The Mary Persons Bulldogs hosted the Long Co Blue Tide in the First Round of the GHSA AAA Playoffs and the result was a Bulldogs’ sweep 11-1 and 11-0 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The visitors got the scoring started with sac fly in the top of the first in game one to lead 1-0 going into the last of the first.
A Cole Carr rbi single tied the game at one in the last of the first and Nic Arnold would hit a two rbi double to give the host a 3-1 lead and later in inning one, Caden Taylor hit an rbi single to make the score 4-1 MP going into inning two and in the last of the second, Ryan Causey would hit an rbi single to make the score 5-1 and in the last of inning three, Nick Howard would plate run six for the Bulldogs via a Brady Christman bases rounding walk.
In the last of the fourth, Nic Arnold would score on an E8 after a fly ball was hit by Nick Howard to make the score 7-1 in favor of the Black, Gold, and White. The last of the fifth is where Ryan Causey would hit a two-run jack to left center to make the score 9-1 MP and Brady Christman would hit an rbi single to make the score 10-1 in inning six and Ryan Causey hit a fly ball and reached on an E8 that would drive in Tristan Hunt to give the host an 11-1 victory in six innings and lead the series 1-0.
Ryan Causey led the Bulldogs in rbis in game one with three followed by Brady Christman and Nic Arnold with two a piece and Cole Carr and Caden Taylor with one a piece. MP’s SP Cole Carr pitched all six innings and surrendered one earned run on five hits, walking two, and striking out eight in the process.
The Blue Tide’s pitchers combined to allow 11 runs (eight earned) on 14 hits, walking five, and striking out three in the process and Shannon Filkins was responsible for Long Co’s lone rbi of the entire doubleheader.
The Bulldogs were the designated visitors in game two and they would dominate Long Co again but this time, they would record the shutout. Ian Lewis got the scoring started for the Black, Gold, and White with an rbi double to give MP a 1-0 lead and Cole Carr would hit an rbi double to make the score 2-0 in favor of the Bulldogs going into the last of the first.
Nic Arnold would blow game two open for Mary Persons in the top half of the third by hitting a monster grand slam deep to left to make the score 6-0 in favor of the designated visitors and later in inning six, Tristan Hunt would score on a wild pitch to make the score 7-0 Mary Persons and later in the frame, Jake Gore hit a two rbi triple to push the score 9-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.
In the top half of the seventh, Lake Evans plated the Black, Gold, and White’s 10th run via a wild pitch and Ryan Causey would hit an rbi single to make the score 11-0 MP and that would be the final score of game two and give the Bulldogs a series sweep of the Blue Tide to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Nic Arnold led Mary Persons in rbis with four followed by Jake Gore with two, and Ryan Causey, Ian Lewis, and Cole Carr with one a piece. Bulldogs’ SP Jake Grant pitched six innings and surrendered no runs on one hit, walking two, and striking out seven in the process and his reliever Andrew Snow pitched inning seven and he surrendered no runs on no hits, walking none, and striking out one in the process.
The Blue Tide’s pitchers combined to allow 11 earned runs on 14 hits, walking six, and striking out six in the process in game two.
Mary Persons improves to 19-11 overall and will host the Columbus Blue Devils in a doubleheader next Monday in the Sweet Sixteen with the if game being slated for Tuesday while Long Co finishes it’s 2024 season on a five-game losing streak and a 14-11 overall record.
Elsewhere, the Jones Co Greyhounds traveled to play the McIntosh Chiefs in the First Round of the AAAAA Playoffs and the Hounds got swept by losing 5-0 in game one and losing 8-5 in nine innings in game two to end their 2024 season at 16-14 overall while the Chiefs advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
