Dragons shut out Tallulah Falls on Senior Night
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 22, 2023
Jasper, Ga — It was a great day to celebrate as the Pickens Dragons hosted the Tallulah Falls Indians on Friday, April 21st for Senior Night. Prior to the ball game, the Dragons recognized their 4 Seniors from the 2023 class. Colby Brooks, Evan Giddens, Tee Knight, and Harlan Will were honored for their contributions to the Pickens baseball program. Their parents, threw out the first pitch to their sons to close out the ceremony. The Dragons, picked up their 26th win of the season with a 5-0 shut out of the Indians.
In the top of the first, Dragons starter Tee Knight, worked around a 1-out walk as he got some help from his defense as Connor Shouse picked up a ball that dropped in the outfield and threw a strike to Senior Evan Giddens who tagged out the runner for the 2nd out. Knight, picked up his 1st strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Shouse, Trace Ledbetter, and Dawson Holland all reached on consecutive walks to load the bases.
Senior Harlan Will, drove in Shouse with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 1-0. After a single from Tyler Payne to load the bases again, Trey Payne brought in Ledbetter with an RBI single to make it 2-0. James Tilley, drove in Holland with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 3-0 Dragons going to the second.
In the top of the second, Knight, worked around a lead off single as he got back to back pop ups an his 2nd strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the second, Senior Colby Brooks led off with an infield single. Brooks, advanced to 3rd on a 1-out single by Ledbetter. The Dragons, then pulled off a double steal as Ledbetter stopped halfway to 2nd which allowed Brooks to come in and score to make it 4-0 going to the third.
In the top of the third, after getting a fly out for the 1st out of the frame, Knight would be relieved by Tate Hales. Hales, worked around a 1-out walk to get a fly out and a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the third. In the bottom of the third, Tyler Payne, reached on a 1-out single. Trey Payne, would reach on a fielder’s choice as pitch runner Davin Abernathy would be throw out at 2nd.
The Indians starter, Andrew Skvarka, got out of the bottom of the third with another ground out to send it to the fourth with the Dragons leading, 4-0.
In the top of the fourth, Hales would be relieved by Cason Cannon. Cannon, had an impressive outing as he picked up 2 strikeouts and a fly out on 8 pitches to send it to the bottom of the fourth. In the bottom of the fourth, Giddens, led off with a single. He would advance to 3rd on the play after a 2-base error. Shouse, brought in Giddens with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 5-0 Dragons going to the fifth.
In the top of the fifth, Cannon, continued his fantastic outing as he picked up two more strikeouts and a ground out to short in a clean fifth inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Sam Hammontree, who came in for Tyler Payne, reached on a 2-out single. Hammontree, would advance to 3rd after Trey Payne reached on an error. They would be left stranded and the game would go to the sixth, with the Dragons still leading, 5-0.
In the top of the sixth, JP Nunn came on in relief of Cannon. The Indians, had their first big threat of the game as they loaded the bases with nobody out. Nunn, got out of the jam with back to back strikeouts and a pop up to 1st to send it to the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, Giddens, again led off with a single. After Shouse reached with a 1-out single, Christian Starks, who came on for Holland in the fifth, got on with a 2-out walk to load the bases.
The Indians, were able to get out of their own bases loaded jam to send it to the top of the seventh with the Dragons ahead, 5-0.
Nunn, came back out for the top of the seventh to close things out. Nunn did just that as he had a clean 1-2-3 inning with 2 strikeouts and a ground out to short as the Dragons picked up the win, 5-0.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 1-2 with a single, a walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with a single, a walk, and 1 run scored
Dawson Holland: 1 walk, and 1 run scored
Christian Starks: 1 walk
Harlan Will: 1 RBI
Tyler Payne: 2-2 with 2 singles
Sam Hammontree: 1-1 with a single
Trey Payne: 1-3 with a single and 1 RBI
James Tilley: 1 RBI
Evan Giddens: 2-3 with 2 singles and 1 run scored
Colby Brooks: 1-2 with a single and 1 run scored
Tee Knight: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K on 40 pitches
Tate Hales: .2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K on 19 pitches
Cason Cannon: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, on 25 pitches
JP Nunn: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 HBP, 4 K, on 27 pitches
The Dragons, finish the regular season at 26-4 overall and 7-AAA region champions. Next up for the Dragons, a first round best of 3 series with the Hart County Bulldogs in the GHSA 3A State Baseball Tournament. The Bulldogs, are the #4 seed out of region 8. The best of 3 series begins on Monday, April 24th with a doubleheader at Dunn Field. First pitch for game 1 is set for 5:00 pm.
