Bulldogs split with Troup in series to clinch playoff berth

The Cedartown Bulldogs baseball team picked up their biggest win of 2019 on April 12, downing the visiting Troup County Tigers 8-3 at the Dawg Pound.

Troup entered the first place team in Region 5-4A, and the upset victory sent the Bulldogs into the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Much like on April 10, a Cooper Doughman first inning homerun gave the Tigers an opening lead. This time, it was a solo shot to give Troup a 1-0 advantage. The difference between the two matchups, though, was that Cedartown’s offense came to play. Jacob Bradshaw scored in the home-half of the first on a wild pitch. Then, Dalton Bowman hit his second home run of the season just past the right field fence. The senior’s shot scored Tyler Gosdin as well, giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the series.

Troup inched closer in the second, adding another run. Cedartown got the run back via Griffin Elder on a RBI groundout by Jacob Bradshaw in the bottom of the second inning. In the third, Michael Walker scored on a passed ball to increase the Bulldog lead to 5-2.

Cedartown continued to add it on in the following innings. In the fourth, a RBI hit by Easton Oxenreider sent Jerry Simmons home to make it a 6-2 ballgame. In the bottom of the sixth, two more runs came home for Cedartown. This made the score 8-2 going into the seventh. Despite allowing a run, Dalton Bowman recorded the final three outs to give Cedartown its most unexpected triumph of the season.

Bowman earned the victory on April 12. The senior went 7 full innings, allowing only 3 runs on 7 hits. He recorded 5 strikeouts in the win. The win put Cedartown at 14-12 overall and 6-4 in region play. The victory also clinched Cedartown a playoff spot, effectively eliminating Central from playoff contention.