Panthers clinging to final playoff spot with one week left

The Ridgeland Panthers entered the final week of the regular season owning the fourth and final playoff spot out of Region 6-AAAA.

But they’ll have their work cut out for them to hold on to it.

Ridgeland (10-12 overall) went 1-2 against third-place Pickens this past week and took a 6-9 region record into Tuesday’s game against region frontrunner Northwest Whitfield.

Gilmer (7-11 in region play) has completed its region schedule, while Ridgeland has three games remaining, all this week against the Bruins. The Panthers need to win two of three against Northwest to assure themselves of earning the final state playoff berth.

Pickens 7, Ridgeland 2

Last Tuesday in Jasper, the Dragons spotted the Panthers a 2-0 lead before scoring seven unanswered runs.

Ridgeland got two in the first. One on a Riley Harrison RBI-double and Harrison would later score on a Jacob Stephens sacrifice fly.

But the Dragons would plate four runs a half-inning later before adding two more in the fifth and one in the sixth. The four runs in the second inning came on one hit, three walks, an error and a hit batsman.

Harrison took the loss for the Panthers. Will Hodges was 1-for2 with a walk and Ivy Boehm got a hit and drew a pair of free passes.

Ridgeland 9, Pickens 4

Back at Jay Smith Field Thursday, the game was scoreless through three-and-ahalf innings before the Panthers put up three runs in the bottom of the fourth.

They added two more in the fifth and blew the game open with four runs in the sixth.

Pickens would rally for four in the top of the seventh, but got no closer.

Austin Delay went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while Hodges was 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs. Harrison had two hits and two RBIs. Ivy Boehm and Dylan Wooten both had a hit, a walk and an RBI, while Tanner Hill was 2-for-4.

Wooten picked up the win on the hill.

Pickens 8, Ridgeland 7

Friday night in Jasper, Ridgeland held a 7-1 lead after the top of the third inning, but saw it disappear in a potentially costly loss to the Dragons.

Jalyn Shelton was 2-for-2 with a homer and three RBIs. Stephens had two hits and an RBI, while Hill and Shawn Wilson drove in one run each.

Games 1 and 3 against Northwest will be in Rossville on Tuesday and Friday at 5:55 p.m., while Game 2 will be in Tunnel Hill at 5:30.