Dragons defeat Shiloh in non-region action
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 19, 2023
Snellvelle, Ga — What a warm day for baseball it was on Wednesday, April 19th as the Pickens Dragons made the trip down to Snellville to take on the Shiloh Generals in non-region action. The Generals, are out of region 8 in the 6A classification. The bats for the Dragons, were just as hot as the weather as they scored 10 runs in the 4th in route to a 13-2 win in 5 innings.
In the top of the first, Trace Ledbetter reached by drawing a 1-out walk. He would be left stranded as Generals starter Rodney Mudd, got a fly out and a ground out to go along with a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the first. In the bottom of the frame, Dragons starter Trey Payne, worked around DuShawn Andrews reaching on a dropped 3rd strike, and Nicholas Johnson getting hit by a pitch with 1-out, as he picked up his 1st strikeout and a ground out.
Going to the top of the second, the Dragons and Generals were tied up at 0.
In the top of the second, Dawson Holland led off with a single. He then advanced to 2nd on an error. Freshman Kam Jenkins, drove him in with an RBI single to make it 1-0 Dragons. After a 2-out single by Senior Young Harris commit Evan Giddens reached with a single, Colby Brooks would bring Jenkins in on the fielder’s choice to make it 2-0 Dragons going to the bottom of the second.
In the bottom of the second, Anthony Vu led off with a single. Vu, would advance to 2nd after a sacrifice bunt from Malcolm Robinson. David Johnson, drove in Vu with an RBI double to cut the Dragons lead down to 2-1. Jaden Mercedes, would move Johnson over to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt. Johnson, would come in to score on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2 going to the top of the third.
In the top of the third, the Dragons tried to get a little 2-out rally going as Holland would draw a full count walk, and Jenkins would get hit with a pitch on a 3-0 count. Mudd, got a pop up to 2nd for the third out to send it to the bottom half of the inning. In the bottom of the third, Trey Payne, worked around a lead off single by Andrews as he picked up 2 strikeouts and a ground out to send it to the fourth inning still tied at 2.
In the top of the fourth, the Dragons, broke the game open as they plated 10 runs on 6 hits, 3 walks, a balk, and a passed ball to lead it 12-2 going to the bottom of the fourth. In the bottom of the fourth, Prep Baseball Georgia Player of the Week James Tilley, came on in relief of Trey Payne and picked up a 1-2-3 inning with a ground out, a strikeout, and a pop up to send it to the fifth with the Dragons leading, 12-2.
In the top of the fifth, Holland and Tilley both reached on 1-out walks. Giddens, drove in Holland with an RBI single to make it 13-2 Dragons going to the bottom of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Junior Ga Tech commit Connor Shouse, came on in relief of Tilley. Shouse, worked around a 1-out hit batter as he struck out 2 and induced a ground out as the Dragons defeat the Generals, 13-2 in 5 innings.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 2-4 with a single, a double, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored & 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 K on 13 pitches
Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with a single, a walk, and 1 run scored
Trey Payne: 1-4 with 1 single, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored & 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 3 K on 40 pitches
Harlan Will: 1 walk and 1 run scored
Dawson Holland: 2-2 with 2 singles, 2 walks, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored
Kam Jenkins: 1-1 with 1 single, 1 HBP, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Tyler Payne: 1 walk and 1 run scored
Christian Starks: 1 walk and 1 run scored
James Tilley: 1 walk & 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K on 7 pitches
Evan Giddens: 3-3 with 3 singles, 1 HBP, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored
Colby Brooks: 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
The Dragons, will be back home on Friday, April 21st as they will host the Tallulah Falls Indians at Dunn Field for Senior Night. It will be the final game of the 2023 regular season. The first pitch is set for 5:30 pm.
