MOULTRIE – Colquitt County out-hit Valdosta 11-9 and was gifted two seventh-inning runs on balk calls, but still could not put away the Wildcats on Monday on Ike Aultman Field at Jerry Croft Stadium, falling 11-10.

The Packers trailed 11-6 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but with the help of three singles, two walks, an error and two run-scoring balks, managed to get the tying run to third base with two outs.

But Colquitt left that runner stranded and dropped its second one-run decision to the Wildcats this season.

Colquitt falls to 9-9.

Valdosta, ranked No. 11 in Class 6A, raised its record to 14-3 by winning for the 12th time in its last 13 games.

On a beautiful evening for baseball in Moultrie, neither team played particularly well.

Colquitt, coming off the split of a Region 1-7A doubleheader on Saturday at Tift County, never led although the Wildcats never could quite shake them.

Valdosta, in addition to balking in two runs in the seventh, also hit three straight batters with pitches forcing in a run in the fifth.

Valdosta scored single runs in the first and third innings off Packers starter Jardae Williams before Colquitt tied the game 2-2 on run-scoring singles by Cole Whatley and Mason Moore in the bottom of the third.

Hayden Moore relieved Williams in the fourth and was unable to retire any of the four Valdosta batters he faced.

He walked three and gave up an infield single before being replaced by Cole Whatley.

Valdosta scored five times in the inning. Hayden Moore, who took the loss, was charged with four of the runs and Whatley was charged with the other.

Whatley, who started the game behind the plate, pitched the final four innings, giving up five runs, four of which were earned. He struck out four and walked two.

He did produce the game’s only 1-2-3 inning, when he retired the Wildcats in order in the sixth, striking out two.

After Valdosta went up 7-2 in the top of the fourth, Colquitt answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning.

Two scored on a double by Cam Cook and the other on a sacrifice fly by Cole Whatley.

The Wildcats added two more in the top of the fifth to go up 9-5, but the Packers scored a run in the bottom of the inning when Hayes Lightsey was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Lightsey was the last of three Colquitt County batters in a row who were plunked by pitches thrown by Valdosta’s Sam Houston.

The Wildcats scored two ugly runs in the top of the seventh and, it turned out, they needed them.

Whatley balked in the 10th Valdosta run and later in the inning Jordan Caraway avoided the Packers defense to score in a rundown between third and home.

It set up the curious bottom of the seventh in which the Packers scored four times, but still came up short.

Cook, Cannon Whatley, Cole Whatley, Mason Moore and Davis Dalton each had two hits for the Packers. Abe Daniels had the other.

Cohen Smith had three hits for the Wildcats.