Dawson Holland Archives - PickensPickens

Dragons defeat Shiloh on Senior Night

Jasper, Ga — The rain held off long enough for there to be high school baseball on Wednesday, April 17th as the Pickens Dragons hosted the Shiloh Generals for Senior Night. Coming into the game, the Dragons were 24-4 overall, 17-1 in 7-AAA, and ranked #2 in AAA. The Generals, came into the game 5-19 overall, and 1-15 in 6-AAAAAA Sub-Region B. In something you don’t see everyday, the Dragons drew more walks (14) than they had hits (6) in their 11-1 win.

In the top of the first, Senior starter for the Dragons, James Tilley, needed just 8 pitches to get out of the inning as he picked up his 1st strikeout, and two ground outs. In the bottom of the frame, Senior Connor Shouse, Senior Trey Payne, and Cade Sutton, drew three straight walks to load the bases with no one out. Kam Jenkins, would drive in Shouse with an RBI ground out to make it 1-0 Dragons.

Senior Trace Ledbetter, would then reach on an error as both Trey Payne and Sutton would come in to score to make it 3-0. After Christian Starks and Senior Tyler Payne drew back to back walks to load the bases once again, Dawson Holland would bring in Ledbetter by drawing a walk on a full count to make it 4-0 Dragons, The Generals, would get out of the first by getting a double play. Going to the second, Pickens led Shiloh, 4-0.

In the top of the second, Tilley, tossed a scoreless inning as he forced a ground out, and picked up two more strike outs to send it to the bottom half of the inning. In the bottom of the second, Shouse, would reach by getting hit with a pitch. He would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. A single by Trey Payne, would put runners at the corners with nobody out. Sutton, would then draw his 2nd walk to load the bases.

Jenkins, would drive in Shouse with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 5-o Dragons. Ledbetter, would then draw a walk to load the bases with 1-out. Trey Payne, would come in to score after a wild pitch to make it 6-0. Starks, would bring in Sutton with an RBI ground out to make it 7-0. The Generals, would get out of the second with a fly out. Going to the third, Pickens led Shiloh, 7-0.

In the top of the third, the Generals, would have their first base runner of the game as Nathan Miller would reach after an error. Miller, would then be thrown out trying to steal 2nd. Tilley and the Dragons, would get out of the third after a ground out. In the bottom of the third, Holland would lead off with a single. Shouse, would reach base for a 3rd time with a 1-out single to put runners at 1st and 2nd.

Trey Payne, would reach on a fielder’s choice as Holland would advance to 3rd, while Shouse would be forced out at 2nd. The Generals, would force a pop up to center for the third out. Going to the fourth, Pickens still led Shiloh, 7-0.

Senior Tate Hales came on in relief of Tilley in the top of the fourth. Anthony Vu, would look to get things going for the Generals as he led off with their first hit of the game. His courtesy runner, Brayden Brown, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Brown, would then steal 3rd. Traden Davis, would then draw a walk to put runners at the corners with nobody out.

Davis, would be thrown out by Jenkins as he tried to steal 2nd. Kendrick Green, would then draw a walk on a full count to put runners at 1st and 3rd with 1-out. Green, would advance to 2nd after a wild pitch. Brown, would come in to score on a wild pitch to make it 7-1. Green, would advance to 3rd on the same pitch. Hales and the Dragons, would get out of the 3rd after a pop up to 1st and a ground out to send it to the bottom of the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Ledbetter, would reach for the 3rd time as he drew his 2nd walk of the game with 1-out. Tyler Payne, would keep the inning going with a double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2-out. The Generals, were able to force a fly out to get out of the fourth without any damage done. Going to the fifth, Pickens led Shiloh, 7-1.

Senior Cason Cannon, came on in relief of Hales in the top of the fifth. Cannon, would get the Generals in order as he picked up a ground out and two strikeouts. Going to the bottom of the inning, it remained 7-1 Pickens. In the bottom of the fifth, A.J. Rice, would lead off by reaching on a single. He would advance to 2nd on an error. After a fly out, Trey Payne and Sutton would both be hit by pitches to load the bases with 1-out.

Ledbetter, would come through for the Dragons as he drove in Rice and Payne with a 2-RBI single to make it 9-1. Sutton would advance to 3rd on the hit. Ledbetter, would move up to 2nd on a passed ball to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. The Generals, would force a pop out to send it to the sixth with Pickens leading Shiloh, 9-1.

Senior Brodie Keener came on in relief of Cannon in the top of the sixth. Keener, would work a scoreless frame with a strikeout, a pop out, and a ground out to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Tyler Payne would lead off by drawing a walk on a full count. Daven Abernathy, would come in to pitch run for Tyler as he came out of the ball game to a nice ovation from the crowd.

Kyle Grno, who came on as a defensive substitution for Holland in the top of the inning, stayed in the game to hit and drew a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Jennings Allen, who came on to pitch hit for Rice, also drew a walk to load the bases. Coleman Keener, who came on as a defensive substitution for Shouse in the top of the inning, would bring in Abernathy after drawing a bases loaded walk to make it 10-1 Dragons.

Sam Dart, who came on as a defensive substitution for Trey Payne in the top of the sixth, would draw a walk on a full count to bring in Grno as the Dragons would get the win on Senior Night, 11-1.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, 1 steal, and 2 runs scored

Trey Payne: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, and 3 runs scored

Cade Sutton: 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, and 2 runs scored

Kam Jenkins: 2 RBI

Trace Ledbetter: 1-2 with 1 single, 2 walks, 1 run scored, and 4 RBI

Christian Starks: 1 walk, and 1 RBI

Tyler Payne: 1-2 with 1 double, and 2 walks

Dawson Holland: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, and 1 RBI

A.J. Rice: 1-3 with 1 single, and 1 run scored

Coleman Keener: 1 walk and 1 RBI

Sam Dart: 1 walk and 1 RBI

Kyle Grno: 1 walk and 1 run scored

Daven Abernathy: 1 run scored

Jennings Allen: 1 walk

James Tilley: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K on 36 pitches

Tate Hales: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB on 24 pitches

Cason Cannon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K on 16 pitches

Brodie Keener: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K on 15 pitches

While it was Senior Night on Wednesday, April 17th, the Dragons will be right back on the turf of Dunn Field on Thursday, April 18th as they take on the Dominion Christian Knights in the final game before the 3A State Tournament. First pitch is set for 5:30 pm.