Dragons open series with big win against Dawson
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 5, 2023
Jasper, Ga — It was another beautiful day for high school baseball as the Pickens Dragons welcomed the Dawson Tigers to Dunn Field on Tuesday, March 4th for game 1 of 3 in 7-AAA. Coming into the game, the Dragons, were in 1st place in 7-AAA and had won 12 games in a row. For the Tigers, they came into the game in 3rd place in 7-AAA having taken 2 out of 3 from Lumpkin last week. The Dragons, got some great hitting and some clutch pitching down the stretch to take game 1, 5-3.
In the top of the first, Dragons starter Connor Shouse, sat the Tigers down in order with a fly out, a ground out, and a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Shouse led off with a double. Trace Ledbetter, followed that up with a single. Trey Payne, brought in Shouse with the RBI ground out to make it 1-0 Dragons going to the second.
In the top of the second, Shouse got 2 quick outs with a pop up to 2nd and strikeout. The Tigers, got their first base runner of the game after being hit with a pitch. Shouse, got out of the top of the second on the very next pitch with a fly out to center. In the bottom of the second, James Tilley led off by drawing a walk. Christian Starks, then moved him over with a sacrifice bunt. Evan Giddens, drove in Tilley with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 2-0 Dragons.
Colby Brooks, kept the inning going by reaching on a bunt single. He would then find himself in scoring position after stealing 2nd base. Tiger starter Trey Harvey, got out of the second as he induced a grounder to 3rd for the final out. Going to the third, the Dragons led the Tigers, 2-0.
In the top of the third, the Tigers picked up their first hit of the game with a 1-out single. After Shouse struck out his 4th batter of the game, the Tigers got another base runner after a hit by pitch. Shouse, picked up his 5th K of the game as he ended up striking out the side in the top of the third. In the bottom half of the inning, Trey Payne reached with a 1-out single. He then made it all the way to 3rd after a throwing error on a pick off attempt.
Tyler Payne, then brought in Trey Payne with the RBI ground out to make it 3-0 Dragons going to the top of the fourth.
In the top of the fourth, the Tigers led off with back to back singles. The 6th strikeout from Shouse was the first out of the inning. A wild pitch brought the Tigers first run of the game to make it 3-1 Dragons. A sacrifice fly RBI to center brought in the Tigers 2nd run of the inning to make it 3-2. The Dragons, got out of the inning with a ground out. Going to the bottom of the fourth, it was now 3-2 Dragons.
In the bottom of the fourth, Tilley led off by reaching on an error. Starks, followed that up by reaching on a single on the very next pitch. Giddens, laid down a great sacrifice bunt to move them over to 2nd and 3rd. Harvey, then got Brooks to pop out for the 2nd out. The Tigers, then chose to intentionally walk Shouse to load the bases. The Tigers, got out of the jam with a grounder to 1st. Going to the fifth, it was still 3-2 Dragons.
In the top of the fifth, the lead off man for the Tigers reached on a single. Shouse, who was still on the mound, forced a grounder that went to shortstop A.J. Rice, who took it himself to 2nd and then fired to 1st base for the double play. Shouse, then got a fly out to right on the next pitch to send it to the bottom of the frame. Trey Payne, led off the bottom of the fifth with his 2nd single of the game. The Tigers, then got a double play of their own for the 1st and 2nd out.
Kam Jenkins, kept the inning alive for the Dragons with a 2-out single. Tilley, drew his 2nd walk of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. The Tigers, got a grounder to 3rd for the third out of the frame. Going to the sixth, the Dragons were still holding on to a 3-2 lead.
In the top of the sixth, the Tigers had batters hit with back to back pitches to begin the inning. JP Nunn, then came on in relief of Shouse to try to keep the Dragons in the lead. Nunn, picked up a strikeout, then got a come backer and the out at 2nd for the second out, then a fly out to right for the 3rd out and to keep the lead intact for the Dragons. In the bottom of the sixth, Giddens, reached on a lead off full count walk.
