Vikings score 28 runs in first round of state playoffs
Apr. 26—VALDOSTA — After accumulating an overall record of 25-5 and a regional record of 11-1, Lowndes High School Varsity Baseball kicked state playoffs off with a performance Thursday afternoon.
Newton High School's Rams joined the Vikings in the first round, entering the playoffs with an overall record of 14-18 and a regional record of 7-8. In a doubleheader, the Vikings defeated the Rams 14-4 in the first game and 14-0 in the second.
The day's first game was warm, with Ashton Bohler taking the start for the Vikings. Bohler pitched for four out of five innings, striking out six and allowing nine hits. Four runs happened under Bohler, and he gave out three freebies. Ty Macera took the fifth inning, striking out one.
Josh Brown started for the Rams, throwing four hits, one base-on-ball, and gave up six runs. Brown was quickly subbed out for Jayce Yearwood, who pitched four innings with five hits, six base-on-balls, and gave up another six runs.
Jarell Martin took over the mound at the bottom of the fifth, throwing two base-on-balls and two runs scored. The Rams rotated in AJ Harbin to finish the inning, who pitched one hit and one base-on-ball.
The Vikings started the game with an exceptional lead, scoring six runs in the first inning. Coleman Lewis stood out in the first game, starting with a single to bring in Tate Sirmans. A sacrifice fly from Noah Thigpen scored Carson Page. Cason Fletcher and Matthew Kerrigan scored Lewis and Jordan Hudson off singles. A hit by pitch scored Jacarre' Fleming, and finally, a sacrifice fly from Sirmans scored Fletcher.
The Rams attempted to answer back in the second and third, putting up four runs on the board. A sacrifice fly from Kurt Campbell at the top of the second scored Jordan Nolley for the visitors' first run. The Rams' Jordan Nolley shocked the crowd in the third with an inside-the-park homer to centerfield, scoring Devon Hardeman and Kendall Turner.
The Vikings also capitalized on the third inning, with Lewis hitting a triple to left field and scoring Kerrigan, Sirmans, and Page. Thigpen immediately followed up with a double to bring Lewis home.
Game one ended in the bottom of the fifth from loaded Viking bases from three consecutive base-on-balls—a fourth walk brought in Thigpen, followed by a double from Kerrigan to score Hudson and Fleming. The game's last run came from Sirmans on a sacrifice fly to bring in Fletcher.
LOWNDES 14, NEWTON 0
The nightcap game would not be better for the Rams, as the Vikings would take the game 14-0. The Vikings put Kerrigan on the mound, who pitched the game's five innings. Kerrigan impressively threw seven strikeouts and two hits while only giving one freebie.
The Rams put five pitchers on the mound throughout the game, with only two strikeouts overall. Big hits from the Vikings came from Bohler in the second with a double to score Fletcher.
A single from Kerrigan in the third turned into gold due to an error at second base, resulting in Hudson, Fleming, and Fletcher getting home. A hard-hit triple from Sirmans in the fifth scored Fletcher. The Vikings finished the game with three consecutive singles, scoring four final runs. Thigpen's scored Sirmans, Hudson's scored Page, and Noah Slaughter brought home Lewis and Thigpen. With a final score of 14-0, the Vikimgs look to be in peak condition going into the second round on May 1st.
