Bears need one more game to decide state baseball title against Loganville

Runs in baseball score from wild pitches, walks and – unfortunately – errors. Those are the ways all of the decisive runs touched home Monday when the Houston County High Bears and Loganville High Red Devils split the doubleheader of the GHSA Class 5A championship series at a packed Bear Den.

So after Houston County – looking for its second state title in three years – came from behind to win Game 1 7-3, and then Loganville broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning of Game 2 and prevailed 4-1, the two teams had to meet again Tuesday in the same place to decide who took home the first place trophy.

GAME 1

The matchup of the Region 2-AAAAA champions from Houston County and Loganville, the No. 3 seed from 8-AAAAA (which was won by Houston’s semifinal opponent Gainesville), is Bears vs. Red Devils. But for those who scour the scouting scene of amateur baseball talent, the opening contest was more Bulldog vs. Bulldog. Both starting pitchers Tony Locey of Houston County and Timothy Elliott of Loganville signed with the University of Georgia.

Locey, in six innings, struck out 11 batters and had only one bad frame. That came in the second inning when the Red Devils scored three runs, only one of which was earned.

Elliott was taken deep twice by the Houston County senior tandem of Tanner Hall and Jake Fromm. He pitched six full innings, and out of the seven runs he allowed, the two that ended up costing him a win were unearned.

But the Loganville offense left nine runners on base. The Red Devils had a propensity to load the bases but not deliver the clutch hit. The visiting team from Walton County opened the day’s festivities with back-to-back base hits from catcher Morgan Copeland (on an 0-2 pitch) down the left-field line and Jonathan Lee on a first pitch.

With both runners in scoring position, Locey dropped in two called strike threes before Macellus Campbell tapped the ball back to the pitcher.

But the Bears also left two on base in the bottom of the first as Elliott’s curve froze the batter for the third out.

In that Loganville second, Carson McCullers put down the perfect bunt single with one out. With two outs, the one batter Locey had the most trouble with – No. 9 hole guy Rhett Mixon – singled up the middle. McCullers scored.

With the lineup back to the top, Copeland walked. Camron Taube did the courtesy running, and while he was on first base Lee batted for the second time. The count was 3-2 and Locey tried a quick pick-off throw on Taube. That throw, however, went high and away from Tanner Hall, and Mixon scored the second run.

Loganville coaches were quite aggressive up 2-0, for Lee singled and Taube was waved around third base to go home. Houston County did not get off a good throw to the plate, and it was a 3-0 game.

Houston County’s offense caught a lot of breaks while making things happen in previous playoff games at home, especially in the sweep of Columbus High in the quarterfinals. In the bottom of the second of this game, Locey doubled off the wall with one out. Elliott struck out three batters in the inning, but didn’t get out of trouble as the third strike against Austin Langford got away from Copeland.

Dawson used his free chance to hit by chopping the baseball to the left side and beating out the infield safety. On that, the Bears were on the board 3-1.

Hall, in the home third, made it a 3-2 score with a solo home run.

Locey, on the mound, settled down after the bad second to strike out four and face Mixon again with two outs in the top of the fourth. Mixon singled for the second time up the middle, and both Copeland and Lee received free bases to fill them up. Bryce Fowler, however, popped out to centerfield.

It was in the bottom of the fifth that the Bears rallied for the lead, and it started with Dawson’s first-pitch single to center. D.L. Hall tried to bunt twice, fouling the ball away both times. So he simply swung away on 0-2 and singled up the middle.

As Fromm batted, Elliott had Dawson picked off in a rundown going towards third base. His third baseman, however, could not hold on to the baseball, and all hands were safe, including D.L. Hall at second. Fromm popped the ball up in fair territory, but nobody behind first base could find it. Dawson scored as that ball hit the grass untouched.

Tanner Hall, for the second time, was put on base intentionally, and Elliott struck out two in a row. He still had to deal with Locey, and the pitcher hit a grounder botched by the middle infield. Not only did D.L. score, but Fromm hustled around for home and a 5-3 Houston lead.

Locey gave up one more hit to Mixon but struck out two in the sixth. Tanner Hall pitched a perfect seventh. Fromm, after D.L. Hall walked with two outs in the home sixth, hit a home run by the left-field pole.

GAME 2

Houston County junior D.L. Hall paired up against Loganville left-hander Mitchell Miller, a senior who has signed with Mississippi State. Miller gutted out seven innings and struck out 10 to get the win. Pitchers on both sides had to deal with control issues as walks became prevalent in the nightcap’s last two innings.

Otherwise, it was a Hall-Mitchell pitcher’s duel as Hall fanned 10 batters before being pulled after 4 2/3 innings. He gave up one run that scored on a wild pitch, but eight other runners were left stranded during his mound stint.

Mitchell only allowed two hits and walked one over his first five frames. Dawson singled up the middle as the game’s leadoff batter (Houston was the visitors on the scoreboard), and Tucker Garland singled with two outs in the top of the fifth.

The pace of the game slowed considerably in the bottom of the fifth as Loganville ended the deadlock. Cody Mixon walked after working a full count from Hall and Copeland, also at 3-2, grounded what was his team’s second hit. On four pitches, Hall issued his sixth walk, that to Elliott.

Fowler batted with the bases loaded, but he wouldn’t need to swing as – on 0-2 – Mixon scored on a wild pitch. Fowler struck out, but then Hall hit McCullers to reload the bases. Coach Jason Brett went with Tyler Flewellyn, who engaged in a long battle with Bryant Pietri before getting him to ground out.

Flewellyn was making a serious bid for Hero of the Day. He stayed in the game batting in Hall’s spot, and with one out in the top of the sixth he doubled. With two outs and two on, Austin Hittinger drew a full-count walk.

As Dillon Strickland was at the plate, Houston scored the tying run on a passed ball. Strickland eventually drew the third walk by Mitchell in the turn, but it ended on the strikeout.

Loganville’s sixth didn’t see any hits, but everything else resulted in three Red Devil runs. It all started with a leadoff walk and Gabe Knight’s sacrifice bunt. Flewellyn struck out pinch hitter Justin Moss, which brought the Red Devils to the top of the order.

Brett ordered both Copeland and Lee put on base intentionally. Campbell, in the game for Elliott, took four straight pitches outside giving his side the lead at 2-1. Fowler, on 3-2, sent a ball in play, but from an errant throw two more runs scored.

In the seventh, Mitchell set down the side in order.

HHJ News