Cedartown clinches region title heading into state playoffs
Cedartown and Rockmart both started the GHSA state playoffs Monday.
The high school baseball postseason is here and both Cedartown and Rockmart were two of the teams that punched their tickets to the GHSA state playoffs.
Cedartown was set to host North Hall in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs Monday, April 24, after defeating Sonoraville 6-5 last Wednesday in Game 1 of a Region 7-4A doubleheader to clinch its third straight region title.
After losing their first region game of the season on Monday, April 17, at Sonoraville, the Bulldogs returned home and hosted the Phoenix on Wednesday, April 19.
Down 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Cedartown began the comeback as Tony Ware had an RBI double and Xavier Holiday had an RBI single to make it 5-4. Cole Dingler drew a twoout, bases-loaded walk to score Holiday and tie it up 5-5.
A wild pitch to Denver Nale opened the door for Chance White to race home from third and slide safely across the plate to start the celebration.
Cedartown (20-7, 14-1 7-4A) went on to win Game 2 by a score of 6-5 as well, with an RBI single by White and a bases-loaded single by Dylan Cupp pulling the Bulldogs out of a 5-4 deficit in the bottom of the seventh.
North Hall (19-10) finished the regular season as the No. 4 seed out of Region 8-4A. The teams were scheduled to play a doubleheader Monday,
April 24, starting at 5 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 will be Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Rockmart, meanwhile, dropped two of three against Region 7-AA champion Model last week to take the No. 3 seed. The Jackets were set to travel to Banks County on Monday for a doubleheader in the first round of the Class AA state playoffs. Banks County (17-11) finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed in Region 8-AA.
The Jackets hosted Model on Tuesday, April 18, and lost 8-4 after seeing a 4-0 lead slip away. Model hosted a doubleheader the next day, with Rockmart losing the opener 6-1 but hanging on for a 5-4 win in the Game 2.
Visit polkstandardjournal.com for updates from the first round of the state playoffs.