Dragons drop non-region game to 7A #10 Carrollton

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 16, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Carrollton, GA — On Monday, April 15th, the Pickens Dragons headed down to Carrollton to take on the Trojans in a very intriguing late regular season ball game. Coming into the game, the Dragons, were ranked #1 or #2 in AAA, (depending on the site), 23-4 overall, 17-1 in 7-AAA, and riding a 15-game win streak. The Trojans, came into the game ranked 10th in 7A, 17-8 overall, and 6-3 in 7-AAAAAAA. The game lived up to the billing as it would be the home team getting the win in the final inning, 5-4.

In the top of the first, Connor Shouse got things going for the Dragons as he led off by being hit with a pitch. Trey Payne, would then reach on a fielder’s choice as he was able to beat out a double play. Payne, would move over to 2nd after Cade Sutton grounded out to short. The Trojans, would get out of the top of the first two send it to the bottom of the frame.

In the bottom of the first, Shouse, started off the inning by recording a strikeout for the first out. Landon Eubanks, would reach with a 1-out single. Eubanks, would advance to 3rd on a single by Bryce Kingeter. Kingeter, would be thrown out at 2nd trying to stretch that single into a double. Kaleb Binion, would bring in Eubanks with an RBI single to make it 1-0 Trojans.

Jordan White, would keep the inning going for the Trojans as he reached with a 2-out single. Binion would advance to 3rd on the hit. Shouse, would be able to limit the damage to just the one run as he struck out his 2nd batter of the inning to send it to the second with Carrollton leading Pickens, 1-0.

In the top of the second, Trace Ledbetter would reach with 1-out after being hit with a pitch. Ledbetter would then advance to 2nd as Dawson Holland grounded out to short. The Trojans, again would get out of a potential jam to send it to the bottom of the second. In the bottom half of the second, Shouse, had a nice bounce back as he forced two ground outs and a line out on 10 pitches to send it to the third with Carrollton still leading Pickens, 1-0.

In the top of the third, Shouse, would look to start a rally as he would draw a 2-out walk to reach base. Trey Payne, would follow that up by drawing a walk himself to put runners at 1st and 2nd. The Trojans, would pick up a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the third, Shouse, picked up his 3rd K and a ground out for the first two outs of the frame.

Kingeter, would then reach base on a 2-out single. Kingeter, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Shouse, would get out of the third with his 4th strikeout to send it to the fourth with Carrollton leading Pickens, 1-0.

In the top of the fourth, Ledbetter, would reach on an error with 1-out. Holland, would then break up the no hitter as he reached with a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd. The Trojans, would pick up a strikeout and a ground out to keep the Dragons scoreless. Going to the bottom of the fourth, Carrollton still led it, 1-0. In the bottom of the fourth, White, would lead off with a single.

White, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. After Shouse picked up his 5th strikeout, the Dragons defense would come up with a big play as Holland would catch a fly ball in right field, then fire back to 2nd to double up White to send it to the fifth with Carrollton leading, 1-0.

In the top of the fifth, Shouse, would reach base for a third time as he would be hit with a pitch for the 2nd time. Sutton, would draw a walk with 2-outs to reach 1st. The Dragons, would tie the ball game up after Shouse and Sutton executed a double steal as Sutton took 2nd, and Shouse swiped home. Kam Jenkins, would keep the inning going as he reached on an error to put runners at 1st and 3rd with 2-outs.

The Trojans, would get out of the top of the fifth with just the one run given up. Going to the bottom of the inning, Pickens and Carrollton were tied at 1. In the bottom of the fifth, Gunner Fokken, would lead off with a single. Courtesy runner Caleb Hudson, would advance to 2nd after an error. Hudson, would then advance to 3rd on a passed ball. Dylan Bishop, would draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 3rd with nobody out.

Bishop, would then steal 2nd to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Maddox Monsour, would drive in Hudson and Bishop with a 2-run double to make it 3-1 Trojans. Eubanks, would advance Monsour to 3rd after a ground out. Monsour, would then come in to score on a passed ball to make it 4-1. Brodie Keener, who came on in relief of Shouse, would pick up a line out and a strikeout to send it to the sixth with Carrollton leading Pickens, 4-1.

In the top of the sixth, Holland, led off by drawing a walk. That walk would be erased as the Trojans would turn a double play. Christian Starks, would keep the inning alive for the Dragons as he reached on an error. The Trojans, would pick up a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, JP Nunn, would come on in relief of Keener.

Nunn, would get the Trojans in order on a pop out, and two fly outs. Going to the seventh, Carrollton led Pickens, 4-1.

Shouse, would lead off the top of the seventh by drawing a walk on a full count. Trey Payne, would follow up with a single. Shouse, would advance to 3rd on the hit. Sutton, would then draw a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Shouse, would come in to score on a wild pitch to make it 4-2. Payne, would advance to 3rd and Sutton would advance to 2nd on the play.

After the Trojans got a fly out for the first out, Payne, would come in to score on another wild pitch to make it 4-3. Sutton, advanced to 3rd on the play. Ledbetter, would drive in Sutton with an RBI single to tie the game at 4. Ledbetter, would be tagged out at 3rd trying to stretch it to a triple. The Trojans, would get a ground out to send it to the bottom of the seventh with the score tied at 4.

