MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County High baseball team’s stay in the top 10 in Class AAAAA may have been a short one.

After opening the season with eight straight victories and being ranked No. 7 in this week’s GaSports.com Baseball Coaches Poll, the Packers were mercy-ruled by Thomas County Central on Wednesday in Thomasville, losing 15-5 in five innings.

“They hit the ball pretty good,” Colquitt County assistant coach Marlon Daniels said of the Yellow Jackets. “And we were flat.

“We didn’t play well at all. We were not very good pitching and were not very good defensively.”

And the Packers managed just five hits, including two by Brandon Smith.

Sherard Reynolds, Carter Jones and Andrew Wallace had the others.

Blake Williams started on the mound for the Packers and pitched one-plus inning, giving up seven runs, including six that were earned.

Austin Odom pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up two runs, including one that was earned.

Sophomore Andrew Wallace was charged with four runs, three earned in 1 2/3 inning.

Smith finished up and was charged with two runs, both earned, over the final 1 2/3.

The four Colquitt County pitchers combined to surrender 11 hits and five walks and hit two batters in five innings.

Wallace had the team’s only two strikeouts.

The Yellow Jackets were led by Taylor Welch, who went 4-for-4 and drove in four runs.

Welch took a .467 batting average into the game.

Matt Peacoe started and went the first four innings on the mound for Thomas County Central, which raised its record to 4-2.

Welch pitched the last inning.

Thomas County Central now faces a pair of key Region 1-AAAA road games.

The Yellow Jackets must go to Lee County today and to Bainbridge on Friday.

The Packers will get a chance to avenge the loss to the Yellow Jackets when Thomas County Central visits Ike Aultman Field next Wednesday.

Colquitt will open the Region 1-AAAAA part of its schedule a week from today when it plays host to Tift County at 5:45 p.m.

The other two region openers will be played on Friday, April 1, when Lowndes travels to Warner Robins to meet Houston County and Valdosta goes to Douglas to play Coffee.