MOULTRIE – Colquitt County starting pitcher Ethan Allegood faced the minimum number of Killian High batters through four innings on Saturday in a Georgia-Florida Challenge game at Packer Park.
And the Packers held a 3-0 lead.
But the wheels came off for the Packers in the top of the fifth when the Cougars sent 14 batters to the plate, scored eight runs and went on to a 10-5 victory.
After holding on for a 9-8 victory over Florida Christian High on Friday, the Packers finish the Challenge by splitting their two games.
But after holding Florida Christian without a run over the final four innings on Friday and starting Saturday’s game four more scoreless innings, the Packers let Killian head back to Miami with a victory.
The Cougars needed just six hits to score their 10 runs. Killian, which lost to Lowndes 4-0 on Friday, took advantage of five Packers walks, three errors and two hit batsmen to get the win.
All five of the base on balls came in the fifth.
Allegood retired the first nine batters he faced, striking out three, before he hit Kendry Blanco with a pitch to start the fourth.
An unusual 3-4-3-2 double play helped Allegood escape the fourth, but neither he nor Carter Penuel nor Owen Bennett could put the brakes on the Cougars over the final three innings.
The Packers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Jake Walker led off with a double to center field, moved to second on Tyson Hobby’s bunt single and scored on Carter Summerlin’s sacrifice bunt.
Two walks, singles by Penuel and Rylan Howell and a throwing error helped the Packers score two more runs in the fourth.
But the long top of the fifth made a comeback unlikely.
Killian scored two more runs in the top of the sixth to go up 10-3.
Colquitt scored its final two runs with two out in the bottom of the seventh when Bowen DeRosso doubled and scored on a single by Hobby.
A balk scored Bryce Roberts, who had been hit by a pitch.
Hobby had two hits for the Packers. Walker and DeRosso had doubles and Penuel and Howell added singles.
The Packers, now 2-4, will travel to Waycross on Wednesday to play Ware County.
The Gators defeated the Packers 10-4 on February 12 in the season-opener.
Colquitt will be back on Ike Aultman Field at Jerry Croft Stadium on Thursday, February 27, to play host to Chiles High of Tallahassee.