MOULTRIE – No, Colquitt County could not avoid its 11th straight loss – and fourth straight shutout – at the hands of Lowndes High when the two Region 1-7A foes met on Tuesday at Packer Park.

The defending Class 7A state champion Vikings took advantage of a pair of less-than-well-struck base hits to score three first-inning runs and added single runs in the second and third to help forge a 5-0 victory over the Packers in a game that lasted just over 1 1/2 hours.

Lowndes senior right-hander Noah Thigpen went the distance, allowing just five hits as the Vikings raised their record to 14-3 overall and 3-1 in the region.

But after shutting out the Packers 10-0, 13-0 and 10-0 in last year’s three-game region series, Lowndes was never able to build on its early lead on Tuesday.

And that was thanks to a strong, cool performance by Colquitt County freshman right-hander Bowen DeRosso, who pitched all seven innings and retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced.

“He got better as the game went on,” Packers coach Brandon Brock said. “He’s done that a couple of times already this season.

“But the ball kind of bounced their way and all their runs came with two out. You just can’t afford to make any mistakes against them. But I think our guys saw that if you take away that one big inning, we can play with them. I don’t know if they felt that last year.”

The region series will continue with a doubleheader at Noel George Field at Lowndes. Originally scheduled for Friday, the twin bill has been moved to Thursday in an effort to avoid possible rain.

The Packers, now 10-8 overall and 2-2 in the region, are expected to start Cook Tompkins and Logan Plymel on the mound in Thursday’s game.

The rest of the staff should be well-rested after DeRosso’s complete game.

The Vikings set the tone early, with third baseman Tate Sirmans reaching on a one-out infield hit to deep short in the top of the first.

DeRosso struck out Thigpen, but Coleman Lewis doubled to right-center to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead.

Nate Slaughter blooped the next pitch over the head of Packers first baseman Jake Walker to score Lewis.

Ty Macera followed with a single to left and scored on a wild throw from the outfield and the Vikings were up 3-0.

Carson Fletcher opened the top of the second with an infield hit and came around to score on a fielder’s choice.

DeRosso retired the first two Lowndes batters in the third before Matthew Kerrigan singled to right and Jude Jaramillo doubled to left to extend the lead to 5-0.

Fletcher was retired on a fly to right to end the inning and DeRosso went on to retire the next nine batters before Fletcher got a two-out single to center.

He then set down the final four Vikings he faced.

DeRosso threw only 90 pitches and went to three balls on just one batter. He struck out four and did not issue a walk.

But as well as DeRosso pitched, Thigpen, a veteran of the Vikings’ state championship season, was better.

He gave up a single to Bryce Roberts to open the bottom of the first, but stranded him.

Adam Beverly singled to lead off the second, was sacrificed to second and moved to third on Jake Walker’s base hit.

But Thigpen fanned Hayden Hembree and got the final out when third baseman Sirmans grabbed a hard grounde ball, did a 360 and threw out Brady DeRosso to end the inning, stranding both base runners.

Over the next five innings, Thigpen allowed just three Packers to reach.

Brady DeRosso drew a two-out walk in the fifth, but was left. Cam Cook ripped a one-out double in the sixth, but went no further.

And after Tyson Hobby singled to right to open the bottom of the seventh, Lowndes second baseman Carson Page ranged far to his left to flag down Walker’s ground ball and start a 4-6-3 double play.

“They are as sound a team as I’ve ever coached against,” Brock said. “They are fast, they’ve got great arms, they’ve got 17 seniors and they’ve played in a lot of big games.”

What do the Packers have to do to make a run at one of the state’s top programs?

“We have to challenge them,” he said. “We didn’t do that tonight. We were never a threat to them tonight.

“But our time is coming.”

PACKERS NOTES: Cook’s double in the sixth inning was his 12th of the season. His doubles account for nearly half of his 25 total hits.

In the Vikings dugout was Matt Crews, who left Lowndes to become the Colquitt County head baseball coach in 2020. Crews resigned after going 14-32 in two seasons in Moultrie, returned to the Vikings staff and was a member of the Lowndes state championship staff last year.

Crews said after the game that he was pleased to see Cook and Mason Moore performing so well for the Packers.

He brought the two then-freshmen up to the Colquitt County varsity in 2021.

The Packers played without starting third baseman Jaxon Chambers, who suffered a strained wrist in practice. He was replaced in the lineup against the Vikings by Ethan Allegood.

Brock said that Moore, the Packers’ All-Region pitcher/outfielder, will have elbow surgery after the season and will only serve as the Packers designated hitter the rest of the season.

Moore has signed to play at Tallahassee Community College next season.

The last time the Packers defeated Lowndes was on March 12, 2021, when Jeb Johnson threw a 1-hitter and Pershaun Fann scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning in the first game of a doubleheader at Packer Park.

The Packers dropped the second game to start the current dry spell against the Vikings.