Whitewater and Northgate advance to AAAA baseball playoffs

Region 3-AAAA is so big (how big is it?) that it is divided into two sub-regions. To make the AAAA state playoffs, you have to be one of the top four teams in your sub-region and then win a playoff game against one of the top four teams from the other side. Our side (3B-AAAA) went three of four in the region playoffs and will send Harris County, Whitewater and Northgate to the AAAA playoffs next week.

Whitewater (19-6) took on Alcovy on Wednesday and swept the Tigers. Evan gresham started the scoring for the Wildcats with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. The Tigers answered at the top of the second with a two run home run deom Bowen Braswell. Alcovy’s pitcher ran into trouble n the bottom of the third, walking four batters in a row. When he walked Whitewater pitcher Daniel Amos, the tying run crossed the plate. Alcovy dodged a big bullet when they got out of the jam after a pop-up and an interference call. The score was knotted at 2-2 until Hunter Bening hit a 2 run walkoff home run with two outs and a full count. That swing gave Whitewater a ton of momentum heading into the next game.

In game two, the Wildcats were the visitors and they wansted no time in jumpng on the Tigers. John Mark Rhodes hit a three run shot in the top of the first and Whitewater never looked back. Gresham added a bases clearing triple in the second and JT Nash drove in Gresham to make the score 7-0. In the fourth, Taylor Turner chipped in two RBIs and Matthew Rhodes added one more. jake Wilkinson added an RBI in the fifth and and Nash scored off an error in the seventh to make it 10-2. Gresham was the winning pitcher in game two, striking out 10 batters, while Nelson pitched three innings in relief and struck out four.

Starr’s Mill (18-7) played at Jones County on Wednesday and lost both games. The Panthers lost game one 8-3 and lost game two 10-2. Chris Chaphe drove in two runs in the first game, while Connor Dillon had one RBI. Ryan Peurifoy and Michael Muska had the RBIs in the second game.

Northgate (14-12) faced the top team from the other side of the region, Union Grove, on the road and won the series 2-1. The Vikings won game one 7-4, lost game two 4-3 and won the deciding game on Thursday 14-7. Jake Hundley earned the win in game three on the mound and also drove in three runs, while Cody Bevil drove in five runs.

Harris County, the top team from our side, took on Woodland, Henry and won 4-3, 11-4.

Region 3-AAAA teams will open the state playoffs against Region 4-AAAA teams, meaning if they are on the road or at home, they will at least be close by. Region 4-AAAA teams in contention for a playoff spot are Lovejoy, Mundy’s Mill, Jonesboro, Creekside and Mt. Zion, Jonesboro. The state baseball playoffs start next Friday.