Becky Taylor | The Tifton GazetteNoah Thigpen went six innings in the nightcap to win for the Vikings.

TIFTON – Lowndes kept their Region 1-7A baseball mark spotless Friday night, but only by the skin of their teeth.

The Vikings nudged Tift County’s Blue Devils 7-4 in eight innings in the second game of the doubleheader, needing a tag at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the 7th to send the game to extras. An equally close 4-1 victory started Lowndes’ day at Devil Diamond.

The season wraps up April 22 for all four squads in 1-7A, with the Tift-Colquitt series in Moultrie having the biggest stakes.

The Blue Devils (now 16-9) are not out of contention for second place — and a state tournament series at home. To do that, however, they will have to sweep Colquitt, while also hoping that Camden County does not do the same against Lowndes.

Colquitt and Camden split games April 15, dropping their opener 7-6 before coming back with a 6-1 win. That gave the Packers a slight advantage for the No. 2 spot in 1-7A, 4-6 to the 3-7 marks of both Tift and Camden. Lowndes, comfortable in first all season, is 10-0.

Lowndes scored two runs in the 2nd in the nightcap Friday, then added two more in the 4th for a skinny 4-3 advantage. Tift tied it up in the bottom of the 5th, with Drew Hembree snaking his first ever varsity hit up the middle to drive in John Dorman.

Brady Moretz downed the Vikings in order in the 7th, but the teams were on the cusp of free baseball when Noah Thigpen retired his first two in the Tift’s half. Then, Bailey Booth blooped a hit to right field. Hembree worked a walk and the Devils now had a runner, Landon Parrish (courtesy for Booth) at second.

Gavin Starling came up with the clutch hit Tift needed, a single to left, but Qrey Lott’s throw home was on the money to catcher Daniel Kerrigan, who applied the tag in time. The contest went to the 8th frame.

Energized by their escape, the Vikings came out hitting. Ty Bridges reached, then Cooper Melvin gave them the lead with a single. Base hits by Tate Sirmans, Lott and Kerrigan followed and Lowndes went ahead 7-4. Thigpen finished out the 8th to improve Lowndes’ record to 22-4.

Walks aplenty started the game for the Devils and gave them their first two tallies. Mac Brooks, Dorman, Tyler Holmes and Lino Acosta earned consecutive free passes in the 1st. Brooks scored on the one to Acosta, then Dorman streaked home on a wild pitch.

The Vikings came right back in the 2nd, Carson Page doubling in Bridges before Mason Steel singled him home. Tift went right back ahead in the bottom half as John Davis hit a base hit to score Moretz.

Bridges and Steel scored in the 4th for Lowndes. Sirmans and Kerrigan earned bases loaded walks.

Starling had two hits for the Devils, with Dorman scoring twice. Page, Steel and Sirmans had two hits for Lowndes. Thigpen pitched six innings for the victory, while Moretz pitched a season-long 4.1 innings in relief.

LOWNDES 4, TIFT 1

Three Lowndes runs in the 4th were the big blow of the opener as the teams were 1-1 otherwise.

The fateful 4th began with Lott getting an infield hit. Kerrigan attempted a sacrifice bunt after Lott stole second, turning into the Vikes’ first run of the day. Coleman Lewis followed with another infield hit. Tristin Bohler hit an RBI single and Weston Turner brought in Lewis on a fielder’s choice to shortstop. Lowndes was poised for even more runs, but Starling caught a fly ball in left and doubled up the runner at first to end the inning.

Tift scratched the scoreboard first with a single run in the 3rd.

Davis was hit by a pitch with one out and promptly stole second. Dorman dinked a single over first for Davis to cross the plate.

Lowndes added insurance in the 7th after Page reached on a two-base error. Melvin picked up the RBi with a hit to right.

Otherwise, pitchers and defense dominated the proceedings. Both Steel and Blue Devils starter Connor VanSumeren went the distance. VanSumeren struck out five to Steel’s three. Both teams turned two double plays, all of them ending innings.

Acosta and Lott each had a two-hit game. No hits were for extra bases.

Tift County has one more non-region game on the slate. They will play at Thomas County Central on Tuesday.