Brooks, then moved Giddens over with a sacrifice bunt. Shouse, was then rung up on a pitch that looked to be outside for the 2nd out. Ledbetter, was then hit by a pitch to keep the inning alive. Tee Knight, then came in to run for Ledbetter and he and Giddens advanced after a passed ball. Trey Payne, came up with a massive hit for the Dragons as he drove in both Giddens and Knight with the 2-RBI single to make it 5-2 going to the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, the Tigers got their lead off man on with a single. After a long at bat, the Tigers picked up a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. The Tigers, followed those up with a single to load the bases with no outs. A grounder to 2nd led to a run scoring for Dawson making it 5-3. After Nunn picked up his 2nd K for the second out, the Tigers would again load the bases after a hit by pitch.
With the bases loaded, 2-outs, and his team up by 2 runs, Nunn locked in and picked up the 3rd and final out of the game with a strikeout on 3 pitches to preserve the 5-3 win for the Dragons.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 1-3 with a double, 1 walk, and 1 run scored & 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 HBP, 6 K on 77 pitches
Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with a single, and 1 hit by pitch
Trey Payne: 3-4 with 3 singles, 3 RBI, and 1 run scored
Tyler Payne: 1 RBI
Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with a single
James Tilley: 2 walks and 1 run scored
Christian Starks: 1-2 with a single and a sacrifice bunt
Evan Giddens: sacrifice fly, sacrifice bunt, 1 walk, 1 RBI and 1 run scored
Colby Brooks: 1-2 with a single, and a sacrifice bunt
JP Nunn: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 K on 30 pitches
Tee Knight: 1 run scored
The Dragons, will be back on the ball field on Wednesday, April 5th as they head to Dawsonville to take on the Dawson Tigers in game 2 of the series. First pitch is set for 5:55 pm.
Dragons defeat Bobcats to push win streak to 10 games
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 29, 2023
Ellijay, Ga — It was a nice but windy day on Tuesday, March 28th as the Pickens Dragons traveled the short distance up to Ellijay for game 1 of their 3-game region series against their 515 rival, the Gilmer Bobcats. Coming into the game, the Dragons were riding a 9 game win streak and were tied atop the 7-AAA Standings with Lumpkin. The Bobcats, came into the game looking to break a bad string of luck and to pick up their first region win. The Dragons, piled up 15 K’s as a team continued their winning ways with a 7-1 victory.
In the top of the first, the Dragons wasted no time getting on the board as Ga Tech commit Connor Shouse, worked a full count and then sent a baseball over the left field wall to give Pickens the 1-0 lead. Harlan Will, reached on a 2-out walk, but the Bobcats starter Ethan McCollum, got out of the top half of the first only allowing the 1 run. In the bottom of the first, Austin Zabala led off by drawing a walk.
Shouse, the starter for the Dragons, settled down and got a grounder to 3rd base, and 2 strikeouts to send it to the top of the second with Pickens leading, 1-0.
In the top of the second, James Tilley reached after drawing a full count walk. Colby Brooks, then reached on a bunt single with 2-outs. Shouse, followed that up by drawing a walk to load the bases. McCollum, again was able to avoid the scoring threat and send it to the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the frame, the Bobcats, got a 1-out walk, and a 2-out walk. Shouse, was able to work around those pair of walks to send it to the third with the Dragons up, 1-0.
In the top of the third, Dawson Holland led off by reaching on an error. Will, followed up with a single. Holland, came in to score after a single by Trey Payne to make it 2-0. Kam Jenkins, reached after a dropped 3rd strike. Tilley, brought in pitch runner Ezra Faber with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 3-0 Dragons going to the bottom of the third. In the bottom of the third, Shouse, had his cleanest inning of the game as he picked up 2 K’s and a grounder on 8 pitches.
Going to the top of the fourth, the Dragons now led the Bobcats, 3-0.
