The state baseball playoffs are ready for the semifinals (except for the Class A public-school division, which is catching up).
Below are highlights of all of the quarterfinal baseball playoff series.
Defending champion Pope (AAAAAA) and nationally ranked Blessed Trinity (AAAA) survived must-win Game 3’s on Thursday. Savannah Christian, the defending Class A private-school champ, did not.
Lots of big elite-eight performances, including 11 RBI and three home runs in two games by Alpharetta’s Santiago Montiel and a no-hitter by First Presbyterian Day’s Noah Takac.
And check the GHSA for brackets and schedules.
AAAAAAA
*Brookwood beat Lassiter 12-3 in Game 3 on Thursday, though it was closer than that. Lassiter led 2-1 entering the fifth inning, but the Broncos blew it open with six runs in the fifth, five in the sixth. Brookwood pounded out 15 hits, and five different Broncos had an extra-base hit, including will Banfield and Kameron Guidry, who homered. Brookwood also trailed in Game 2 into the fifth when Banfield, the state’s top catcher, hit a grand slam in the fifth inning for a 4-1 lead.
*Parkview swept defending champion Etowah 2-1 and 5-1 behind strong starting pitching from Brbaden Hays (6 IP, 1 run, 5 hits) and Robert Bennett (6.1 innings, 1 run, 4 hits). Five Parkview players hit home runs in the series - Logan Cherry, Makenzie Pate, Isaiah Byars, Allan Del Castillo and Jordan French.
*Woodstock swept Grayson 11-1 and 9-2. Hayden Harris was 3-for-3 in the first game while Josiah Siegel allowed no earned runs in the five-inning victory. Brennan Milone was 3-for-3 in the clincher while Zach McManus struck out 13 over seven innings.
*Mill Creek swept North Paulding 6-4 and 5-4. Mill Creek trailed 4-0 after a half inning in the opener but scored five in the bottom half – Caden Cullins’ two-run double off Georgia Tech commit Zack Maxwell was key – and never trailed again. Davis Sharp homered in both games and was the winning pitcher in Game 2 (5 IP, 2 R, 7 SO). Alaska Abney got the save in both games (3 IP, 0 H, 4 SO in the series).
Semifinals
Woodstock at Parkview
Brookwood at Mill Creek
AAAAAA
*Allatoona’s Tyler Shultz pitched a two-hitter with four strikeouts Thursday to give his team a 10-0 victory in Game 3 over Grovetown. Schultz also was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double. Morgan Bell was 3-for-3. In Game 2, Bryce Thompson hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to break open a 5-1 victory.
*Defending champion Pope survived a Game 3 on Thursday, beating Houston County 8-2. James Tibbs homered and joined Buddy Floyd, Max Praigo and Caden Smith with two hits apiece. Praigo also was big in the 5-1 win in Game 1, when he homered and was the winning pitcher (7 IP, 1 ER, 2 H).
*Alpharetta clobbered Greenbrier 16-0 and 12-4 after being blown out of the opener 10-3. In the clincher, Santiago Montiel was 3-for-4 with a triple, two home runs and five RBI. In Game 2, Montiel was 2-for-4 with a home run and six RBI. Charlie Goldstein pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in the five-inning game.
*River Ridge swept Valdosta 12-5 and 11-10. Branson Bowling was 6-for-7 with four RBI and four runs scored.
Semifinals
River Ridge at Pope
Allatoona at Alpharetta
AAAAA
*Starr’s Mill defeated Carrollton 3-0 in a Game 3 on Thursday. Nathan Price pitched six innings of shutout ball, and Mitchell Sutton got the save. Starr’s Mill got another clutch win in the opener 6-4 after trailing 3-0 entering the fifth inning.
*Flowery Branch shut down Veterans with 3-0 and 3-1 victories. Andrew Armstrong threw a two-hitter with seven strikeouts in the opener, and Zander Sechrist pitched a three-hitter in the clincher. Neither allowed an earned run.
*Buford swept Ola 6-2 and 10-2. Brandon Joliff hit two home runs in the opener.
*Loganville swept Locust Grove 4-1 and 4-1. Joseph Bandon pitched a two-hitter with no earned runs allowed in the opener. Bay Witcher pitched a four-hitter in Game 2.
Semifinals
Flowery Branch at Buford
Loganville at Starr’s Mill
AAAA
*Nationally ranked Blessed Trinity was on the brink of elimination Thursday, trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but came up with five runs and won 7-3. G. McClure’s two-run single on a line to center field gave the Titans the lead.
*Jefferson beat Woodward Academy 10-5 in Game 3 on Thursday. Zac Corbin led off the game with a home run and was 2-for-4. Clayton Jones also homered.
