MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County High baseball team finally got the kind of pitching it sought all season, but it was not enough to stave off elimination in the first round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs.

The Packers, who forced a third game after splitting a doubleheader on Friday, were ousted on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Newnan at Joe Pope Field at Newnan High.

The Cougars scored a pair of two-out runs in the top of the fifth inning and that was all Richard Warren needed.

The senior right-hander gave up just two hits to help send his team to a second-round series against Redan that will open on Wednesday.

The Packers, the No. 3 team from Region 1-AAAAA, lost the series opener 5-1 in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader, but got a rain-shortened 2-0 victory in the nightcap.

Saturday’s rubber game was scoreless after four innings with Warren and Colquitt County John Michael Harrison matching zeros.

In the top of the fifth, Harrison retired the first two Cougars and then gave up a single to right to Warren.

The Packers sophomore left-hander then seemed to run out of steam, walking the next three batters to force in the first run of the game.

Corey Hancock was summoned and got Austin McKinney to ground to deep short, scoring George Grote with the Cougars second run.

Packers shortstop Blake Cato ended the inning when he threw to third baseman Patrick Taylor, who tagged out Jessie Werzbiki, who had strayed too far from third on McKinney’s grounder.

Grote’s run proved to be the clincher.

In the bottom of the inning, Carter Jones singled, went to second on a ground out and scored on Spenser Richardson’s two-out single.

But the Packers managed just one base runner the next two innings.

“Warren threw the ball well,” said Packers first-year coach Eric McCranie. “But we hit the ball. We just hit it right at somebody and they made the plays.

“That’s just part of baseball.”

The Packers got fine pitching in the final three games.

Andrew Wallace gave up five runs, only three of which were earned in the opening game against Newnan, the No. 2 team from Region 4-AAAAA.

Andrew McDowell was outstanding in the nightcap, giving up no runs and just two hits before the storm hit.

“All three of those guys did a good job,” McCranie said.

After a season filled with three hour-plus games, the Colquitt County-Newnan game took just 1 hour and 58 minutes.

Newnan had seven hits, including two each by Warren and McKinney. Ryan Phillips, Kevin Dunn and Thomas Grote had the others.

While pitching his two-hitter, Warren did not give up a walk. Three Packers reached on errors and Colquitt stranded three runners.

Colquitt County finishes the season 13-16, but won four of its last five region games to qualify for the playoffs, then gave up just seven runs in 18 postseason innings.

“I’m extremely pleased with how we’ve been playing,” McCranie said. “They’ve figured out what we have been talking about. We got better as the season went along.

“We’ve played good defense and our pitching improved. It’s amazing how those things go hand-in-hand.”

The Packers will lose eight seniors, but will have a core of veterans returning, including McDowell, Harrison and Hancock, three of the four pitchers used in the playoff series.

Valdosta, the No. 4 team from Region 1-AAAAA, also was eliminated on Saturday.

After defeating East Coweta on the road on Friday, the Wildcats lost a doubleheader on Saturday, 3-0 and 9-6.

The Indians will advance to play the Union Grove-Groves winner.

Lowndes advanced, sweeping Mundy’s Mill on Friday. The Vikings will get either Jenkins or M.L. King.

Coffee, the Region 1-AAAAA runner-up, also advanced.

The Trojans split with Hiram at home on Friday, winning the opener 11-4, before being shut out 2-0. Coffee won the Saturday game 14-7 and will play either Camden County or Luella.