In the top of the fourth, Shouse led off by drawing his 2nd walk of the game. He then stole 2nd base to put himself in scoring position for Trace Ledbetter. Ledbetter, drove in Shouse with an RBI double to make it 4-0 Dragons. Holland, followed that up by reaching on an error. Tyler Payne, pitch hitting for Will, drove in Ledbetter with a grounder to make it 5-0. Holland, would come around to score as Jenkins reached on a 2-out single and Tilley drew a full count walk.
In the bottom of the fourth, Shouse picked up his 2nd consecutive 1-2-3 inning as he struck out the side on 11 pitches to send it to the top of the fifth with the Dragons leading the Bobcats, 6-0.
In the top of the fifth, Brooks led off with his 2nd hit of the game. Brooks, then advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch. After the Bobcats got Shouse out on a fly out, they would get Brooks out in a rundown for the 2nd out. Hayden Berry, who came on in relief of McCollum, got a come backer for the 3rd and final out of the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Shouse, finished his outing off strong with 2 more K’s and a grounder to send it to the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, Haden West, who came on in relief of Berry, picked up the Bobcats first 1-2-3 inning as he got 2 grounders and a pop up to send it to the bottom of the inning with the Dragons leading 6-0. Cason Cannon, came on in relief of Shouse in the bottom of the sixth and he was impressive in his 1 inning of work. Cannon, picked up 2 K’s and a pop up to send it to the seventh, with Pickens leading Gilmer, 6-0.
In the top of the seventh, Christian Starks, pitch hitting for Tilley, reached on an error. Sam Hammontree, pitch hitting for Evan Giddens, followed up with a single. Brooks, reached on a 4-pitch walk to load the bases. Shouse, now at shortstop, hit a deep fly ball into the outfield that would bring in Starks to make it 7-0 Dragons going to the bottom of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Bobcats got a lead off walk. The Bobcats then got back to back 1-out walks to load the bases. Gilmer, picked up their first hit and their first run after a single to make it 7-1. JP Nunn, who came on in relief of Cannon, got back to back strikeouts to preserve the 7-1 win for the Dragons.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 1-3 with a solo home run, 2 walks, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, & 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K on 77 pitches
Trace Ledbetter: 1-5 with a double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Dawson Holland: 2 runs scored
Harlan Will: 1-1 with a single and a walk
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
Tyler Payne: 1 RBI
Trey Payne: 1-4 with a single
Kam Jenkins: 1-4 with a single
James Tilley: 2 walks, 1 RBI
Christian Starks: 1 run scored
Sam Hammontree: 1-1 with a single
Colby Brooks: 2-3 with 2 singles, and 1 walk
Cason Cannon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K on 13 pitches
JP Nunn: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K on 34 pitches
The Dragons, got a little bit of help from the Dawson Tigers as they defeated the Lumpkin Indians in the first game of their series. With that Lumpkin loss, the Dragons are now in sole possession of 1st place in 7-AAA. Pickens, will be back home on Thursday, March 30th as they will host the Gilmer Bobcats for game 2 of their 3-game series. First pitch is set for 5:55 pm.
Dragons sweep home and home series with Rebels
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 21, 2023
Jasper, Ga — It was a cold, but beautiful day for baseball as the Pickens Dragons began a busy week by hosting the Fannin County Rebels on Monday, March 20th. This game, was the 2nd game of a home and home series. Prior to the game, Dragons all-time home run leader Jake King, added to his record with a big shot. Offensively, the Dragons got a big scoring outburst to pick up the 12-2 victory in 6 innings for their 6th straight win.
In the top of the first, Dragons starter Trey Payne, sat the Rebels down in order as he got a pop up to 2nd, a fly out to left field, and a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Ga Tech baseball commit Connor Shouse, led off with a single. He’d then take 2nd after a passed ball. After a single by Trace Ledbetter, Shouse would score on the errant throw and Ledbetter would make it all the way to 3rd on the throw as the Dragons took a 1-0 lead.
