LFO bows out at Cherokee Bluff
The LFO Warriors came into the 2021 baseball season hoping to end a long playoff drought and give a large graduating class some additional memories to take with them, and the Red-and-White did just that by securing their first playoff berth since 2012.
Unfortunately, their Class AAA playoff run lasted only one round.
LFO, the No. 3 seed from Region 6, saw their season come to a close with a sweep at the hands of Region 7 No. 2 seed Cherokee Bluff Thursday evening in Flowery Branch.
Cherokee Bluff 8, LFO 3
The Warriors forged a 3-0 lead after three runs in the top of the second inning. However, the Bears got a run back in the bottom of the third before breaking it open with four runs in the fourth and three more in the sixth.
Will Carroll pitched four innings, giving up five walks and three strikeouts. Tres Brown surrendered three earned runs on six hits in his two innings of relief. He finished with two strikeouts on the night.
Gage Kelley had a double and drove in a pair of runs, while Tanner Mantooth had an RBI-single for LFO’s only other hit of the game.
Cherokee Bluff 12, LFO 0
The Bears took control of the nightcap early with a six-run outburst in the top of the first inning and they added four more runs in the third.
The Warriors broke up the Bears’ no-hit bid in the bottom of the seventh. Devan Hinton led off the inning with a single before scoring on an RBI-double by Malachi Powell. It would be the only hits for LFO.
Matthew Shields started and pitched the first three innings. He walked three batters and struck out three, while Mantooth walked two and struck out two in his two innings of relief.