In the bottom of the seventh, Fokken, would reach on an infield single and then advance to 2nd on an error. Courtesy runner Logan Turner, would advance to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt by Bishop. The Dragons, would then intentionally walk the next two batters to load to bases for a possible force out at any base. After a strikeout for the 2nd out, Binion, would draw a full count walk to bring in Turner as the Trojans picked up the win, 5-4.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 2 hit by pitch, 2 walks, 1 steal, and 2 runs scored

Trey Payne: 1-3 with a single, a walk, and 1 run scored

Cade Sutton: 2 walks, 1 steal, and 1 run scored

Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with a double, 1 hit by pitch, and 1 RBI

Dawson Holland: 1-2 with a single and a walk

The Dragons, will be back home on the turf of Dunn Field on Wednesday, April 17th as they host the Shiloh Generals in another non-region ball game. First pitch time is set for 5:30 pm.

Cade Sutton Carrollton Trojans Connor Shouse Dawson Holland PHS Baseball Shiloh Generals Sports Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne

Dragons sweep double header in come back fashion

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 13, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Jasper, Ga — It was a beautiful but windy day for high school baseball on Friday, April 12th as the Pickens Dragons took on the Lumpkin Indians in a double header. Game two, was originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 10th, but weather forced a postponement. A decision was made that both game two and three would be played at Dunn Field in a double header. The Dragons, grabbed game two, 3-2 in 8 innings, and walked off game three, 5-4 to sweep the series.

Game One:

In the top of the first, Connor Shouse, would lead off by getting hit with a pitch. After a strike out of Trey Payne, the Indians, would catch Shouse in a run down in between 1st and 2nd for the 2nd out. Cade Sutton, would keep the inning alive by being hit with a pitch. Indians starter Aiden Rogers, would get Kam Jenkins to fly out to send it to the bottom of the first.

In the bottom of the first, Dragons starter James Tilley, worked around a bases loaded jam as picked up 2 fly outs and a strike out. Going to the top of the second, Pickens and Lumpkin were tied at 0.

In the top of the second, the Dragons would go down in order with a fly out and a pair of pop ups. In the bottom half of the second, Tilley, worked around a lead off single as Jenkins threw out the runner attempting to steal 2nd, and Tilley punched out the next two batters to send it to the third with the game still tied at 0.

In the top of the third, the Dragons, again would go down quietly with a ground out, a pop up, and a strike out. In the bottom of the frame, Tilley would get the Indians in order with two ground outs and a pop up. Going to the fourth, the game was still deadlocked at 0.

In the top of the fourth, the Dragons, drew three straight walks with 1-out to load the bases. Dawson Holland, would break the tie as he brought in Sutton after reaching on a fielder’s choice. Holland, would then steal 2nd to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2-outs. Rogers and the Indians, would get out of the fourth with a strike out. In the bottom of the fourth, The Indians, would look to get something going as Rogers would reach with a 1-out double.

Hayden Gilbert, would then reach on a sacrifice bunt fielder’s choice to put runners at the corners. Mason Hester, would give the Indians the lead with a 2-RBI double. A single by Matthew Mitchell, would again put runners at the corners with 1-out. After a stolen base, Tilley would get the next two batters to get out of the bottom of the fourth. Going to the fifth, Lumpkin led Pickens, 2-1.

In the top of the fifth, A.J. Rice, would reach by drawing a walk with 1-out. Shouse, would follow that with a single to right field to put runners at 1st and 2nd. The Indians, would get out of the inning with back to back pop ups to send it to the bottom of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Tilley, worked around a lead off walk as Jenkins threw out the runner trying to steal 2nd. Tilley would then pick up a strikeout, and a ground out to send it to the sixth, still 2-1.

In the top of the sixth, the Dragons, would go down in order with two ground outs and a strikeout. Cason Cannon, would come on in relief of Tilley in the bottom of the sixth. He would work around a 1-out double as he forced a fly out, a ground out, and a strikeout to send it to the seventh with Lumpkin leading Pickens, 2-1.

In the top of the seventh, Christian Starks reached by drawing a walk on a full count. Rice, would follow that by drawing his own full count walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Shouse, was able to beat out a potential game ending double play to put runners at 1st and 3rd with 2-out. Shouse, then got caught in a rundown on purpose as Starks would sprint home to tie the game at 2 going to the bottom of the frame.

In the bottom of the seventh, Cannon, in his second inning of relief, forced a pop up, and two fly outs to send it to the eighth with the score tied at 2.

In the top of the eighth, Trey Payne, would lead off with a double. Payne, would come in to score after Jenkins reached on an error to give the Dragons a 3-2 lead. The Indians, would get out of the eighth without any other damage done as they forced two fly outs. In the bottom of the eighth, JP Nunn, came on to try and close it out for the Dragons. He started the bottom half of the eighth with a strikeout for the first out.

Rogers, would draw a 1-out walk to put the game tying run on base. Nunn, would then force a line out to left for the 2nd out. Jenkins, would end the game by throwing out his 3rd runner of the night to seal the win in game two, 3-2.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 1-3 with a single and 1 hit by pitch

Trey Payne: 1-4 with 1 double, and 1 run scored

Cade Sutton: 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, and 1 run scored

Kam Jenkins: 1 walk, 3 caught stealing

Trace Ledbetter: 1 walk

Dawson Holland: 1 RBI and 1 steal

Christian Starks: 1 walk and 1 run scored

A.J. Rice: 2 walks

James Tilley: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K on 86 pitches

Cason Cannon: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K on 27 pitches

JP Nunn: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K on 18 pitches

Game two:

A.J. Rice, started game three for the Dragons. In the top of the first, he worked around a 2-out single to pick up 2 strikeouts and a ground out to send it to the bottom of the frame. In the bottom of the inning, Trey Payne looked to get things going with a 1-out single. Payne, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Indians starter Mason Hester, would force two fly outs to send it to the second with the score tied at 0.