Dawson Holland, then drove in Ledbetter with the RBI to make it 2-0. Harlan Will, reached on a 2-out single, then Trey Payne followed by reaching on an error. They would then reach 2nd and 3rd after a wild pitch. The Rebels, were able to get out of the long inning with just the 2 runs allowed to send it to the top of the second.
In the top of the second, Trey Payne got out of the top half of the inning with 13 pitches to bring the Dragons bats back up. In the bottom of the second, James Tilley, led off with a full count walk. Young Harris baseball commit Evan Giddens, followed that up with a single. A fly out by Shouse moved Tilley and Giddens over to 2nd and 3rd. Ledbetter, brought in Tilley with an RBI ground out to make it 3-0.
Giddens, who moved over to 3rd, scored on an RBI single by Holland to make it 4-0. Tyler Payne, kept the inning going by reaching on an error. The Rebels, got out of the inning with a grounder to 3rd and as they headed to the third, the Dragons led the Rebels, 4-0.
Trey Payne, continued building on his good start to the game as he would strike out the side in the top half of the third. In the bottom of the third, freshman Christian Starks reached on a 1-out single. Giddens, would bring him in on a 2-out RBI single to make it 5-0. Shouse, kept the inning going with a double to move Giddens to 3rd. A fly out ended the inning and they’d go to the fourth with the Dragons leading, 5-0.
In the top of the fourth, the Rebels broke through. Fannin, plated a run on 3 hits and a walk to cut the Dragons lead down to 5-1. In the bottom of the fourth, the Dragons got a 1-out single from Tyler Payne, a walk from Will, and an RBI single from Trey Payne that scored courtesy runner Tee Knight. Starks, was then hit by a pitch to reach 1st. Tilley, knocked in Will and Trey Payne with a 2-RBI double to make it 8-0 Dragons.
Giddens, brought in Starks with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 9-0. Shouse, then sent one over the center field wall for the 2-run home run to make it 11-1 going to the fifth inning.
In the top of the fifth, the Rebels got a run on 3 hits and a hit by pitch to make it 11-2. In the bottom of the fifth, Holland led off with a walk. The Rebels, were able to get a double play and a fly out to send it to the sixth inning with the Dragons now leading, 11-2.
In the top of the sixth, Tee Knight came on in relief of Tate Hales and pitched really well in his one inning of work. Knight, needed just 7 pitches to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Starks reached on a 1-out error. Bradley Prince, who pitched hit for Tilley, followed by reaching on a walk. Giddens, then loaded the bases with a single. Shouse, ended the game with a single that brought in Starks to give the Dragons the 12-2 win in 6 innings.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 4-5 with 2 singles, a double, a home run, 2 RBI, & 2 runs scored
Trace Ledbetter: 1-4 with a single, 1 RBI, & 1 run scored
Dawson Holland: 1-3 with a single, a walk, & 2 RBI
Tyler Payne: 1-4 with a single
Harlan Will: 1-3 with a single, a walk, & 1 run scored
Trey Payne: 1-4 with a single, 1 RBI, & 1 run scored
Christian Starks: 1-3 with a single, 1 hit by pitch, & 3 runs scored
James Tilley: 1-2 with 1 double, 1 walk, & 2 runs scored
Evan Giddens: 3-3 with 3 singles, 1 sacrifice fly, 2 RBI, & 1 run scored
Tee Knight: 1 run scored
Bradley Prince: 1 walk
The Dragons, will be right back on the turf diamond this afternoon as they begin their 3rd 7-AAA series as they host the West Hall Spartans at Dunn Field for game 1 of the 3-game set. The Dragons, will look to keep pace with Lumpkin and Dawson and stay atop the region standings. First pitch is set for 5:55 pm.
Dragons even series with Wesleyan after complete game from Tilley
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 8, 2023
Norcross, Ga — On Wednesday, March 8th, the Pickens Dragons traveled to Norcross to take on the Wesleyan Wolves in game 2 of a 3 game series. The Wolves, took game 1 of the series on Tuesday, March 7th in Jasper by a score of 6-1. The Dragons, got a monster performance from James Tilley as they evened up the series with a 4-3 win.
