Colquitt County baseball coach Tony Kirkland said that while he was pleased with the outcome of Tuesday’s 7-6 Region 1-AAAAA-opening victory over Valdosta, “I’m just not 100-percent pleased with how we got there.”

The highlights were many as the Packers, who were 2-4 in their first six games, got back at a perennial region nemesis and grabbed ahold of first place in the region.

Cole Pitts went six innings, giving up four runs and six hits, only four of which left in the infield.

The Georgia Tech signee gave up all four runs in the third inning. The big blow was an opposite field homer by Tyler Yelito.

In the other five innings, Pitts allowed five base runner, including two on infield hits.

He struck out nine.

“Valdosta has a couple of very good hitters in their lineup,” Kirkland said in Pitts’ defense. “I thought he did a great job.”

The Packers also got two clutch long balls, including a three-run homer by Zac Goodno in the bottom of third after the Wildcats had put a four-spot on the board in the top of the inning.

“You have a whole different mind-set when you’re down by four than when you’re down by one,” Kirkland said.

Goodno also laced a double in the first inning.

The big blow, of course, was the grand slam off the bat of Payne Newsome in the fifth that gave the Packers a 7-4 lead.

“That was a great plate appearance,” Kirkland said of Newsome, who has been one of the Packers most consistent hitters in the early going. “He fought off some good pitches.

“It was nice to see the kids get those big swings.”

The Packers second-year head coach also was pleased with his team’s defense, which had struggled in the first six games.

Colquitt was nearly flawless in the field.

But the Packers will need to cut down on their strikeouts — they fanned 12 times in six innings against Valdosta starter Ross McLeod and reliever Ryan Whilden.

“We were dominated by the breaking ball,” Kirkland said. “You’ve got to tip your cap to their kid. He did a great job.

“But we’ve got to show we can hit the breaking ball. If people believe all we can hit is the fast ball, we won’t see any more of them.”

The Packers game at Thomas County Central was rained out on Wednesday and will be played at 5:45 p.m. today in Thomasville.

Kirkland said senior right-hander Taylor Barber would start on the mound.

The Packers will travel to Tift County for another Region 1-AAAAA game on Friday.

Goodno will take the hill for the Packers.

Kirkland said he expects the Blue Devils to send out Seth Mann to the mound.

“Tift’s got some arms now,” Kirkland said.

And that was evident in Tuesday’s other Region 1-AAAAA game.

Tift County’s Hayden Jones plunked Zac Freeman with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh to force in the winning run, giving Lowndes a 1-0 victory at Noel George Field.

The Vikings’ Cole Parker pitched a complete game five-hitter while striking out 10 and walking just one Blue Devil.

Jones took the loss for Tift County.

He went the distance and gave up five hits and struck out eight.