In the top of the second, the Indians had the first two batters reach on back to back errors. After a strikeout by Rice for the 1st out, the Indians would load the bases after drawing a walk. The Dragons defense, would come up big for Tilley fielded a grounder at 2nd, tagged the runner heading to 2nd, and then threw to 1st to complete to 4-3 double play to send it to the bottom of the second.

In the bottom of the second, the Dragons would go down in order after a fly out, a strikeout, and a ground out. Going to the third, this game was still tied at 0.

In the top of the third, Rice, got the first two outs of the inning via ground out, and a pop up. Tyler Boggs, would keep the inning alive for the Indians with a 2-out single. Peyton Wood, would follow that up with another single. Courtesy runner Colton Lee would advance to 3rd on the hit. Wood, would then steal 2nd. Lee, would come into score as the ball got passed the infield on the throw attempt to make it 1-0 Indians.

Wood, would then advance to 3rd on a wild pitch. Rice, would be able to settle down and strikeout the next batter to send it to the bottom of the third with Lumpkin leading, 1-0. In the bottom of the third, Rice, reached with a 1-out single. His courtesy runner, Ezra Faber, would steal 2nd to put a runner in scoring position with 2-outs. Trey Payne, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2-outs.

Hester and the Indians, would get out of the third after forcing a fly out. Going to the fourth, Lumpkin still led Pickens, 1-0.

In the top of the fourth, Hayden Gilbert led off by drawing a walk. After a strikeout, Kam Jenkins would catch Gilbert trying to steal 2nd. Rice, would pick up another strikeout to send it to the bottom of the fourth. In the bottom of the fourth, the Dragons, would go down in order after two pop ups and a fly out. Heading to the fifth, Lumpkin led Pickens 1-0.

In the top of the fifth, Aidyn Flanagan, led off by drawing a walk. He would then take 2nd on a wild pitch. Harper Davenport, would move Flanagan over to 3rd after a sacrifice bunt. Flanagan, would then come in to score on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. After getting a strikeout for the 2nd out, Tate Hales would come on in relief of Rice to try to get out of the inning.

Boggs, would keep the inning going with a 2-out single. Hales, would pick up a strikeout to leave Boggs stranded. Going to the bottom of the fifth, Lumpkin led Pickens, 2-0. In the bottom of the fifth, Sam Hammontree, led off with a double. Rice, would bring in pitch runner Jennings Allen with an RBI double to cut the lead to 2-1. A grounder to 1st by Shouse would move Rice over to 3rd.

Hester and the Indians, would keep the lead intact as they forced a line out to right for the 3rd out. Going to the sixth, Lumpkin led Pickens, 2-1.

In the top of the sixth, Christian Starks came on in relief of Hales. Gilbert, would reach with a 1-out single. Hester, would follow by drawing a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Matthew Mitchell, would then bring in pitch runner Kendal Lee with an RBI single to make it 3-1 Indians. Hester, would advance to 3rd on the throw. Mitchell, would steal 2nd to put himself in scoring position. Hester, would be tagged out at home trying to score on a wild pitch.

Mitchell, would move over to 3rd on the same play. Flanagan, would then draw a walk to put runners at the corners with 2-outs. Davenport, would drive in Mitchell with an RBI single to make it 4-1 Indians. Flanagan would advance to 3rd and Davenport would advance to 2nd on the throw. Starks, would get out of the inning with a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the sixth with Lumpkin leading Pickens, 4-1.

In the bottom of the sixth, Cade Sutton, would lead off with a single. Trace Ledbetter, would then reach with a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Dawson Holland, would reach with a single to load the bases. Starks, would bring in Sutton after getting hit with a pitch to make it 4-2 Indians going to the top of the seventh.

Brodie Keener, would come on in relief of Starks in the top of the seventh. Boggs, would lead off with his fourth hit of the day. Colton Lee, would then come in to run for Boggs. Kam Jenkins, would catch Lee trying to steal 2nd for the first out. Keener, would then force a fly out for the 2nd out. Aiden Rogers, would keep the inning going for the Indians with a single. Keener, would force a fly out to center to send it to the bottom of the seventh with Lumpkin leading, 4-2.

Shouse, would lead off the bottom of the seventh by drawing a walk on a full count. Trey Payne, would follow that by drawing another full count walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. After a fly out to right for the first out, Shouse and Payne would pull off the double steal to advance to 2nd and 3rd. Jenkins, would drive in Shouse with an RBI double to make it 4-3.

The Indians, would then intentionally walk Ledbetter to load the bases with 1-out. Trey Payne would come into score to tie the game at 4 as Holland would reach on a fielder’s choice. Hammontree, would be intentionally walked to again load the bases. Starks, would send a deep fly ball to center that would be dropped by the center fielder which would allow courtesy runner JP Nunn to come in to score as the Dragons walk it off, 5-4.

Stats for Game two:

Connor Shouse: 1 walk, 1 steal, and 1 run scored

Trey Payne: 1-2 with 1 single, 2 walks, 2 steals, and 1 run scored

Cade Sutton: 1-4 with 1 single and 1 run scored

Kam Jenkins: 1-4 with 1 double and 1 RBI

Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with 1 single and 1 walk

Dawson Holland: 1-4 with 1 single and 1 RBI

Sam Hammontree: 1-3 with 1 double and 1 walk

Christian Starks: 1 hit by pitch and 1 RBI

A.J. Rice: 2-3 with 1 single and 1 double (4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K on 104 pitches)

Tate Hales: .1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K on 9 pitches

Brodie Keener: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K on 14 pitches

Jennings Allen: 1 run scored

JP Nunn: 1 run scored

7-AAA Region Standings:

Pickens: 24-3 (17-1) *Region Champions

Wesleyan: 13-11 (9-6)

Dawson: 14-9 (8-7)

Gilmer: 12-13 (6-9)

Lumpkin: 12-14 (6-9)

White County: 13-14 (5-10)

West Hall: 7-19 (3-12)

With the region schedule now complete, the Dragons will now turn their attention to the remaining three games they have left on their schedule. First up, a road trip to take on the #7 team in 7A, the Carrollton Trojans on Monday, April 15th. This game came about after the Dragons had a game dropped earlier in the week. First pitch is set for 5:55 pm.