*Cartersville swept Spalding 2-0 and 11-1. Mason Barnett and Gage Morris combined on a four-hit shutout in the opener, and Cohen Wilbanks went the five-inning distance in Game 2. Devin Warner homered and drove in four runs. Barnett was 2-for-4 with two runs, three RBI and a double.
*Heritage of Ringgold swept West Laurens 6-0 and 6-1. Cole Wilcox pitched a four-hitter with no walks and seven strikeouts in the opener. Tripp Church and Justin Morris combined for a five-hitter over 10 innings in Game 2. They allowed only an unearned run. The Generals scored five runs in the top of the 10th sparked by a pair of bunts.
Semifinals
Jefferson at Blessed Trinity
Heritage-Ringgold at Cartersville
AAA
*Westminster swept Cook 17-7 and 7-0. Peter York was 4-for-6 with two doubles, a triple and six RBI in the opener. Ben Forte and Parks Harber homered. Jack Polhemus pitched a three-hitter in Game 2. Harber was 3-for-5 with a double in that game and 5-for-7 in the series.
*Ringgold beat Appling County 3-2 and 8-0. Holden Tucker went the distance in Game 1, allowing four hits and striking out four. He held off Appling's seventh-inning, two-run rally. He also had two hits at the plate. Nathan Camp pitched a four-hit shutout with seven strikeouts in Game 2.
*Lovett scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Thursday – one on a wild pitch, the other on a hit batsman - to beat Southeast Bulloch 4-2 in Game 3. Wyatt Nelson and David Underwood didn’t allow an earned run for Lovett, which survived four errors.
*Morgan County beat Pike County 3-2 in Game 3 on Thursday. Etham Stamps (5 IP, 2 H, 2 R) and Jacob Anderson (2 IP, 1 H, 3 SO) teamed up on the mound. Stamps also homered. Morgan County also had a one-run victory in Game 1, when Trey Patterson homered and doubled and drove in two.
Semifinals
Morgan County at Lovett
Ringgold at Westminster
AA
*Callaway beat Thomasville 9-6 in Game 3 on Thursday. Braelin Mitchell was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI. Wesley Marchman was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Marchman had gone nine innings the day before in Callaway’s 10-inning 2-1 victory, when the winning run scored on a bases-loaded passed ball. Marchman struck out 11 and allowed no earned runs in that win
*Benedictine flew through Social Circle 11-1 and 9-1. Garrison Gunby (6 IP, 4 H, 11 SO) was the Game 1 winner. He also hit a two-run double. In Game 2, Gunby hit two homers and drove in four in support of Carter Holton, who struck out 10 over six innings.
*Berrien swept Heard County 8-2 and 3-0, not allowing an earned run in the series. Rhett Thomason (7 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 6 H) was the Game 1 winner. Griffin Rowe was 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Brock Jewell pitched a one-hit shutout in Game 2. He struck out six. Darius Tisby had four hits in the series.
*Jeff Davis beat Elbert County 3-2 and 11-3. Chandler Davenport (7 IP, 2 R, 10 H) won the opener as Jeff Davis trailed 2-0 entering the sixth inning, tied it with a couple of runs, then went ahead in the seventh. Ross Rush (7 IP, 3 R, 9 SO) was the Game 2 winner. Leadoff batter Alex Sanders was 2-for-2 with four runs scored.
Semifinals
Jeff Davis at Berrien
Benedictine at Callaway
A private
*Holy Innocents’ broke open a tight game with a nine-run seventh inning in a 14-7 victory over Pinecrest Academy on Thursday. Freddie Reams homered.
*Prince Avenue Christian scored two runs in the first inning and made them stand in a 2-1 victory over Savannah Christian in Game 3 on Thursday. Mikey Talmadge and Thomas Ross had two hits apiece, and Ross pitched three scoreless and hitless innings for the save. Savannah was the defending champion.
*First Presbyterian beat Providence Christian 10-0 and 15-2. Noah Takac pitched a five-inning shutout with eight strikeouts with no walks (but not a perfect game) in the opener. Garrett West was 3-for-4 with three RBI. West then was 3-for-5 in Game 2. Ryan Jones doubled twice.
*Tattnall Square eliminated Wesleyan 11-1 and 11-4. Logan Fink and Austin Marchman homered in the opener, and No. 9 hitter Dawson Brown was 2-for-3 with three RBI. Luke Laskey (5 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 7 SO) was the winning pitcher. Tattnall broke open a 1-1 game in the fifth of Game 2 with a nine-run frame. Trey Ham homered, and Brooks Gorman (the winning pitcher) and Miles Morries had three hits apiece.
Semifinals
Prince Avenue Christian vs. Holy Innocents’
First Presbyterian Day at Tattnall Square
A
The public-school division is still in the quarterfinals
Semifinals
Bowdon/Schley County at Charlton County/Gordon Lee
ECI/Irwin County vs. Baconton Charter/Telfair County
About the Author
