Bulldogs make quick work of Warhawks
♦ CHS opens the 2022 state playoffs with run-rule victories over McDonough.
The Cedartown High School baseball team made quick work of its first-round playoff opponent last week to quickly move into the Sweet 16 for the second straight year.
The Bulldogs run-ruled the visiting McDonough Warhawks 15-0 and 12-1 on Wednesday, April 27, at home to start the Class 4A state playoffs at home.
The CHS offense wasted no time making an impact. After Jay O’Neal struck out the side to open the series, Cedartown plated 10 runs in the bottom of the first. A five-run bottom of the third, which included a walk-off RBI single from Reece Tanner, helped the Bulldogs run-rule the Warhawks 15-0 in three innings.
Eli Barrow led Cedartown at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, five RBIs, and a run scored. Tanner (23, 3 RBI, R), Dylan Cupp (1-3, 2B, 3 R), Cole Dingler (1-2, 2B, RBI, R), Xavier Holiday (1-2, 3 R, RBI), and MJ Holiday (1-2, RBI, R) also reached safely in the victory.
Dylan Matthews and Denver Nale were hitless in Game 1 but got aboard and touched home plate once.
O’Neal had the fastest quality start of his life. The freshman right-hander threw three hitless innings in which he allowed just one walk and struck out eight.
Although the second game of the doubleheader lasted a little longer, the end result was the same. Barrow ripped a double to left field in the top of the first to drive in Cupp from first base and open the scoring. Following a scoreless second inning, Cedartown dropped a sevenspot in the third before adding three more runs in the fourth.
A Cole Cochran sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth inning brought home Barrow and created a 12-run advantage for the Bulldogs, who were listed as the visitors in Game 2. Though an RBI groundout put McDonough on the board in the home-half of the fifth, it was too little, too late, as Cedartown run-ruled the Warhawks 12-1 in five frames.
Barrow continued his dominant day in the second game of the doubleheader. The junior catcher was 3-for-4 with three doubles, three runs batted in, and one run scored.
Tony Ware (1-1, 2 RBI, R), Nale (1-2, RBI), and Tanner (12, R) had base hits in the Game 2 victory. Cochran (RBI), Cupp (2 R, RBI), Dingler (2 R, RBI), MJ Holiday (R), Xavier Holiday (RBI, R), Jack Roper (2 R), and Chance White (R) did not record a hit but did find their way into the scorebook.
Britt Baxter earned the start in Game 2 and went four innings, surrendering just two hits and one walk. Samuel Formby pitched the fifth inning and allowed one earned run on one hit. Baxter rang up six batters and Formby struck out two.
With the wins over McDonough (9-14), Cedartown (22-9) were set to host south Georgia power Cairo (18-9) in the second round with a doubleheader on Tuesday, May 3 at 5 p.m.. The Syrupmakers, who were the runners up of Region 1-4A, swept Jenkins 13-1 and 16-0 in the first round.
Each of the teams in Cedartown’s region moved on to the second round as well. Region runners-up Pickens swept Luella, three-seed Northwest Whitfield won at Fayette County in the rubber match, and four-seed Heritage-Catoosa beat Region 5-4A champions Hampton in two games.