VHA Plays For Championship

In just their third year of a varsity program the Eagles baseball team of Vidalia Heritage Academy played for the GAPPS State A Championship last Friday against the Patriots of Habersham School out of Savannah. The Eagles had been a scrappy team all year long, but were outmatched in the Championship as they fell in both games of the double header on Friday in the best-of-three series.

Game 1

In the first game the Eagles kept it close early, but a big top of the third was the key for Habersham. Habersham started with two singles in the top of the first inning, and a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third. A ground out then scored the first run of the game to put them on top, 1-0. VHA did get the third out to send the game to the bottom of the first inning.

In the bottom of the first inning JT Cofield led off with a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1. But that was all they could get in the inning, and as it turned out, that would be the only run that they would score in the game.

In the top of the second inning with a runner on base, two wild pitches moved the runner over to third base. A walk put runners at the corners, and a base hit put them on top 2-1 over the Eagles. In the bottom of the second the Eagles went three up, three down.

The top of the third is when the Patriots blew the game open. With two run- continued from page

ners on base a run came in on a chopped to second base. A hit into the gap and a single pushed the lead to 5-1. They added a run on a passed ball, and then a two-run home run made the score 8-1, Habersham.

The Patriots scored six more runs in the top of the fifth inning as they went on top 14-1. Luke Moxley did get a hit in the bottom of the fifth inning, but VHA couldn't plate any runs as they fell by the run rule, 14-1.

Game 2

Heritage were the visitors in the second game of the series. They were held in the top of the first inning, and in the bottom of the inning the Patriots picked up one run to take the early lead on an RBI single, 1- 0. Habersham added three runs in the bottom of the second inning to push their lead to 4-0. They plated one more run in the third inning to lead 5-0. In the top of the fourth inning Cofield and Ledger Curl both got hits, and a fielder's choice moved them to second and third, but a ground out ended the inning.

Habersham scored again in the fourth with a couple of RBI singles, which gave them an 8-0 lead over the Eagles.

Heritage picked up their only run of the game in the top of the fifth inning. With two runners on base, RJ Wells was thrown out trying to steal second, but Jackson Williamson came in to score on the play, which made the score 8-1.

Habersham answered with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to push the lead to 10-1. They added the final run of the game in the sixth inning to take the win by the run rule, 11-1, in six innings.

That win gave the Patriots the State Championship with the Eagles taking runner up. The Eagles finished the year with a 15-7 record. Head Coach Seth Stizman said, “These kids played hard all year long. Going into the season, who would have thought with a bunch of eighth and ninth graders that we would have been playing for the State Championship in just our third year of the program. Can't complain one bit as a coach getting to work with these guys all season long. “Habersham is a very good baseball team. They have been doing things right for several years there. We are going to learn from this, continue to grow, and do the things we need to do to get back to this position. We have a great future here at Heritage.”

Jackson Poole put the ball in play for the Eagles as they battled in the State Championship against Habersham.Photo by Mike Branch