A.J. Rice Brodie Keener Cade Sutton Carrollton Trojans Cason Cannon Christian Starks Connor Shouse Dawson Holland JP Nunn Kam Jenkins Lumpkin Indians PHS Baseball Sam Hammontree Sports Tate Hales Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne

6-run second inning helps Dragons defeat Indians

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 10, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Jasper, Ga — Despite the rain, the Pickens Dragons and the Lumpkin Indians began their three game region series on Tuesday, April 9th. Coming into the game, the Dragons, were 21-3 overall, 14-1 in 7-AAA, ranked #2 in AAA, and riding a 12-game win streak. The Indians, came into the game 12-10 overall, and 6-6 in 7-AAA. Prior to the game, the Dragons held a ceremony to honor those who were battling breast cancer. They wore special pink jerseys for the game that read “family”. A big second inning helped the Dragons pick up a 7-2 win over the Indians.

In the top of the first, the Indians looked to strike early as Harper Davenport reached by drawing a full count walk. Davenport would advance to 2nd after stealing the bag. Alejandro Narvaez, would follow by also drawing a walk on a full count to put runners at 1st and 2nd. The Indians, would then pull off a double steal as Davenport stole 3rd, and Narvaez stole 2nd.

Dragons starter Connor Shouse, would settle himself down and get out of the jam by striking out the next three batters to leave the runners stranded. In the bottom half of the first, Shouse, would lead off by drawing his own walk. Trey Payne, would reach on a fielder’s choice as Shouse would be forced out at 2nd. After an 11 pitch at bat between Cade Sutton and Narvaez, Narvaez got Sutton to pop out.

The Indians, would get out of the inning as Payne would be picked off trying to take 2nd. Going to the top of the second, Pickens and Lumpkin were tied at 0.

In the top of the second, Hayden Gilbert would lead off with a single. After Shouse picked up his 4th strikeout of the game, Gilbert, would get into scoring position after stealing 2nd. Shouse, would focus in and strikeout the next two batters to send it to the bottom of the second. Kam Jenkins, led off the bottom of the second by getting hit with a pitch. Trace Ledbetter, would follow with a single.

Dawson Holland, would reach with a single to load the bases with no one out. Tyler Payne, would bring in courtesy runner JP Nunn with an RBI ground out to make it 1-0. Christian Starks, would then smack a double that would score pitch runner Sam Dart to make it 2-0. A.J. Rice, would keep the line moving as he drove in Holland and Starks with a 2-RBI single to make it 4-0 Dragons.

Shouse, would lace a double down the left field line that would score Rice all the way from 1st to make it 5-0. After stealing 3rd, Shouse would come in to score after an RBI single from Trey Payne to make it 6-0 Dragons. Jenkins, would again be hit with a pitch to keep the inning alive. The Indians, would get out of the frame with a fly out. Going to the third, Pickens led Lumpkin, 6-0.

In the top of the third, Shouse got Davenport to fly out to Starks in left for the first out. Narvaez, would then draw his 2nd walk of the game to reach. Narvaez, would advance into scoring position by stealing 2nd. Tyler Boggs, would bring in Narvaez with an RBI single to make it 6-1. Courtesy runner Kendal Lee, would advance to 2nd as Peyton Wood grounded out to 3rd. Jenkins, would throw out Lee trying to steal 3rd to send it to the bottom of the inning.

In the bottom of the third, After Narvaez got the first two outs of the inning via pop out and strikeout, Starks, kept the inning going by getting hit with a pitch. Narvaez, would get out of the third with a ground out. Going to the fourth, Pickens led Lumpkin, 6-1.

Shouse, started off the top of the fourth with a fly out and his 7th strikeout. Mason Hester, kept the inning alive for the Indians with a single. Hester, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Shouse, would pick up his 8th strikeout to send it to the bottom of the fourth with the Dragons leading, 6-1. Shouse, led off the bottom of the fourth with a single. He would then steal 2nd to move into scoring position for Trey Payne.

Narvaez, would catch Shouse in between steps as Shouse would be tagged out after a bit of a rundown. Narvaez, would then pick up two strikeouts to send it to the fifth with Pickens leading Lumpkin, 6-1.

JP Nunn, would come on in relief of Shouse in the top of the fifth. He would pick up the first two outs of the inning via strikeout. Narvaez, would be hit by a pitch on a 2-2 count to keep the inning alive for the Indians. Narvaez, would then swiped 2nd for his 3rd steal of the game. Narvaez, would add a 4th steal for the game as he took 3rd. Nunn, would leave Narvaez stranded at 3rd as he picked up his 3rd strikeout to send it to the bottom of the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, Ledbetter would look to get things going as he reached base with a 1-out single. Holland, followed with his 2nd hit of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Tyler Payne, would pick up his 2nd RBI of the game as he drove in Ledbetter with an RBI single to make it 7-1 Dragons. Narvaez, would use his quick pick off move to get pitch runner Coleman Keener at 1st for the second out.

Narvaez, would get out of the fifth having just given up the one run. Going to the sixth, Pickens now led Lumpkin, 7-1.

In the top of the sixth, Nunn, would work his second inning of relief as he forced a pop out, picked up his 4th strikeout, and ended the inning forcing a ground out as Shouse made a great play to snag it on the short hop. In the bottom of the sixth, Dawson Lowit, would hit a deep drive to left field that would one hop the wall for a ground rule double. He would advance to 3rd on a wild pitch.

Grant Hallman, who came on in relief of Narvaez, would pick up his 2nd strikeout of the inning and a fly out as Lowit would be left stranded. Going to the seventh, Pickens led Lumpkin, 7-1.

