Colquitt, Lowndes split, but Vikings get tie-breaker UPDATED

Published 9:23 pm Saturday, April 7, 2018

MOULTRIE — Lowndes broke a 6-6 tie with a four-run seventh inning to defeat Colquitt County 10-6 in the second-game of a Region 1-7A doubleheader on Friday at Ike Aultman Field at Jerry Croft Stadium and now owns a tie-breaker over the Packers.

Both teams entered the doubleheader with identical 5-1 region records, having split a doubleheader earlier in the season at Lowndes, with each team winning 4-0.

The Packers took Friday’s first game 3-1 and needed only to win Game 2 to take over first place in the region by themselves.

But by winning by four runs, the Vikings now hold the head-to-head run- differential tiebreaker between the two teams. If the Packers had lost by just one run, they would still have held the tie-breaker advantage.

The Vikings and Packers are tied atop the region with 6-2 records. 

After Tift County swept Camden County on Friday, the Blue Devils  and Wildcats are each 2-6.

Colquitt needs to win just one of its final four region games — two each against Camden and Tift County — to claim no worse than second place in the region and be able to play host to at least one playoff series.

But if Colquitt and Lowndes win out, the Vikings will win the region.

“We’ve just got take take care of business and cross our fingers and hope for a slipup,” Packers coach Tony Kirkland said of his chances to claim a second straight region champion. “We no longer control our own destiny. We are going to need help.

“But you never know.”

In front of a large crowd at Packer Park, Colquitt won the first game behind a Dylan Collins three-hitter.

The only run the senior left-hander surrendered was unearned.

After a rare Gavin Patel throwing error allowed Brett Beals to score what proved to be the Vikings only run with two out in the fourth inning, Collins retired the final 10 Vikings in a row.

Beals, C.J. Rose and Tyler Andrews had the only Lowndes hits, all doubles.

The Packers scored all three of their runs on two-out, opposite-field singles.

Colquitt got on the board first when Dylan Dalton drew a one-out, first-inning walk off Wyatt Fender and scored on Tucker Hathcock’s single to right.

With the game tied 1-1, Fender struck out the first two Packers in the bottom of the fifth.

But Alex Bledsoe walked and stole second and Patel sent him to third with an infield single.

After Patel cruised to second when the Vikings refused to contest his attempted steal, Dalton singled to left to score both runners and put the Packers up by two.

The game ended with Hathcock making a diving catch in right-center.

Collins’s fine work raised his record to 5-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.03.

Ethan Phillips started Game 2 on the mound for the Packers, but it was apparent he did not feel well.

He gave up a home run to C.J. Rose to start the game and surrendered two more singles before getting the third out.

The Packers battered Cameron Carter, the Lowndes second game starter, for four runs and five hits — including doubles by Dalton and J.T. 

Whatley — to score four runs in the bottom of the inning.

But Phillips, suffering back spasms, was unable to take the mound in the second inning and the Vikings sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs, four earned, off Cory Newsome to go up 6-4.

Colquitt scored a run in the bottom of the second on a two-out base hit by Whatley driving in Raines Plant, who had singled.

A Patel single in the third drove in Reese Bledsoe with the run that tied the game 6-6.

That inning started with catcher Mack Crosby being hit by a pitch.

Reese Bledsoe ran for him and was sacrificed to second by brother Alex, setting up Patel’s game-tying hit.

Neither team scored over the next three inning. But the first six Vikings reached base in the top of the seventh, with a pinch-hit single by Elijah Guilliams driving in the go-ahead run. A base’s loaded walk by Rose on Newsome’s 99th pitch drove in another run. A bunt by Fender and a sacrifice fly by Tyler Andrews off reliever Turner Sircy closed out the scoring.

Dalton Smith held the Packers scoreless over the final four innings to get the win.

“We made an error that hurt us and we left some runners out there,” 

Kirkland said of the second game loss. “But you’ve got to tip your hat to (Lowndes). That’s as good as I’ve seen Lowndes hit the ball on the back side.”

Kirkland was pleased with the work of Hathcock and Dalton, both at the plate and in the field.

Hathcock reached base five times in the two games with a pair of hits and three walks.

Dalton had a hit in each game and also threw out Tyler Andrews, who was trying to stretch a double into a triple in the first inning of the first game.

Dalton took a throw from right fielder McKenzie Powell and his relay to Plant at third was perfect.

Plant went 3-for-7 in the two games and raised his batting average to .

405.

The Packers will travel to Valdosta on Wednesday and will go to Camden County next Friday.