Benedictine, Savannah Christian, Calvary and Richmond Hill among baseball teams advancing
Savannah Christian dropped its first game in the GHSA Class A Private baseball playoffs in a 6-2 setback against visiting Deerfield-Windsor on Friday, and the Raiders were looking for a spark to get things going in Game 2.
Junior Daegan Strickland provided it with a two-run homer in the top of the first inning of that second game. The Raiders caught fire, winning 14-2 before closing things out Saturday with an 11-0 win over the Knights as Strickland threw a shutout.
Ely Brown, the junior who has committed to Mercer University, struck out nine as he went the distance in Game 2, pitching six innings while going 3 for 4 with two runs scored. Strickland was 2 for 4 with three RBIs, and Ethan Macklin went 2 for 4 and drove in four.
Macklin and Jayden White had homers in the deciding Game 3 on Saturday, and Strickland was 2 for 2 with three RBIs, while striking out eight in five innings of work.
"I think Daegan's homer in that second game relaxed the team," SCPS coach Matt Oglesby said Saturday. "Then Ely just dealt. And today we jumped out early and Daegan pitched well. That was a complete, well-played, team game for us."
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SCPS, the Region 3-A Private champion, improved to 25-7, and the Raiders will host Hebron Christian (19-11) in a second round-matchup with a doubleheader Wednesday with the first game set for 3:30 p.m.
Calvary Day sweeps Strong Rock
Calvary Day got a pair of stellar pitching performances as the Cavaliers swept Strong Rock Christian by scores of 2-0 and 3-1 in a doubleheader Friday at Grayson Stadium.
Brandon Exley threw a four-hit shutout in the first game as the senior, who has signed to play at East Georgia College, struck out six and walked two to improve to 4-1 on the year. Dylan Shuman and Kellen Blankenship drove in runs for the Cavs (22-8).
In the second game, sophomore lefty Will Hampton threw four scoreless innings and Pierce Powell picked up the save. Senior Dayyan O'Neal, who has signed to play football at Yale, drove a solo shot over the wall in left field at Grayson in the sixth for the Cavs.
"We got some great pitching from Brandon and then Will, who threw extended innings for the first time in a while," Calvary coach Phillip Lee said. "I want to give credit to our pitching coach, Stephen Vaughn. He made all the right calls on our matchups. We've got so many quality arms on the team, and he manages the staff so well."
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Calvary Day will be on the road to face Wesleyan in a doubleheader Wednesday with the first game set for 4 p.m. Welseyan (27-4), ranked No. 2 among Class A Private teams by the Georgia Dugout Preview, features center fielder Druw Jones, the son of former Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones. Druw is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft in July.
Savannah Country Day season ends
Savannah Country Day saw its season come to an end as the Hornets were swept by Tattnall Square on Friday by scores of 12-0 and 9-6.
The second game was the final athletic appearance with the Hornets for Barry Kleinpeter, who hit a solo homer and threw 4 2/3 innings of strong relief — giving up just one run. Kleinpeter, who has signed as a quarterback to play football at the University of New Hampshire, ended the season hitting .455 with four homers, 22 RBIs and 41 runs scored.
Garrett Lorafano went 2 for 2 with three runs scored and a home run for the Hornets, who finished its season with a 19-11 record.
Benedictine rolls to second round
Benedictine, which entered the playoffs ranked No. 3 among Class 4A teams in the state by the Georgia Dugout Preview, had no problems with Westover on Thursday as the Cadets dominated in a sweep by scores of 11-1 and 23-1.
Justin Thomas, who has signed to play at UGA, hit his 11th homer of the year in the first game. Parker McCoy allowed an unearned run in four innings of work, with Thomas pitching a clean final frame. Ben Hollerbach and Carter Welch each drove in a pair of runs for BC.
Freshman Landon Ludwig and Kaden Tuten combined for three innings pitched in the second game, and McCoy was 2 for 2 with six RBIs while hitting his eighth homer of the year. He's hitting .527 with 62 RBIs on the season. Cole Walker had his first varsity hit in the second game, and it was a big one for the sophomore. who lined a shot over the left-field fence for a homer.
BC (26-4) is set to host Northwest Whitfield (19-14) in a doubleheader Tuesday with the first game starting at 4 p.m.
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Region 2-6A teams sweep in first round
Region 2-6A champion Richmond Hill swept Lakeside by scores of 12-2 and 15-3. The Wildcats (23-7) are set to host Lassister (24-8) in the second round with a doubleheader set for Tuesday at Richmond Hill, at a time to be announced.
Hunter Legas picked up the win with a strong performance in the first game, and UGA-bound Leighton Finley (12-0) set a school record for wins in a season in the second game. Luke Boone had a grand slam in the second game and Ethan Fuller drove in five runs and scored five in the two games, going 4 for 6.
Effingham County (15-16-1) swept visiting North Atlanta 13-10 and 5-4. The Rebels will be on the road to face Pope (25-7) in a doubleheader set to start at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
South Effingham, the No. 3 seed out of Region 2-6A, went on the road to Atlanta and beat Westlake 11-5 and 5-4. South Effingham (22-10) will be on the road at Alatoona (29-3) for a doubleheader set to start at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Bryan County, the No. 3 seed out of Region 3-A Public, swept Pataula Charter by scores of 21-10 and 7-6. Bryan County (18-7) will be on the road again to face Ace Charter in a second-round matchup in a doubleheader set for Wednesday at a time to be announced.
SOCCER
St. Andrew's boys advance to GISA state semis
A year after seeing its season end in disappointing fashion in the GISA state quarterfinals in a 3-2 loss to Augusta Prep, the St. Andrew's boys soccer team put that memory away and punched its ticket to the state semifinals.
The Lions responded strongly after Brookwood Academy tied the match midway through the second half and got a pair of goals from junior star Gordon Standing to beat the Warriors 3-1.
St. Andrew's (12-2) will play Friday in the GISA state semifinals against No. 1 seed Wesminster School (12-1-2) in a game set for 8 p.m. at Mercer University in Macon.
Henry Bush had the first goals for the Lions, then after Brookwood got the equalizer, Standing went to work, scoring on a left-footer through some tough defense in the 70th minute. Standing then scored with his right foot from the right wing just inside the left post for an insurance goal seven minutes later.
"We played as a cohesive team and stuck together tonight," said Standing, who entered the playoffs with 22 goals and nine assists on the season. "When they tied it up, we didn't collapse and kept our focus up. This means everything to us after we lost in the quarters last year. We put in the work this season and it paid off."
In addition to Standing and Bush, senior captain Will Marsden played well in the midfield and keeper Ethan Bland, also a senior captain, had a strong game in net.
"We've been working hard on learning to always trust each other and support your teammates no matter what," Lions coach Blake Seale said. "We kept our cool tonight when things got tight. I'm proud of the way the boys played."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Benedictine, Calvary Day, Savannah Christian advance in baseball playoffs
