VALDOSTA —
Lowndes’ baseball season came to an end on Friday, as the Vikings were swept by East Coweta in the first round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs at Noel George Field.
The Vikings dropped the opening game of their best-of-three playoff series with East Coweta, 12-7. Then East Coweta scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth and earned a 7-4 win in game 2.
Game 1: East Coweta 12, Lowndes 7
East Coweta scored nine runs in the bottom of the third, and that big inning carried the Indians to a 12-7 victory in game 1.
Lowndes held a 4-1 lead going into the top of the third. Then the wheels came off for the Vikings.
With one out in the top of the third, Cole Amtmann walked, stole second and went to third on Geremy Walton’s single. Bryce Gemmel lined a single to left, driving in Amtmann. Jordan Lewis walked to load the bases. Then Blake Lorow’s hard hit ground ball went between the shortstop’s legs and into left field. Walton and Gemmel scored, and when the throw to third got by the third baseman and went into the dugout, Lewis scored as well, giving the Indians a 5-4 lead. Lorow wound up at third on the play, then courtesy runner Jacob Mann scored on an errant pickoff throw. After a walk and a strikeout, East Coweta’s Cam Smith blasted a two-run homer over the fence in left center, extending the Indians’ lead to 8-4. That was the end of the day for LHS starter Dylan Roberts.
Relief pitcher Hank Davis got Matt Meyer to hit a ground ball to third, but the ball was booted. Amtmann singled, and the two runners advanced on a passed ball. Walton reached on an error, scoring Meyer. Gemmel followed with a single to center, scoring Amtmann with the final run of the inning, increasing East Coweta’s lead to 10-4.
When the dust finally settled, East Coweta had scored nine runs on six hits, and had benefited from five Lowndes errors. Six of the Indians’ nine runs were unearned.
The nine-run inning put the Vikings in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.
Lowndes got a run in the fourth. Lance Jarriel reached on an infield single. Then Nick Higginbotham hit a single to left that got by the left fielder. Jarriel tried to score from first, and crossed home plated when the cutoff man’s throw went over the catcher’s head, making it 10-5.
East Coweta added two runs to its lead in the top of the sixth. With a man on second and one out, East Coweta head coach Franklin DeLoach sent Ryan Goodman up to pinch hit. Goodman saw a pitch he liked, and blasted it over the fence in left center, giving his team a 12-5 lead.
Lowndes answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Jarriel started the inning with a single to center and Higginbotham followed with a double to left, putting two runners in scoring position. Jarriel raced home on a wild pitch. Three batters later, Ty Harwell singled to left, scoring Higginbotham to cut the deficit to 12-7. But unfortunately for the Vikings, they would get no closer.
Lowndes grabbed the early lead with four runs in the bottom of the first, all with two outs. Jarriel started the inning with a walk, and advanced to third on a pair of ground outs. Then Luke Miller hit a fly ball to shallow left field. East Coweta shortstop Travis Williams tried to make a difficult over-the-shoulder catch, but the ball hit off of his glove, and Jarriel scored. Harwell hit a chopper towards first, but no one covered first, and Harwell had an infield single. Mason Brooks hit a ground ball to third, but the third baseman’s throw was wide of first base, and Miller scored from second to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead. After David Wortham walked to load the bases, Tyler Rehberg hit another fly ball into shallow left field that Williams chased after but couldn’t catch. Harwell and Brooks scored, giving the Vikings a 4-0 lead.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, very little went their way the rest of the game.
East Coweta got a run in the second. Lorow reached on a fielder’s choice, then courtesy runner Mann moved up on an error and scored on Smith’s single to left.
For East Coweta, Smith homered and drove in three runs. Goodman, Gemmel and Lorow also drove in two runs.
For Lowndes, Jarriel went 2 for 3 and scored three runs. Higginbotham and Harwell drove in two runs apiece.
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Hubby Brooks | The Valdosta Daily Times Lowndes’ Parker Armstrong attempts to tag out an East Coweta runner during Friday night’s game at Noel George Field.
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Lowndes Vikings swept by East Coweta
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