-11, 12-6). The Dragons swept sixth-place Ridgeland (8-17, 4-14) in their final week of play. Northwest Whitfield (17-13, 11-7) claimed the three-seed in the region after winning last week’s series over Central-Carroll (18-11, 108). The Lions just missed out on the playoffs, as the Generals’ win in Cedartown on Friday night handed them the final seed in the region for playoff purposes.
Cedartown baseball begins postseason play next week. The Bulldogs will host the four-seed out of Region 5-4A, McDonough (9-12, 9-9), in the first round. The Round of 32 series will start with a doubleheader at CHS on Wednesday evening, and the ifneeded Game 3 would be played on Thursday.