Valdosta remains alive in baseball playoffs

Published 11:15 pm Friday, May 16, 2008

MOULTRIE — Valdosta is the lone Region 1-AAAAA team remaining after the second round of the Class AAAAA state baseball playoffs.

The Wildcats, the Region 1-AAAAA champions, swept their second straight series on Wednesday, eliminating Luella in a doubleheader 7-5, 6-4.

The games were closer than the ones in Valdosta’s first-round meeting with Bradwell Institute.

The Wildcats won that series-opening doubleheaders 10-2 and 17-0.

Valdosta, now 25-5, will advance to a quarterfinal meeting with the winner of the South Forsyth-Kell series. The Wildcats will again play at home.

The quarterfinals open on Tuesday.

Warner Robins and Coffee also won first round series, but were eliminated in the second round.

The Demons blanked Groves 6-0 and 13-0 to win their first round series, then had to travel to Newnan.

Newnan won the first game of the Wednesday doubleheader at Warner Robins 5-3, but the Demons came back to win the nightcap 12-2.

Newnan led Thursday’s third and deciding game 6-5 before Warner Robins scored seven runs in the top of the seventh to take a 12-6 lead.

But the Cougars got a grand slam from first baseman Ken Dunn to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh and, two batters later, got a double from Colten McMichael to drive in the game-winning run.

Newnan will face the Lassiter-North Cobb survivor in the quarterfinals.

Coffee, which needed three games to eliminate Jenkins in its tournament opener, was eliminated by East Coweta 9-1 and 10-2 in a Wednesday doubleheader.

The Indians will face the Brookwood-Norcross winner in the Elite Eight on Tuesday.

East Coweta has won 10 of its last 12 games.

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