MOULTRIE – On Thursday, Colquitt County High baseball coach Tony Kirkland got the pitching he needed to see an end to the string of three straight doubleheader splits that closed out the regular season and much to do with his team’s position in the state tournament. It was the kind of Packer pitching he’s seen all throughout 2018, and along with the offensive production the hosts cruised past Wheeler High in the opening round of the GHSA 7A playoffs.

The Region 1-7A No. 2 club did not allow a run all day, Cory Newsome blanking Wheeler 2-0 in Game 1. Dylan Collins got the bulk of the hitting support on Ike Aultman Field at Jerry Croft Stadium. In Game 2, Collins went five shutout innings to win 11-0 and complete the sweep.

Colquitt awaits the outcome of the Hillgrove-Etowah series to see where they go and who they face in next week’s second round. That’s either at Hillgrove or Etowah – a state finalist last season as a low seed – making the trip to Moultrie.

GAME 1

In the first game, it was a battle of pitchers who knew where to place the baseball and get you to get yourself out. That’s the way it was between Newsome and Wheeler’s Jeff Norman for five innings. It would be Norman breaking first, but not until the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Packers scored the contest’s only two runs.

Newsome let six runners get on base through seven innings: two hits by Wheeler, two walks by Newsome and two errors by the Packer defense. Five of the six Wheeler runners were left on base as Newsome began a pretty double play with shortstop Gavin Patel to end the top of the second. Newsome struck out three, and those were spread out as much as possible with two called third strikes in the first inning then nothing in whiffs until the seventh.

Noah Welkis and Brian Yapkowitz owned the only Wheeler hits off Newsome, and they were one after the other in the top of the second that ended with a twin-killing.

Patel was also given chance after chance and turned all six into assists.

The game had a good bit of first-pitch swinging, and some of that was by Colquitt County with only two hits off Norman through five innings. Overall, the Packer offense left nine runners on base. This included a bases-loaded situation without a hit in the first inning, and all runners reached with two outs. Norman issued his only two walks through five innings in that turn.

Norman did not strike a batter in his outing.

Alex Bledsoe singled into an open spot created by his brother Reese going on a pitch in the bottom of the second. Even with only one out at the time, they were left stranded.

Raines Plant led off the home third with a single, but this inning include a rundown caught stealing led by Norman.

On a string of seven outs in a row going into the bottom of the sixth, things fell apart for the Wheeler battery. Tanner Wilson atoned for the pick-off with a first-pitch single up the middle. Tucker Hathcock’s long single to left followed, and with one out Norman’s struggles commenced. First it was a wild pitch sending runners to scoring position, so JC Harden was put on base intentionally.

All Colquitt had to do from there was get home on the second wild pitch. Mack Crosby walked to reload the bases, and A. Bledsoe was hit by Norman’s final pitch making it 2-0.

Newsome, in the top of the seventh, pitched around a catcher’s interference call getting Yapkowitz swinging for his third strikeout.

GAME 2

In the game shortened to five innings due to the mercy rule, Collins fanned three hitters from Wheeler. There were only two infield singles credited to the club that batted as the ‘home’ team and one walk out of Collins. The left-hander won for the seventh time in 2018 against one loss and kept his earned run average below one.

With the chance to hit first, the Packers posted a five-spot in the top of the first on four hits. Perhaps the stuff from this Wheeler starter was more to their liking, for Patel opened the game with a single. Dylan Dalton reached on an error, and Plant sent his first pitch on a rip to right field for 1-0 Colquitt.

Wilson, who had sat out recent games to heal up some injuries, showed the rest did him good. He saw a pitch in his eyes and singled in two more runs.

Wheeler changed pitchers with no outs on the board following two straight wild pitches, but designated hitter JT Whatley made the first pitch into an RBI hit. With two outs, the third wild pitch of the frame completed the 5-0 spurt.

The Packers kept that lead into the fourth when they batted around to score four runs. Harden, seeing how the Wheeler outfield left so much space open in right field, went for a double when his ball had to be chased by the right fielder. He was set to be tagged out, but instead Harden slid under the still glove.

From there, with one out, A. Bledsoe singled home one and – with the bases loaded and Wheeler going to its third pitcher – Plant blasted a 3-0 pitch for two RBI.

Harden and catcher Callon Kubiak each singled to set up a two-run fifth. Patel earned one RBI.

To help Collins, Hathcock – in right field – ran down two foul balls in the same inning, the home first, when Wheeler put two on base. Dalton had three assists from the second-base spot.