Brodie Keener, came on in relief of Nunn in the top of the seventh to try and finish the game off. He would get the first batter he faced as he would be thrown out at 1st after a dropped 3rd strike. Dakota Bennett, would draw a full count walk with 1-out to reach. Bennett, would swipe 2nd to get into scoring position with 2-out. Davenport, would drive in Bennett with an RBI double to make it 7-2.

Keener, would end the game by striking out Narvaez as the Dragons came away with the 7-2 win for their 13th straight victory.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 2-2 with 1 walk, 1 double, 1 single, 2 steals, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI (4 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 K on 80 pitches)

Trey Payne: 1-3 with 1 single, and 1 RBI

Kam Jenkins: 2 hit by pitch

Trace Ledbetter: 2-3 with 2 singles, and 1 run scored

Dawson Holland: 2-3 with 2 singles, and 1 run scored

Tyler Payne: 1-3 with 1 single, and 2 RBI

Christian Starks: 1-2 with 1 double, 1 hit by pitch, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI

A.J. Rice: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 run scored, and 2 RBI

Dawson Lowit: 1-1 with 1 ground rule double

Sam Dart: 1 run scored

JP Nunn: 1 run scored (2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 K on 32 pitches

Brodie Keener: 1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K on 30 pitches

Weather, again is playing a factor with scheduling as the game that was originally set for Thursday, April 11th, has been pushed up to Wednesday, April 10th. The series moves to Dahlonega with a first pitch time of 4:30 pm.

A.J. Rice Brodie Keener Christian Starks Connor Shouse Dawson Holland Dawson Lowit JP Nunn Kam Jenkins Lumpkin Indians PHS Baseball Sam Dart Sports Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne Tyler Payne

Dragons sweep Tigers for 12th straight win

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 6, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Dawsonville, Ga — One day after clinching their second straight 7-AAA Region Championship, the Pickens Dragons traveled to Dawsonville on Friday, April 5th to take on the Dawson Tigers in game three of their 3-game series. The Dragons, came into the game looking to complete the sweep. The Tigers, came into the game hoping to get at least one game in the series. The Dragons, scored 17 runs in four innings to come away with a 17-4 win in 5 innings.

In the top of the first, Trey Payne would look to get things going with a 1-out single. The Tigers, would get out of the first as Carson Sosebee threw out Payne trying to steal 2nd. In the bottom of the first, Dragons starter A.J. Rice, got the first two outs via strikeout and ground out. Julian Horner, put the Tigers ahead with a solo home run. Elijah Odom, followed that up with a 2-out double.

Davis Glass, would keep the inning going as he drove in Odom with an RBI single to make it 2-0 Tigers. Rice, got out of the first with his 2nd strikeout of the game. Going to the second, Dawson led Pickens, 2-0.

In the top of the second, Kam Jenkins, led off by reaching on an error. Dawson Holland, would then reach on an infield single. Courtesy runner JP Nunn, would advance all the way to 3rd after an error on the play. Holland, would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. Tyler Payne, would draw a walk to load the bases with 1-out. After Tigers starter Joshua Priest, picked up a strikeout for the 2nd out, Rice would come up to bat.

Rice, would drive in both Nunn and Holland with a 2-run single to tie the game at 2. Rice, would be tagged out at 2nd trying to advance on the play. Going to the bottom of the frame, Pickens and Dawson were tied at 2. In the bottom half of the second, Rice, tossed a scoreless inning with a strikeout and two ground outs. Going to the third, the game was tied at 2.

In the top of the third, Connor Shouse, would lead off with a double. Trey Payne, would move Shouse over to 3rd after a sacrifice bunt. Cade Sutton, would drive in Shouse with an RBI double to make it 3-2 Dragons. Sutton, would advance to 3rd after a ground out by Jenkins. An RBI single by Trace Ledbetter, would bring in Sutton to make it 4-2 Dragons. Holland, would then reach on an infield single.

Both Ledbetter and Holland would advance after a wild pitch. Tyler Payne, would bring in Ledbetter after reaching on an error to make it 5-2 Dragons. Holland, who advanced to 3rd on the play, would come in to score after a wild pitch to make it 6-2 Dragons going to the bottom of the third. In the bottom of the third, Sawyer Bearden, would lead off with a solo home run to make it 6-3.

Horner, would then draw a walk to reach with 1-out. Rice and the Dragons, would get out of the third after turning an inning ending double play. Going to the fourth, Pickens led Dawson, 6-3.

In the top of the fourth, Rice, would lead off with a single for his 2nd hit of the day. Shouse, would add to the lead by hitting a 2-run home run to make it 8-3 Dragons. Trey Payne, would then draw a walk to reach base. Sutton, would follow that with his 2nd double of the game to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Ledbetter, would draw a 1-out walk to load the bases.

The Tigers, would be able to get out of the jam with a strikeout and a fly out to send it to the bottom of the fourth. In the bottom of the fourth, in what would be his final inning of work, Rice, picked up two more strikeouts and a ground out in a scoreless frame to send it to the fifth with Pickens leading Dawson, 8-3.

In the top of the fifth, Christian Starks, led off with a single. Rice, followed that with his 3rd hit of the day. Shouse, would load the bases after being awarded 1st base due to catchers interference. Trey Payne, would bring in Starks as he drew a walk to make it 9-3. Sutton, would drive in Rice with an RBI single to make it 10-3. Jenkins, would keep the line moving as he brought in Shouse with a single to make it 11-3.

Holland, would bring in Trey Payne and Sutton with a 2-RBI double to make it 13-3. Nunn, who was running for Jenkins, would score on a passed ball to make it 14-3. Starks, would drive in Holland with an RBI single to make it 15-3. After advancing to 2nd on a wild pitch, Starks would come in to score on an RBI single by Rice to make it 16-3. An RBI double from Shouse would bring in Rice to make it 17-3 Dragons going to the bottom of the fifth.

