Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2016
THE COMMERCE NEWS • THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 3B
Playoff Push.. . Continued from 1B
Sand storm
Zane Millwood leaves a cloud of dust behind him as he slides into home
during Banks County’s 4-0 win over East Hall last week.
Patrick earns scholarship
Prior to Friday’s senior night game, Dylan Patrick (left) was presented
with the $1,000 Jacob Bullock Scholarship. The scholarship was awarded
to the baseball player with the best academic record. Bullock was a former
Leopard baseball player and a member of Banks County’s class of 2014. He
passed away in 2014. His parents, Shannon and Angie Bullock, presented
the scholarship in Jacob’s honor.
telling them all year, ‘win
the inning and you win the
game.’”
The Spartans are currently
9-6 in region play and Kel
ley knows they won’t be an
easy out. Still, he’s confident
that his team’s workmanlike
attitude will give this Leop
ard squad a chance to make
history.
“I have a pretty good group
of guys who have fought all
year,” he said. “We’ve been
down in games and have
never given up. The effort
has been great, and it’s been
consistent the whole year.
This team has really grinded
and battled it out.”
Banks County vs. East Hall
The Leopards swept
the Vikings 3-0 in a Region
7-AAA series last week that
concluded in an extra-in
nings thriller on Banks Coun
ty’s senior night.
On Friday, Banks County
hosted East Hall for a dou
bleheader.
Pitcher Taylor Boisclair
kept the Leopards in control
of game 1. The senior struck
out four batters and allowed
only four hits and no runs in
seven frames.
Banks County out hit the
Vikings 74, but struggled to
drive runners home until late
in the fourth inning. Judd
Roberts drove in Kelan Dal
ton on a single to right field,
while Roberts scored on a
Dylan Patrick single.
Leading 2-0 in the bottom
of the sixth, the Leopards
extended their lead when
Dalton scored again on an
error by East Hall’s right
fielder. Grant Rylee drove in
Roberts on a single to right to
notch Banks County’s fourth
mn and propel the Leopards
to a 4-0 game 1 victory.
Easton Staton led the
Leopard offense going 2-for-3
at the plate with two singles.
But while the Leopards
were dominant in game one
of the double header, game
two was a different story.
Banks County was forced to
battle back from an eight-run
deficit as East Hall jumped
on the Leopards early.
The Vikings scored one
mn in the first, five in the
second, one in the fifth and
another in the sixth to pull
out to an 8-0 lead over the
struggling Leopards. But just
as it looked like the game
was headed for a run-rule
decision, the Banks County
offense came to life.
With two outs and two
runners on, Dylan Nix hit a
line drive single to left field
that put up Banks Coun
ty’s first mn of the game.
That hit started a landslide
of Leopard hits in the sixth.
Patrick scored on a passed
ball, while Nix scored on an
error to cut the deficit to five.
Zane Millwood drove in CJ
Thomas and Easton Staton
on a single to left field, then
Judd Roberts found home
on another East Hall passed
ball. The Leopards pulled
within one run as Grant
Rylee drove in Millwood on
a double to left field before
the Vikings closed out the
inning.
Down one in the bottom
of the seventh, the Leop
ards struggled to get their
bats going. But after being
hit by a pitch and taking his
base, Alex Lewis managed to
advance to third on a passed
ball and a sacrifice fly. With
two outs and only one run
ner on, Lewis capitalized on
another passed ball as he
slid into home and forced
extra innings.
Patrick controlled the
mound for the Leopards
in the final two frames. He
forced three consecutive
outs in the top of the eighth
to give his offense a chance
to steal the game.
Roberts led off the bottom
of the eighth with a single
and was advanced to second
by a Millwood bunt. Dalton
singled deep to left field on
the next at bat, giving Roberts
time to round the bases for a
walk-off victory.
Coming back from an
eight-mn deficit is a rarity in
baseball, but Kelley said the
Leopards’ never-give-up atti
tude made the comeback a
reality.
“They just never stopped
fighting,” said Kelley. “When
you get down in a big game
like that, you tend to go back
to your old ways and revert
back to things you used to do.
Even though we were down,
they didn’t do that. They still
made solid contact, put the
ball in play, moved mnners
over, chose good pitches -
even though we were down,
we didn’t change the way we
played. We just came up with
a lot of big hits.”
Dalton went 3-for4 on the
day, notching the game-win
ning RBI. Millwood was 2-for-
5 with two RBI, while Nix was
2-for4 with an RBI.
The previous Tuesday, the
Leopards routed the Vikings
7-1 on the road.
Banks County traveled to
West Hall on Tuesday but
details were unavailable at
press time.
Banks County will host the
Spartans for their final reg
ular season double header
on Friday. Game times are 5
p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Pretty... Cont. from IB
when J’Varius Wood scored
on a Lakeview error. Mat
thew Flint and Trey Parr
added two more mns on the
second Lakeview error of
the inning.
Commerce scored anoth
er mn in the third when Cole
Chancey advanced home
on a wild pitch. Trevor John
son notched the only RBI of
the night when he drove in
Wood on a double to right
field in the fifth.
On Monday, the Tigers
traveled to Oglethorpe Coun
ty where they knocked off
the Patriots 9-3.
Commerce took an early
3-0 lead on the bats of Cade
Overstreet and Drew Hulsey.
Overstreet hit a two-run
Managing the mound
Commerce’s Jonanthan Ray pitched a shutout
of Lakeview Academy during the Tigers’ senior
night matchup last Thursday.
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homer in the second, while
Hulsey homered in the third.
A big sixth inning allowed
the Tigers to build a 9-1 lead
as Oglethorpe County’s
pitcher struggled with walks.
Wood drove in three mns
on a single to left field, then
scored on an error. Flint
drove in Johnson on a single
to centerfield as the Tigers
pulled out to an eight-mn
lead.
Oglethorpe mustered two
mns in the seventh, but fell
short of a comeback.
Parr stmek out six, walked
three and allowed one hit in
six innings.
Overstreet and Flint were
both 2-for4.
Commerce will host
Oglethorpe County on
Thursday (5:55 p.m.) before
closing the regular season
with a doubleheader at
Towns County on Friday (5
p.m.).
“St. Mary’s
saved my life.”
Val Vatencic dropped a plate. No big deal. But
when he couldn’t form words to tell his wife
that something was wrong, Bev knew he was
having a stroke. She called 911. St. Mary’s strok
team worked fast to reopen a blocked artery in
his brain. Within days he was back to doing the
things he loves: working in his yard, building
model airplanes and playing golf with friends.
“He’s doing great. I was so
impressed by St. Mary’s!” - Bev
Is it a stroke
Think FAST
Face drooping?
Arm weakness?
Speech difficulty?
Time to call 911!
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