High school baseball playoffs: Christian Heritage splits first two against Taylor County; Dalton eliminated after two competitive games against state power

Published 10:00 pm Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Christian Heritage 5, Taylor County 0 Taylor County 10, Christian Heritage 7

Christian Heritage split the first two games of a first round Class A DII playoff series with Taylor County on Tuesday, blanking the visiting team 5-0 in the first but falling 10-7 in the second.

The two teams will play a winner-take-all game three today at 1 p.m. to determine the winner of the series.

Sawyer Corn pitched a complete, seven-game shutout in game one to help the Lions to the opening victory. Corn allowed six hits and struck out six batters in the 5-0 win.

In the first game, Christian Heritage scored its first run in the bottom of the second and put in two runs apiece in the third and fourth. Drew Person went 3-for-4 with a double in the game, while Corn and Lucas Roby both went 2-for-3. Levi Holland and Jace Denson both brought in an RBI.

In the Taylor County win in the second game, the Lions took a 5-4 lead in the top of the fourth only for Taylor to answer with five runs in the bottom of the inning. Taylor County led 10-5 entering the seventh, and Christian Heritage’s two runs in the top of the seventh weren’t enough to extend the game.

Corn went 4-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs in the game, and Jackson Locke was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Denson and Aiden Caylor each had one RBI.

If Christian Heritage can get the decisive game three win, the Lions would advance to face Lake Oconee Academy in the second round of the Class A DII playoffs.

Greater Atlanta Christian 3, Dalton 2 Greater Atlanta Christian 6, Dalton 4

Dalton was eliminated after a competitive two-game sweep at the hands of state power Greater Atlanta Christian in Norcross Tuesday in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.

GAC edged Dalton 3-2 with a walk-off run in the bottom of the eighth in the first game, then held off Dalton 6-4 to win game two.

In the first game, Dalton and GAC both scored a run in the third inning, then both matched with another run in the fifth. After the game went to extras, the Spartans scored the winning run in the eighth.

Dalton pitcher Scottie Miller held a powerful GAC offense — the Spartans are 27-3 — with a seven-inning stretch of pitching with 10 strikeouts and just five hits allowed.

Charles Chappelle homered to drive in one of Dalton’s runs, and Conrad Coleman brought in the other. Jose Orrelanes went 2-for-4.

In the second game, GAC scored four runs in the second and led 6-3 after four innings. Dalton added a run in the fifth, but couldn’t get any closer.

Chappelle homered again for Dalton, and Connor Stockard and Julian Hernandez had RBIs.

Greater Atlanta Christian advances to the second round to play either Flowery Branch or Maynard Jackson, while Dalton ends the season at 9-19.