Brodie Keener, came on in relief of Rice in the bottom of the fifth. Dylan Edwards, would lead off the bottom of the frame with a double. Edwards, would then advance to 3rd on a passed ball. Preston Bannister, would then draw a walk to put runners at the corners with nobody out. Edwards, would come in to score as Bearden would reach on a fielder’s choice. Bannister, would be forced out at 2nd for the first out.

Keener, would get Jacson Rickett to line out to right and Horner to ground out to 1st to end the inning as the Dragons picked up the 17-4 win in 5 innings.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 3-4 with 2 doubles, 1 home run, 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI

Trey Payne: 1-2 with 1 single, 2 walks, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI

Cade Sutton: 3-4 with 2 doubles, 1 single, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBI

Kam Jenkins: 1-4 with 1 single, and 1 RBI

Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 walk, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI

Dawson Holloand: 3-4 with 1 single, 1 double, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBI

Tyler Payne: 1 walk

Christian Starks: 2-4 with 2 singles, 2 runs scored, and 1 RBI

A.J. Rice: 4-4 with 4 singles, 3 runs scored, and 1 RBI (4 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K on 64 pitches)

JP Nunn: 2 runs scored

Cason Cannon: 1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB on 14 pitches

With the win, the Dragons now have swept their 4th straight region series. They have now won 12 games in a row. Next week, the Dragons will begin their final series in 7-AAA play as they take on the Lumpkin County Indians. Game one of the three game series will be in Jasper on Tuesday, April 9th. First pitch time set for 5:55 pm.

A.J. Rice Cade Sutton Cason Cannon Christian Starks Connor Shouse Dawson Holland Dawson Tigers JP Nunn Kam Jenkins Lumpkin Indians PHS Baseball Sports Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne Tyler Payne

Dragons win second straight 7-AAA Region Championship

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 5, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Jasper, Ga — It was a windy but beautiful day on Thursday, April 4th as the Pickens Dragons hosted the Dawson Tigers for game two of their 3-game series. After taking game one in Dawsonville on Monday, the Dragons were looking to pick up another series win and possibly a region championship. The Tigers, were looking to even up the series and force a rubber game on Friday. In what was a back and forth contest, the Dragons picked up a hard fought 3-2 win in 9 innings.

In the top of the first, Dragons starter James Tilley, worked around a 1-out single by Jacson Rickett as he picked up 2 strikeouts and a ground out. In the bottom of the frame, Connor Shouse led off by drawing a walk. The pick off attempt by Tigers starter Trey Harvey, got by the 1st baseman and allowed Shouse to advance all the way to 3rd. Trey Payne, would then hit a pop fly to the 2nd baseman.

Shouse, was able to score on the play to make it 1-0 Dragons. After a 1-out single by Cade Sutton, Harvey’s pick off attempt would be successful for the 2nd out. Kam Jenkins, kept the bottom of the first alive for the Dragons as he reached with a 2-out single. Harvey, would get out of the inning as he forced a pop out to 2nd by Trace Ledbetter. Going to the second, Pickens led Dawson, 1-0.

In the top half of the second, Tilley, would strike out the side to send it to the bottom half of the second. In the bottom of the second, Dawson Holland would lead off by drawing a walk on a full count. Holland, would then advance to 2nd after a wild pitch. Tyler Payne, would move Holland over to 3rd after a ground out. Christian Starks, would bring in Holland with an RBI single to make it 2-0 Dragons going to the third.

In the top of the third, Tilley, continued his good start to the ball game as he tossed a scoreless frame with three ground outs. In the bottom of the third, Harvey, would toss his first 1-2-3 inning as he forced two ground outs to the first baseman Preston Bannister, and picked up his first strikeout of the game. Going to the fourth, Pickens led Dawson, 2-0.

After picking up his 6th strikeout to begin the fourth inning, Tilley would hit Julian Horner with a pitch to put him on base with 1-out. Elijah Odom, would then beat out an infield single and Horner and Odom would advance after an error. Horner, would come in to score after a wild pitch to cut the lead to 2-1. After advancing to 3rd on that same wild pitch, Odom, would score on an RBI single by Davis Glass to tie it up at 2 going to the bottom of the fourth.

In the bottom of the fourth, Ledbetter would reach after a 1-out single. Ezra Faber, would come in to pitch runner for Ledbetter and he would advance to 2nd after a wild pitch. Harvey, would get out of the inning after a strikeout, and a nice diving play by Bannister to rob Tyler Payne of a would-be hit and possible RBI. Going to the fifth, Pickens and Dawson were tied at 2.

Tilley, settled down in the top of the fifth as he picked up his 7th strikeout of the game, a fly out, and a ground out. In the bottom of the fifth, A.J. Rice would draw a 1-out walk to reach base. Rice, would be forced out at 2nd as Shouse would reach on a fielder’s choice. Shouse, would steal 2nd to put himself in scoring position. Trey Payne, would draw a walk to put 2 runners on with 2-outs. Shouse, would advance to 3rd on the play as ball 4 got away from the catcher.

Trey Payne, would steal 2nd to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2-outs. Harvey, would get out of the jam as he took a come backer to 1st base himself for the 3rd out to send it to the sixth with the score tied at 2.

In the top of the sixth, Tilley, got the first two outs of the inning by taking a come backer to 1st by himself, and forcing a ground out to Rice at 2nd. Odom, kept the inning going for the Tigers as he reached with a 2-out double. Trey Payne, nearly made a diving catch on the play. The Dragons, would then choose to intentionally walk Glass. Tilley, would get out of the 6th as Joshua Priest would pop out to Ledbetter at 1st for the third out.

Trace Ledbetter, would hit a single past the shortstop for a 1-out knock. The Tigers, would get their 2nd runner of the night as Ledbetter would be caught trying to take 2nd on a steal attempt. Harvey, would get out of the sixth with a strikeout to send it to the seventh with the game all knotted up at 2.

