The Packers
will get a chance to duplicate their 1997 state championship when they
play host to East Coweta, beginning with a doubleheader expected to be
played Friday. A third game, if necessary, will be played Saturday. East
Coweta advanced to championship round with an 8-5, 5-1 doubleheader sweep
of Redan Monday in Sharpsburg.
The Packers
have advanced to the Final Four four times and have made the finals twice
in the last seven years.
Fayette County,
the No. 1 team from Region 4-AAAAA, was the final top seed in the tournament,
but never mounted a real threat until it had two outs in the bottom of
the seventh of the second game.
Colquitt County's
Thomas Tripp, pitching in relief of starter Cody Green, gave up a three-run
home run to Tigers catcher Jason Hardwick to make it 7-5, came right back
with a strikeout to end the game and Fayette County's season.
Fayette County,
which had defeated Effingham County, Eagle's Landing and South Gwinnett
to reach the semifinals, finishes 27-8.
"Our guys
don't have anything to hang their heads about," said Fayette County
head coach Robert Townsend, who has led the Tigers to three region titles
and four state playoff appearances in seven seasons. "We had a great
year."
Monday's two
victories make the Packers 27-8 overall, 8-1 in the playoffs and 12-1
since May 1.
Aaron Eubanks
pitched the Packers to the first-game victory, winning his 11th game of
the season against just two losses. He has won five games in the playoffs.
And Cody Green
pitched into the seventh inning of the nightcap before tiring and gave
up just three runs, only two of which were earned. He is now 8-2.
Eubanks delivered
with both his arm and his bat in Game 1.
The senior
left-hander gave up four runs and seven hits and struck out seven.
But it was
at the plate that he did the most damage. He went 3-for-3 with a double
and a home run and drove in two.
The homer came
in a six-run fifth inning that chased Georgia Tech-bound Fayette County
starter Lee Hyde. The Packers sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning
and got key two-out hits from Brandon Connell, Lee Henry and Johnathan
Walker.
The game had
been close to that point.
The Packers
jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on back-to-back, two-out
doubles by Eubanks and Max DeMott.
Colquitt added
three more in the bottom of the third to go up 4-0. DeMott had the big
hit, a two-run single. Another scored on a wild pitch by Hyde.
The Tigers
scrapped back into the game, scoring two in the top of the fourth and
another in the top of the fifth.
In the fourth,
David Owens walked off Eubanks to open the inning and was forced at second
on Joseph Edens grounder.
Hyde followed
with a double to left, moving Edens to third. Hardwick's sacrifice fly
scored Edens and Hyde scored on a wild pitch.
The Tigers
scored again in the fifth on an infield single by Jeff Crisp and a double
Ricky Williams
singled in Kyle Ray in the top of the seventh, but that was all the Tigers
could manage.
Hyde, who took
the loss while giving up 10 runs and 10 hits, had a double and a single.
Crisp, Owens, Hardwick, Ray and Williams had the other Fayette County
base hits.
Colquitt took
the lead in Game 2 when DeMott led off the second inning with a long home
run off Tigers starter Edens.
The Packers
added three more in the fourth with Connell driving and Walker each driving
in a run. Another scored on a balk.
The Packers
lead went to 7-0 with three runs in the fifth off Fayette County reliever
Dan Cooper.
Jackson drove
in one run with a double, Connell singled in another and Walker's sacrifice
fly drove in the Packers last run of the game.
Hyde got Fayette
County back in the game with a solo homer in the sixth to make it 7-1.
A single by
pinch-hitter Chase Davis off Tripp cut the Colquitt lead to 7-2 in the
seventh. Two batters later, Hardwick fouled off five straight pitches
pitches before hitting a long three-run homer to left to cut the Packers
lead to two.
But Tripp got
the final out.
Hardwick had
two hits in the second game for Fayette County. Owens, Davis, Hyde and
Ray had the others.
Green allowed
just four hits before departing with one out in the seventh.
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