Trojans bow out in first round

The Gordon Lee Trojans, who made the Elite Eight in their first season as a Class 3A program a year ago, had to settle for a first-round exit in their second and final year as a Class 3A program as Wesleyan made the drive up from Norcross and swept a doubleheader to take the best-of-three series last Tuesday. hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Brayden Stoker pitched 1.2 innings of relief, allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk.

With the Trojans needing to win the nightcap to extend the series to Game 3 on Wednesday, neither team scored for the first five innings, but the Wolves — playing as the home team — finally dented the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth.

With two on and two outs, a fly ball was hit to shallow left field and Thompson sprinted towards the line and made a tremendous diving effort at a catch. Unfortunately, the ball ended up finding the turf as both runs scored.

Gordon Lee got one of the runs back in the top of the sixth. Jackson Scali walked, took second on a wild pitch and moved to third on an error before scoring on a passed ball. However, a double and a two-out single allowed the Wolves to get the run right back in the bottom of the frame.

Millard led off the top of the seventh with a single that brought the tying run to the plate, but an infield pop-up and two strikeouts finished off the game and the series.

Peyton Groce went 2 for 3 with a stolen base and Day had a single as the Trojans once again were held to just four hits.

Aiden Goodwin battled on the mound for Gordon Lee. He gave up just one earned run over six innings, allowing just five hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

Wesleyan was slated to take on Hart County in the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs, while Gordon Lee’s season ended with a 1714 record.

Trey Tindell followed up a Cason Baggett double in the bottom of the first to put the Eagles on the board first in Game 1. However, the visitors scored three times in the top of the second to take the lead before disaster hit in the third.

Five walks and a pair of costly errors helped Peachtree score nine times in the frame and take a commanding lead. They tacked on four runs the rest of the way and cruised to the victory.

Baggett went 2 for 2 with a run scored and a stolen base, while Graham Meyer had a single to account for the fourth and final hit for Oakwood.

Tindell, Meyer and Tanner Davis pitched a combined five innings. They surrendered nine hits and 13 walks, while striking out only three batters. The Eagles also committed five errors in the game.

However, the nightcap would be a much different story as the Navy-and-Gold peppered the Peachtree defense with 17 hits as they need to just five innings to run rule the Panthers.

The bulk of the damage was done in the top of the second inning. Travis Taylor got things going with an RBIdouble and Meyer picked up an RBI-single before Ryan Phillips got on base with a single. Jayden Patterson knocked in two runs with a double and Baggett added a sacrifice fly before Ryan Davis drove in a run with a groundout.

A little history was made moments later as Tindell launched a 3-2 pitch over the fence in centerfield. He became the first Oakwood player to hit an over-thefence homer on the Eagles’ home field.

Tanner Davis followed up with a single and Nick Yearout drew a walk before Taylor returned to the plate and delivered an RBI-single to cap the big eight-run inning.

Ryan Davis also collected RBI-singles in the third and fourth innings, Tindell picked up another RBI-double down the stretch and

Tanner Davis was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. OCA finished off the game in style with a 4-6-3 double play to end it.

Patterson and Phillips each had three hits and scored three runs. Ryan Davis had two hits and three RBIs, while Tanner Davis, Tindell, Taylor and Meyer had two hits apiece.

Tindell also pitched all five innings and gave up just one hit, striking out five without issuing a walk.

Then on Saturday, back in Chickamauga, OCA scored twice in the fifth on a two-out, two-RBI single by Baggett to go ahead, 2-1, only to see the Panthers tie the game in the top of the sixth.

However, the game came to an end a short time later as Peachtree, who were playing the game with only eight players in uniform, lost a player to an injury in the bottom of the sixth and were forced to forfeit the contest.

Oakwood (11-5), the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, will travel to Loganville this weekend to face No. 2 seed Victory Baptist (14-3) in a best-of-three series. Victory defeated The Habersham School in the first round, 4-0 and 16-6.

In the other half of the bracket, Vidalia Heritage Academy swept Excel Christian, 17-0 and 5-0, while Horizon Christian beat Central Christian, 6-0 and 12-2.