In the top of the first, Connor Shouse would lead off with a walk. The Wolves, would then induce a ground ball double play. Cade Sutton, kept the inning alive with a 2-out double. Sutton, would be left stranded at 2nd as they went to the bottom of the first scoreless. In the bottom of the frame, Wesleyan’s lead off man reached after a dropped 3rd strike. After a fielder’s choice and a wild pitch, the Wolves had a runner on 2nd with 1-out. The Wolves then drew a 1-out walk.
Wesleyan, then executed a double steal to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Dragons starter James Tilley, got a line out to 2nd and a strikeout to leave the runners stranded and send it to the top of the second still scoreless.
In the top of the second, Dawson Holland would lead off by drawing a walk on a full count. Holland, would then be thrown out trying to steal 2nd. Trey Payne, then smacked a solo home run over the left field fence to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead going to the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the inning, the Wolves lead off man reached on an error. He would be thrown out trying to steal 2nd. Tilley then got a strikeout and a fly out to get out of the inning. Going to the third, the Dragons led, 1-0.
In the top of the third, Evan Giddens led off with a single. Trace Ledbetter, then drew a 1-out walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. They would advance to 2nd and 3rd on a wild pitch. The Wolves, were able to get out of the jam with a pop out and a strikeout. In the bottom of the third, the Wolves got a 1-out double. The runner would advance on a throwing error on the same play. A sacrifice fly to right field brought the runner in to tie it at 1 going to the top of the fourth.
In the top of the fourth, Holland, led off with a single. Trey Payne followed it up with a single of his own. Christian Starks, moved them over to 2nd and 3rd with a sacrifice bunt. Holland, would then come in to score on a wild pitch to make it 2-1 Dragons. Trey Payne, would be left stranded at 3rd as the Wolves got a strikeout and a ground out to send it to the bottom of the fourth.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Wolves got a lead off home run to tie things up at 2. After Tilley got back to back ground outs, the Wolves would hit a 2nd solo home run to take a 3-2 lead going to the top of the fifth.
In the top of the fifth, Shouse led off by reaching on an error. Ledbetter, followed up with a single to center that moved Shouse over to 3rd. Ledbetter would advance to 2nd on an error. Sutton, followed with a single that brought in both Shouse and Ledbetter to give the Dragons a 4-3 lead going to the bottom of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, the Wolves went down in order on 8 pitches. Going to the sixth, the Dragons now led the Wolves, 4-3.
In the top of the sixth, the Dragons got a 2-out single by Giddens, but that would be all as we’d head to the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, the Wolves got a 2-out double, but that would be all that Tilley allowed as he ended the inning with his 6th K. Going to the seventh, the Dragons held a 4-3 lead over the Wolves.
In the top of the seventh, the Dragons got a 1-out walk by Sutton, and a 2-out hit by Holland. They would be left stranded as they went to the bottom of the frame. In the bottom of the seventh, Tilley finished what he started as he collected 2 K’s and a grounder to 1st base to give the Dragons the 4-3 win.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 1 walk and 1 run scored
Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with a walk, 1 single, and 1 run scored
Cade Sutton: 2-3 with a double, a single, a walk, and 1 RBI
Dawson Holland: 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 walk, and 1 run scored
Trey Payne: 2-4 with a home run, a single, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Christian Starks: 1 sacrifice bunt
Evan Giddens: 2-3 with 2 singles
James Tilley: 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 8 K on 100 pitches
After splitting the first two games of the series, it comes down to the third and final game as both teams will meet one more time. Game three, will be back in Jasper on Thursday, March 9th. First pitch is set for 5:55 pm.
Dragons lose heart breaker to 7A Hillgrove
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports February 24, 2023
Jasper, Ga — It was a rain filled afternoon on Thursday, February 23rd as the Pickens Dragons took on the Hillgrove Hawks out of the 7A classification as part of the Pickens Mountain Classic. After having to deal with two rain delays, the game was able to be played all the way through. Fans were treated to a good one as it came down to the very last out. The Hawks, were able to hold off a late rally by the Dragons and pick up a 6-5 win.
