Bulldogs Win 1st Round Series

The Toombs County High School Bulldogs baseball team got off to a good start in the first round of the GHSA State AA Playoffs last week by decisively sweeping the Jordan High Red Jackets in a best-of-three series.

Game 1

Game 1 was a showcase of the Bulldogs’ offensive firepower, led by Brantley Upshaw’s performance at the plate. Upshaw was a juggernaut, driving in a whopping five runs, which included clutch hits that doubled and tripled to bring his teammates home. The rest of the Bulldogs followed suit, piling on the runs to finish the game with a lopsided 16-1 score, setting a dominant tone for the series.

Toombs jumped out to a big lead in the first inning. Jackson Jenkins singled to bring in one run, Jesus Quintero had an RBI single, Tucker Braddy drove in a run, two errors allowed two more runs to score for TCHS, and then Brantley Upshaw doubled in three more runs. Jenkins picked up another single, which plated the final run of the inning as TCHS took a 9-0 lead.

Toombs added three more runs in the second inning to push their lead to 12-0. Jordan picked up a run in the top of the third inning, but four more from the Bulldogs in the bottom of the frame closed the game out by the run rule, 16-1.

Brantley also got the win on the mound as he struck out seven batters over the three innings.

Game 2

Not to be outdone, Game 2 saw the Bulldogs maintain their relentless form. TJ Stanley, pitched a near-perfect game, allowing only one hit over five innings and striking out eight. The team backed him up by swinging hot bats; they put up an eight-run inning right out of the gate. The hitting spree was contagious with contributions from the entire lineup, including Cameron Ledford and Jackson Jenkins, who each scored and batted in runs, while Tyson Brantley and Trayvone Harris provided crucial RBI doubles.

Toombs was on top 8-0 after the first inning and added one more in the second and two in the third as they held an 11-0 lead. Toombs plated two more runs in the fifth inning as they took the win in Game 2, 13-0 in five innings.

With the series win, the Bulldogs move on to the second round of the State Playoffs where they will take on Washington County. Toombs will travel to Washington County on Wednesday of this week for a double header to kick off the best-of-three series. The first game will start at 4:30 p.m. with the second to follow. If necessary, they will play a third game on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Washington County.