Trojans continue push for region title, No. 1 state playoff seed
With every victory and every Class A power ranking point critical, the Gordon Lee Trojans helped themselves with three more wins this past week as they continued their quest to finish in the top two and be assured of home field advantage through the semifinals of the state playoffs.
This year’s state championship series will be a neutral site, either in Rome or Savannah.
Gordon Lee 8, Christian Heritage 1
On Tuesday, the Trojans picked up their 10 th win in subregion play behind a big offensive night from Kobie Cowan. The senior led off the game with a double that jumpstarted a four-run first inning and he launched a two-run homer in the sixth to cap the scoring for the night.
Noah Peterson and Austin Thompson delivered RBI-singles in the fifth. Ethan Clark and Chaney Rogers also had doubles as part of their two-hit nights. Dylan Minghini, Thompson and Mason Pettigrew also had two hits apiece. Thompson matched Cowan with two RBIs, while Clark and Minghini also had one RBI.
Thompson improved to 8-0 on the hill. Three of the five hits he allowed came in the top of the first as the Lions scored their lone run. He went six innings, allowing five hits total with two walks and five strikeouts. The run he allowed was earned.
Cowan worked the seventh, finishing with one strikeout.
Gordon Lee 3, Rockmart 1
The Trojans picked up what will be an important win as far as power rankings go as they beat a solid Rockmart squad that had entered the game ranked No. 8 in Class AA with 15 wins and 11 victories in its last 12 contests.
The Jackets touched up Clark for a run in the top of the first inning, but Gordon Lee would answer a half-inning later. A Rockmart error and a single by Rogers would be followed up by a two-run double by Minghini and the Trojans would never trail again.
Peterson would provide some extra insurance with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth.
Clark got the win with five innings of four-hit ball. He struck out three and walked just one, while reliever Cole Tarvin allowed two hits in two innings and finished with two strikeouts in a six-out save.
Gordon Lee 15, Christian Heritage 0
A 10-run first inning would turn the Trojans’ final subregion game of the season into a rout on Thursday as they blistered the Lions in a four-inning contest in Dalton.
Gordon Lee’s 10run frame came on eight hits and three walks. Thompson and Cowan both hit two-run triples in the inning. The Trojans tacked on two more runs in the second inning, one in the third and two more in the fourth on Drew McDaniel’s two-out, tworun single.
The other story of the night was the pitching as Pettigrew, Peterson and Caleb Hopkins combined on a no-hitter. They walked just one batter and struck out five, three by Pettigrew, who got the win.
Cowan finished with four RBIs, while Thompson collected three. Hopkins, Clark and Minghini had two hits apiece, while Peterson, Hopkins, Pettigrew and Clark all knocked in one run.
Gordon Lee (19-4, 11-1) was slated to play at Rockmart against on Monday, but results were not available as of press time.
The Trojans will start three-game series against King’s Ridge
Christian for the Region 6-A championship on Wednesday with a doubleheader in Chickamauga, starting at 5 p.m. Game 3 will be played at King’s Ridge on Thursday at 5:55 p.m.
All three games will be played as they will affect the GHSA power rankings in Class A.
The Trojans also announced that last
Wednesday would be the final game of the season for Rogers.
The senior, University of Georgia signee and potential Major League Baseball draft pick underwent seasonending elbow surgery this past Thursday in Birmingham, Ala.
“It’s an unfortunate situation for Chaney,
but he’s going to come back stronger,” Gordon Lee head coach Mike Dunfee said. “We hate that this has happened, but we’re excited for his future and he’s got a lot of great things ahead of him.
“But we’re a deep team. We’ve got 19 kids on varsity and we always preach that we’re 19 deep for a
reason, so now it’s time to see who steps up to answer the call.”
Gordon Lee began the week ranked No. 1 in the Public School Division power rankings with 15.17 points. Schley County was second with 14.94 points, followed in the top five by ECI (14.05), Lanier County (13.17) and Seminole County (13.04).