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» Your hometown newspaper since 1861 The Eatonton Messenger THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2025 | B3 BRAD HARRISON/Staff Putnam's Gates Lanzarone got the start on the mound in game two against Washington County last Friday. Details doom Putnam in baseball playoffs Lance McCurley lance@msgrnews.com Washington County swept Putnam County last Friday to advance to the second round of the state playoffs. The Golden Hawks’ pitching staff exhibited dominance, limiting the War Eagles to just two runs over two games. Washington County started Ty Mobley on the mound for game one, and he hurled a gem. The Auburn commit was in control the entire game, allowing just one run on six hits with 10 strikeouts and only two walks. Mobley kept Putnam County hitters off-balance with a mix of pitches. The 6-foot-7 right-hander rotated between his four-seam fastball, curveball, and off-speed change-up to shut down the War Eagles. Putnam County head coach Stephen Phillips gave Mobley credit. “He’s a very solid baseball player,” Phil lips said. “He’s a big specimen who stands on the mound and throws strikes.” The War Eagles had early opportuni ties to score but couldn’t capitalize. With runners on second and third and no outs in the third, they failed to bring anyone home. Mobley escaped the jam unscathed, providing Washington County with some momentum. The Golden Hawks then responded by scoring two runs shortly after. Putnam County faced the same situa tion in the fourth, but once again, didn’t score as Mobley struck out the side. “When you work yourself out of a jam like that, emotions can start to run high for the pitcher and the team, and they responded by scoring two,” Phillips said. “In the fourth inning, we had the same situation, second and third with nobody out. Same thing. They struck out the side and didn’t give up anything. So again, it put momentum back on their side, and we just didn’t take advantage of opportunities.” Washington County added two more runs in the fourth and fifth innings to lead 6-0. The Golden Hawks ulti mately won the first game 7-1, fueled by Mobley’s strong pitching performance from. Wyatt Johnston made the start for the War Eagles, lasting 4.1 innings. He gave up six runs, four of which were earned, on seven hits with four strikeouts and seven walks. Wyatt Sims finished the game, giving up only one run. Jackson Dodd went 2-for-3 at the plate for a War Eagle offense that struggled against Mobley. Game two of the doubleheader was similar to the first. Washington County won 8-1 to take the series and advance to the second round of the state playoffs. The Golden Hawks got a 6.1-inning performance from Mack May, who was two outs away from pitching a complete game. The junior allowed six hits but gave up only one earned run, with nine strikeouts and two walks. Putnam County trailed 3-0 after two innings and never recovered. The War Eagles scored their only run in the seventh off May before he was relieved of his duties by Brayden Lanthrip, who finished the game. Again, Putnam County struggled on the mound. The War Eagles’ staff gave up only five hits but walked 15 batters. Phillips said it was the small details, such as walks and failing to score with runners in scoring position, that cost his team. “When you get to the playoffs, every team’s a solid team,” Phillips said. “That’s why [Washington County] is in the play- offs, and if you don’t execute the little things, those little things come back to bite you at the end.” TRACK CONTINUED FROM » B1 make a difference in the outcome.” The Gators also performed well, finishing second with 168 points, behind Brentwood. They qualified 30 athletes for the state meet and won six events at the final region meet. “Our region is one of the toughest track regions in the state, and on Thursday, I think everyone saw why,” Ratliff said. “While we had a very good meet, we finished second. “I told the boys before the meet started that one of our goals was to go out and win a region title, but I also told them that the number one goal was to win a state title next week. The only way we could do that was to get qualified for the state meet. We did that in a big way.” The long-time head coach said the Gatewood boys qualified for 30 slots out of a possible 34. “Obviously, everything did not go our way,” Ratliff added. “We had some ups and downs with the injuries and other teams IAN TOCHER/Staff Gatewood's Landon Moreno will compete in the triple jump later this week in the GIAA Class AA state meet at Locust Grove. posting some of their best times of the year, but we put ourselves in a position to win another state title. Now, we must go out and have the best three days of track and field that we have had all year.” The GIAA Class AA state meet will be held at Strong Rock Christian in Locust Grove from Thursday to Saturday this week. a FREE Pet Adoption Program for U.S. Military Veterans SOCCER CONTINUED FROM » B1 feeling like they were the underdog, and they were ready to go out and prove everybody wrong.” The match was back-and-forth during regulation. The War Eagles took a 1-0 lead 15 minutes into the game when midfielder Jared Arreola scored. However, Vidalia quickly responded with two consecutive goals just a few minutes later. Putnam didn’t back down, however. Forward Reynaldo Espinoza scored for the War Eagles, tying the game. “I was worried about giving up two quick goals and how we would respond, but then we got another goal toward the end of the half. That made it 2-2 at the half,” Taylor said. “That made me feel really good about us. I loved the way we were playing, the way we passed, and the way we talked.” A few minutes into the second half, Jorge Lopez put Putnam back in the driver’s seat. His goal gave life to the War Eagle bench, and goalkeeper Jared Mejia made several saves to help preserve the lead. Regardless, Vidalia answered midway through the second half with another goal to tie things up but could not find that same magic in overtime. Putnam proved to be well-conditioned during the two extra periods. “It looked like either team could win all the way up until we got to the [end of regulation], and I felt like we played much better in overtime,” Taylor said. “It was very back-and- forth, but we got it done.” The No. 17 seed War Eagles next face No. 1 Model in the second round. The Blue Devils defeated No. 32 Wood ville-Tompkins 7-1 to advance. According to Scorbord. com, both Putnam and Model finished the regular season ranked in the top 10 of Class A Division I. However, because the War Eagles placed third in Region 4 standings, they dropped in seeding for the state playoffs. Top-seeded Model might be the favorite, but Taylor feels like his team has a good chance at success. “I see it as them aiming to be the top team, and we’re entering a David versus Goliath situation,” Taylor said. “They’ve got a target on their back, and I think that’s good for us. 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