VALDOSTA – After dropping Game 1 3-1 and falling behind 2-0 in the first inning of Game 2, the Colquitt County baseball team rallied behind the pitching of Ethan Phillips and John Samuel Shenker to win 4-2 and earn a Region 1-7A split against Lowndes on Friday at Noel George Field.

The Packers are now 11-12 overall and 5-3 in the region. The Vikings fall to 16-7 and 4-4.

Camden County split with Tift County on Friday and still leads the region with a 6-2 record. Colquitt County is second at 5-3 followed by 4-4 Lowndes and 1-7 Tift County.

The Packers also split their doubleheader with Lowndes on the Ike Aultman Field at Jerry Croft Stadium on March 10.

After giving up two runs in the first inning, Phillips held the Vikings scoreless until the sixth when Shenker took over.

The big senior right-hander blanked Lowndes over the final two innings to pick up the save. Four of the six outs he recorded came via strikeouts.

Phillips gave up just four hits in his five innings of work and fanned five Vikings to earn the win.

Down 2-0, the Packers scored three two-out runs in the third and added another in the sixth to hold off the Vikings.

Shenker had two of the Packers seven hits. Buck Blalock added a double. Austin Singletary, Logan Wheeler, Tanner Wilson and Hayden Bledsoe had the other Colquitt County hits.

In the first game, Lowndes scored one run in the first and two more in the third to take a 3-0 lead.

The Packers only run came in the top of the sixth.

Colquitt had six hits in the opener, including two by Gavin Patel. Shenker, Wheeler, Blalock and Jay Saunders had the others.

Wheeler Hunnicutt went the first four innings on the mound and gave up three runs, including two earned. He was touched up for three hits and four walks and struck out four.

Patel pitched the final two innings and did not allow a run. He gave up two hits, but no walks and struck out three.

The Packers will travel to Hazlehurst on Monday to meet 17-6 Jeff Davis in a non-region contest.

After blanking Bryan County 10-0 on Friday, the Yellow Jackets are 17-6. One of their losses came by a 7-6 score to the Packers in Moultrie in the season-opener back on Feb. 14.

Colquitt County will be back home next Friday for a 4:30 p.m. region doubleheader against Camden County.