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Bill MurphySports Editor I 770-718-3415 I sports@gainesvilletimes.com
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gainesvilletimes.com
Midweek Edition-April 3-4, 2024
MONDAY’S HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
Lee Heard For The Times
Cherokee Bluff’s Ethan England hits the ball against North Hall
on Monday in Gainesville.
Bluff takes first
game in series
against N. Hall
Winner will have advantage for
higher seed to the region playoffs
BY DAVID FRIEDLANDER Cherokee Bluff coach Jeremy
dfriedlander@gainesvilletimes.com Kemp said after his team rallied
late to move into a first-place tie
With only two weeks left in the
Region 8-4A North regular sea
son, every game is pretty much
like a playoff game for the three
combatants for two spots from the
subregion in the region playoffs.
Both Cherokee Bluff and North
Hall certainly treated the opener
of their three-game spring break
series like a postseason game.
And it was the visiting Bears
who came up big late with three
runs in the final two innings,
including an RBI triple by Caleb
Miele in the seventh and some
clutch pitching in the bottom of
the inning to close out a 3-2 vic
tory Monday at Cottrell Field.
Miele finished the game
2-for-4, including the decisive
hit, to help make a winner out
of Tucker Holton, who threw 6
2/3 strong innings before Jacob
Vokal recorded the final out to
help sixth-ranked Cherokee Bluff
(17-4, 8-3 in full region, 5-2 in
subregion) edge the No. 7 Tro
jans (10-11,9-3,5-2) in a charged
postseason-like atmosphere.
“I'm so proud of our guys,"
with North Hall for the subregion
lead. “They're a great team, and
I feel like we're a great team.
That was two great teams play
ing a heck of a game. Nobody
really deserved to lose that game,
period.''
Holton and Kaleb Sexton
dueled each other for the bet
ter part of six innings, with the
Bears' right-hander allowing just
five hits and striking out 11 over
6 2/3 innings, while the Trojans'
lefty ace shut out Cherokee Bluff
on three hits with two strikeouts
over the first five.
North Hall grabbed the lead
first by jumping on two of the
very few bad pitches Holton made
all night.
Both ended up as solo home
runs, with Korbyn Sosebee going
deep with one out in the bottom of
the fourth, while Micah Jimerson
hit one over the wall to the left of
center field an inning later for a
2-0 lead.
It looked like that might be
See Bluff 12D
MONDAY’S HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER
Handling a tough task
Photos by Bill MurphyThe Times
Johnson’s Evan Rohde (2) is congratulated for his goal against Baylor School (Tenn.) on
Monday in Oakwood.
Top-ranked Johnson beats Tennessee-power Baylor School
Johnson’s Junior Castillo (10) goes for the ball against Baylor
School (Tenn.) on Monday in Oakwood.
BY BILL MURPHY
bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com
Edgar Vazquez's goal Mon
day was a thing of beauty for
top-ranked Johnson.
After a one-on-one sprint for
the ball midway through the sec
ond half, the Knights (12-1-1)
senior leader left the ground and
with all his force in his mighty
right leg sent a missile into the
top left comer of the net en route
to a 4-1 win against Tennessee-
powerhouse Baylor School at
Billy Ellis Memorial Stadium.
“That’s his second goal
he’s had like that this season,"
Knights coach Frank Zamora
said after the game.
“I saw I had about a 30-yard
sprint for the ball and ran it
down,” Vazquez added.
In addition to a stellar night
by the defensive back line,
Vazquez provided a pair of goals
as Johnson begins to tune up for
the state playoffs, which begins
April 19 against Stockbridge in
Oakwood.
In the remaining time of the
regular season, Zamora has his
club playing against some high-
quality opposition to work out
any kinks as the Knights strive
for a three-peat as champions in
the postseason.
None will be any tougher for
the defending national cham
pions than the match against
The Baylor School, a private
boarding school in Chattanooga,
Tenn., which most recently won
the Tennessee Class 2A state
title in 2022.
In addition to the win,
Vazquez noted that the Knights
are playing much stronger than
earlier in the season.
“I’m proud of our team and
how we’re coming together,”
See Soccer 12D
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Bill Murphy The Times
Gainesville’s Julius Columbus (99) pressures the quarterback
against Lanier during the 2023 game at City Park Stadium.
Gainesville’s Columbus gives college pledge
BY BILL MURPHY
bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com
On Monday night, Gainesville
High junior defensive lineman
Julius Columbus gave a verbal
pledge to Duke University. Hall
County's most decorated pass
rusher in many years recorded
a school-record 20 sacks and 58
tackles (17 for a loss) this season
for the Red Elephants.
Columbus made his intentions
public with an Instagram post.
Since the end of the 2023 sea
son, Columbus' list of scholar
ship offers has swelled, including
Appalachian State, Cornell, Yale,
Georgia State and Georgia South
ern, among many others.
MLB
North Hall grad Olson sharp
in season debut for the Tigers
Associated Press
North Hall graduate Reese
Olson was sharp in his season
debut for the Detroit
Tigers, throwing 5 2/3
innings and recorded
three strikeouts in its 5-0
extra-inning win Mon
day against the New York
Mets. Carson Kelly hit a
three-run homer to cap a
five-run 10th inning for
Detroit, which moved to
4-0 on the season.
The teams combined to get just
two runners — one apiece — into
scoring position in the first nine
innings before the Tigers broke the
tie in the 10th.
Spencer Torkelson and Parker
Meadows scored on a grounder by
Colt Keith and a sacrifice fly by
Javier Baez, respectively, before
Kelly homered to left
against Michael Tonkin
(0-1).
“It's hard to argue with
the 10th — we really
couldn't get anything
going for much of the
game and then obviously
good at-bat after good at-
bat,” Tigers manager A.J.
Hinch said.
Jason Foley (1-0) struck out two
in the ninth before Shelby Miller
tossed a perfect 10th for the Tigers,
who are 4-0 for the first time since
going 6-0 in 2015. Detroit opened
the season with three straight one-
run wins over the Chicago White
Sox.
“I was thinking about it today —
I'm like, man, we're playing a 0-0
game, we're into the ninth, we're
into the 10th,” Kelly said. “It's like,
oh man, why don't we try some
thing new for a change, guys? Lets
mix it up and (have) more than just
a one-run lead.”
The Mets were hitless in 19 plate
appearances with a runner on base.
New York lost its first five games
19 years ago.
“At some point throughout the
course of a year, you're going to go
through stretches like this,” first-
year Mets manager Carlos Men
doza said.
Olson
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