VALDOSTA — The Lowndes Vikings punched their ticket to the next round of the state playoffs with a tense doubleheader sweep over Brookwood on Wednesday, taking Game One in walk-off fashion before shutting the door in Game Two with a fifth-inning offensive surge. 

Game One

In the opener, Lowndes delivered a dramatic 6-4 victory thanks to a two-run walk-off blast from Heath Davis in the bottom of the seventh. The Vikings and Broncos traded blows all game long in what felt like a perfect matchup from the first pitch.

Brookwood struck first, capitalizing on a miscue to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Cason Fletcher evened things with a solo homer in the bottom half. After Brookwood regained the lead in the second, Coleman Lewis answered with his own solo shot in the third, tying the game at 2-2.

The Vikings took their chance to go on the offensive as Fletcher drove in one run with a single, followed by another RBI single from Noah Burnham to make the score 4-2. Unshaken, Brookwood put the game back at an even 4-4 in the fifth on a two-run homer from Max Rogozinski.

After Brinson Rountree pitched a gritty complete game, working around six hits and one walk, the Vikings went to work. With two outs and Kason Kendrick on base, Davis decided to be a hero and delivered a towering shot over the right-field fence, igniting the home crowd and sealing the game in walk-off style.

Davis finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs and the game-winner. Fletcher added three hits and two RBIs, and Lewis notched three extra-base hits in a 13-hit offensive outing for Lowndes.

Game Two

With momentum on their side, Lowndes kept the pressure on in Game Two, overcoming an early deficit to win 4-2 and end Brookwood’s playoff run.

Brookwood jumped out front in the second inning on a sacrifice fly from Ryan Morris to score Diego DeJesus. In the third, the Vikings responded with Fletcher reaching with a single and came around to score on Lewis’ second home run of the series—a shot to center that gave Lowndes a 2-1 lead.

Things opened up in the fifth when Lane Pridgen singled, and courtesy runner Waylon Weidinger advanced on a hit-by-pitch. Matthew Kerrigan laid the groundwork with a textbook sacrifice bunt, and Fletcher followed with a two-RBI single to right field, stretching the lead to 4-1.

Garrett Moon gave the Vikings 5.2 solid innings on the bump, only giving out five hits and one earned run. Easton Blanton took over in the sixth and closed out the game, including escaping a two-out RBI double in the seventh to secure the win.

Now, the Vikings turn their attention to the Final Four, where they will once again play at home—this time against the Etowah Eagles. The matchup is a full-circle moment: Etowah was the very first team Lowndes faced this season, handing the Vikings a 9-3 loss. 

The question now stands—will Etowah be both the beginning and end of Lowndes’ season, or can the Vikings flip the script and get their shot at a state championship three-peat?