In the top of the first, the Hawks got on base with a lead off double. The runner, would then steal 3rd, and score on a wild pitch to put Hillgrove up 1-0. Dragons starter Connor Shouse, was then able to work around a pair of walks as he struck out the side to keep the Hawks from adding on. In the bottom of the first, Shouse led off by drawing a walk. He then took 2nd as the Dragons now had a runner in scoring position. Then, the rain came.
After about a 40 minute rain delay, the game was back underway. Dawson Holland, who was up when the delay started, drew a 1-out walk. Tyler Payne, flew out to right for the second out. The bottom of the first ended with the Hawks tagging Shouse at the plate to keep it 1-0 Hillgrove going to the top of the second.
In the top of the second, the Dragons made a pitching change after Shouse and the rest of the team had to sit for 40 minutes. Enter James Tilley, who competed with the Dragons basketball team in the first round of the 3A State Tournament at Monroe Area on Wednesday. In his first inning of work, Tilley collected 2 strikeouts, and Tyler Payne threw a runner out attempting to steal 2nd to send it to the bottom half of the second inning.
In the bottom of the second, Harlan Will led off by being hit with a pitch. Trey Payne then followed that up with the Dragons first hit of the game. After Cade Sutton bunted the runners over, Evan Giddens drew a walk to load the bases. The Hawks, were able to escape the danger and get two straight fly outs to keep it 1-0 going to the top of the third.
In the top of the third, Tilley, continued the good work in his first appearance of the season as he struck out the side in between giving up a single and a walk.. The Dragons, would go down in order in the bottom half of the third. Going to the top of the fourth, Hillgrove still led Pickens, 1-0.
In the top of the fourth, Tilley gave up a 2-out double, but that would be it for the Hawks. Tilley picked up his 6th and 7th strikeout in his 3rd inning of work to keep the Hawks lead at 1-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Cade Sutton would be hit by a pitch with 2 outs, but he would be left stranded at 1st. Going to the fifth, the Hawks still maintained that slim 1-0 lead over the Dragons.
In the top of the fifth, the Hawks extended their lead as they were able to plate a run to make it 2-0. In the bottom half of the fifth, the Dragons were finally able to break through. After a 1-out double by Shouse and a 2-out walk by Holland, Tyler Payne brought in Shouse with an RBI single to make it 2-1. Sam Hammontree, who came on to hit for Will, reached on an error. That error, allowed Holland to come in and score to tie things up at 2 going to the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, the Hawks were able to take the lead right back as they scored 4 runs to take a 6-2 lead over the Dragons. In the bottom of the sixth, the Dragons would cut that lead down to 6-3 as Sutton came in to score after Trace Ledbetter reached on an error. Going to the seventh, Hillgrove led Pickens, 6-3.
In the top of the seventh, the Dragons, now on their 6th pitcher of the game, turned to Freshman Christian Starks to keep the deficit at 3. That is exactly what Starks did as he kept them scoreless on just 12 pitches. In the bottom of the seventh, Harlan Will, who checked back into the game, drew a 1-out walk. Sutton, then kept the game alive with a 2-out double. Giddens, was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kam Jenkins, who came on to pitch hit for Colby Brooks, also got hit with a pitch to bring in pitch runner Tee Knight to make it 6-4.
Shouse, on an 0-2 count, would then also be hit by a pitch to bring in Sutton to make it 6-5. The Hawks, were able to get the final out and escape the bases loaded jam with the 6-5 win.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 1-3 with a walk, a double, 1 RBI, & 1 run scored
Dawson Holland: 2 walks, & 1 run scored
Tyler Payne: 1-4 with a single, & 1 RBI
Harlan Will: 1 hit by pitch, & 1 walk
Trey Payne: 1-4 with a single
Cade Sutton: 1-1 with a sacrifice bunt, 1 hit by pitch, 1 walk, 1 double, & 2 runs scored
Evan Giddens: 2 walks, & 1 hit by pitch
Kam Jenkins: 1 hit by pitch, & 1 RBI
Tee Knight: 1 run scored