Holder’s single in seventh helps AAA Pack beat Lee County

Published 4:40 pm Friday, March 31, 2023

MOULTRIE, Ga. – Just one day after pitching three scoreless innings in the Colquitt County varsity baseball team’s 4-1 Region 1-7A win over Valdosta, Cole Holder came through in a big way for the Packers’ AAA team on Thursday against Lee County.

Holder lined a two-out single to left field in the bottom of the seventh to score Asher Cox with the deciding run in the Packers’ 2-1 victory on Ike Aultman Field at Jerry Croft Stadium.

Holder had made his varsity debut on Wednesday when he relieved starter Jaxon Chambers in the fifth inning and allowed Valdosta no runs and two hits the rest of the way.

The sophomore right-hander has been pitching and playing first base for the 4-3-1 AAA team and earned his Wednesday call-up to the varsity.

He was 1-0 on the mound with a 1.91 ERA, striking out 27 batters in 18.1 innings.

And he handled the bat well, too, hitting .381 with three doubles and five runs batted in.

The AAA Packers scored first on Thursday and Holder figured in that run as well.

He coaxed a walk to open the inning and Pearce Hightower went in to run for him.

Hightower went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cayden Parker and to third on Charlie Thornton’s ground out.

Rylan Howell’s single to right gave the Packers a 1-0 lead.

Lee County tied the game on an unearned run in the top of the sixth off reliever Logan Plymel.

But Plymel held the Trojans scoreless in the top of the seventh to set up Holder’s game-winning hit in the bottom of the inning.

Cox’s one-out single put the potential winning run on and Holder cashed it in.

Ross Sparkman started the game on the mound for the Packers and gave up just one hit while striking out five Trojans over the first four innings.

Cook Tompkins took over in the fifth and although he issued two bases on balls and threw two wild pitches, he kept the Packers’ shutout intact.

Plymel got the win, pitching the final two innings and giving up the only run. He surrendered two hits and struck out two batters.

The AAA Packers had seven hits in the game, including three by shortstop Christian Hill.

Howell had two and Holder and Cox had the others.