Diamond Pack to meet Lowndes

Published 10:46 pm Monday, May 1, 2006

MOULTRIE — After shutting out Valdosta 5-0 on Friday to take a share of first place in Region 1-AAAAA, Lowndes has only to win its final two games to claim the league championship.

The first of those two games comes tonight at Ike Aultman Field where the Vikings will visit Colquitt County.

The game will be the penultimate one at Ike Aultman Field, where the Packers have played since 1981.

The fence, stands and dugouts will be removed after the Packers meet Bainbridge at home at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

The current home of the Packers will be turned into a pair of football practice fields and the Colquitt County baseball team will move next season to its new home at Packer Park.

Festivities for Thursday’s final game at Ike Aultman Field include the traditional introduction of the team’s seniors.

This year, that group includes Sam Heath, Cory Bridwell, Drew Shealy, Marshall Faircloth, Chance Pitts and Scotty DeMott.

Following the recognition of the senior baseball players and their parents, any former Colquitt County High baseball player who played at Ike Aultman Field can take the field and stand at his former position during the playing of the National Anthem.

All former Packers who played between 1981 and the present and their spouses will be admitted free to the game.

Those interested should meet at 5:30 p.m. in front of the weightroom behind the Espy Gymnasium at the high school.

They will have the opportunity to sign a book listing those who played at Ike Aultman during its 25 years as the home of the Packers.

Colquitt County will close out the 2006 regular season at Coffee on Friday.

Colquitt County will take a 7-15-1 overall record and a 2-6 region record into tonight’s meeting with the Vikings and can play the role of the spoiler.

When the Packers were defeated 16-1 by Houston County on Friday and Tift County blanked Coffee in Tifton, the Packers were eliminated from playoff consideration.

And while the Thursday game against Bainbridge and the one Friday at Douglas will give the pare for next season, they have a chance to throw a wrench in the Vikings chances for a region championship.

Lowndes won its first four region games before losing two in a row: 4-3 to Tift County and 6-1 to Houston County.

But the Vikings have knocked off Coffee and Valdosta since then and forged a tie with Valdosta with Friday’s win.

Lowndes shut out Colquit 10-0 back on April 11 and the Packers have scored just nine runs in the five games since then — and five of those came in a victory over Coffee, which is winless in the region.

In the three games since the come-from-behind 7-5 win over the Trojans, the Packers have lost 2-1 to Tift County, 8-1 to Valdosta and 16-1 to Houston County.

Following the loss to the Bears on Friday, Packers coach Jerry Croft said he wanted to play some young players in the final three games as he builds toward the 2007 season, which would be 31st as the team’s head coach.

“We’ve still got to play for pride,” Croft said. “And we are going to work some of the young players in. We are not going to throw the seniors away. They’ve earned their right to play. We’re going to give some more playing time to the young guys. But we are going to play it by ear.”

Croft said on Monday that he was unsure who would start tonight’s game against the Vikings.

The four teams that will represent Region 1-AAAAA in the playoffs have been determined. But where Valdosta, Lowndes, Houston and Tift County finish will be determined today and Friday.