In the top of the seventh, Dylan Edwards would draw a 1-out walk to get on base. Bannister, would then reach on what would have been a sacrifice bunt, but miscommunication between the Dragons defense would lead to runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Edwards, would advance to 3rd and Bannister would be forced out at 2nd as Sawyer Bearden would reach on a fielder’s choice.

Rickett, would then be hit by a pitch to load the bases up with 2-outs. Cason Cannon, would come on in relief of Tilley and he would be tasked with getting out of the jam. Get out of it he did as he forced a grounder to Sutton who would step on the bag at 3rd to for the final out of the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Starks, would reach with a 1-out single.

Banks Hickman, who came on in relief of Harvey, got out of the seventh as he forced a fly out to left center for the third out. Pickens and Dawson would head to extra innings tied at 2.

In the top of the eighth, Horner, would lead off by being hit by a pitch. Horner, would then advance to 2nd as Glass would lay down a sacrifice bunt. Cannon, would get out of the eighth with a fly out and a ground out to keep the score tied at 2. Trey Payne, would lead off the bottom of the frame by drawing a walk on a full count.

In an odd play, Sutton, would be called out due to interference as he was ruled to be outside the base path after Hickman’s throw hit Sutton in the foot. The call negated what would have been a sacrifice bunt, and Payne would be forced to go back to 1st. Payne, would then steal 2nd straight up to advance into scoring position. After a fly out by Jenkins, Ledbetter would be intentionally walked to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2-outs.

Hickman and the Tigers, would get out of the eighth as Holland would be thrown out after a dropped 3rd strike. Going to the ninth inning, the game was still tied up at 2.

In the top of the ninth, Bannister would reach by drawing a 1-out walk. Rickett, would keep the inning alive for the Tigers as he drew a 2-out walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Both runners would advance to 2nd and 3rd after a wild pitch. Cannon, got out of the ninth after a ground out to short for the third out. Going to the bottom of the ninth, Pickens and Dawson were still tied at 2.

In the bottom of the ninth, Tyler Payne, would lead off the inning by being hit by a pitch on a 3-2 count to reach. Kyle Grno, would come on to pitch run for him. Starks, would also get hit by a pitch as he was trying to lay down a bunt. After being down for a second, Starks, popped up and headed over to 1st. Rice, would then try to bunt the runners over, but the bunt attempt went foul for the first out.

Shouse, would then be unintentionally intentionally walked to load the bases with 1-out. Hickman, would get the second out via strikeout. On the first pitch of the at bat, Sutton, would be hit by a pitch and Grno would come in to score as the Dragons picked up the 3-2 win and their second straight 7-AAA Region Championship.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 2 walks, 1 stolen base, 1 run scored

Trey Payne: 2 walks, 2 stolen bases, 1 RBI

Cade Sutton: 1-4 with 1 single, and 1 hit by pitch

Kam Jenkins: 1-4 with a single

Trace Ledbetter: 2-3 with 2 singles and a walk

Dawson Holland: 1 walk, and 1 run scored

Tyler Payne: 1 hit by pitch

Christian Starks: 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 hit by pitch, and 1 RBI

A.J. Rice: 1 walk

Kyle Grno: 1 run scored

James Tilley: 6.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 IBB, 2 HBP, 7 K on 105 pitches

Cason Cannon: 2.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 K on 38 pitches

The Dragons and Tigers, will conclude their 3-game set on Friday, April 5th as the series goes back to Dawsonville. First pitch is set for 5:55 pm.

7-AAA Region Champioship A.J. Rice Cade Sutton Cason Cannon Christian Starks Connor Shouse Dawson Holland Dawson Tigers James Tilley Kam Jenkins Kyle Grno PHS Baseball Sports Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne Tyler Payne

Dragons score 21 runs in series opener against Dawson

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 2, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Dawsonville, Ga — There was Monday Night Baseball on Monday, April 1st as the Pickens Dragons traveled to Dawsonville to take on the Dawson Tigers in game one of their 3-game series. Coming into the game, the Dragons, were ranked #2 in 3A, 18-3 overall, 11-1 in 7-AAA, and riding a 9-game win streak. The Tigers, came into the game ranked 7th in 3A, 14-6 overall, and 8-4 in 7-AAA. The Dragons, scored 9 runs in the second inning on the way to a 21-2 win.

In the top of the first, Tigers starter Chase Gravitt, got the Dragons in order with a ground out, a fly out, and a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Jacson Rickett reached with a 1-out double. Julian Horner then reached to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Rickett and Horner, would then advance on a wild pitch. Elijah Odom, would bring in Rickett with an RBI ground out to make it 1-0 Tigers.

Davis Glass, would drive in Horner with a single to make it 2-0. Dragons starter Connor Shouse, would force a ground out for the 3rd out to send it to the second inning with Dawson leading Pickens, 2-0.

Kam Jenkins, got the top of the second started with a lead off single. Trace Ledbetter, would follow that up with a single of his own to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Dawson Holland, would then reach on an infield single to load the bases with nobody out. Tyler Payne, would draw a walk with the bases loaded and courtesy runner JP Nunn would come in to score to make it 2-1.

Christian Starks, would be hit with the first pitch he saw and Ledbetter would come in to tie the game at 2. A.J. Rice, would reach on an error, which would allow Holland to come in and score to give the Dragons a 3-2 lead. Shouse, would keep the line moving as he drove in pitch runner Coleman Keener and Starks with a 2-RBI single to make it 5-2. Rice, would come in to score to make it 6-2 after Trey Payne was thrown out on a dropped 3rd strike.

Jenkins, after starting the inning, came back up to bat with 2-outs. Jenkins, would get his 2nd hit of the frame as he sent one over the fence for a 2-run home run driving in Shouse and himself to make it 8-2. Ledbetter, in his 2nd at bat of the inning, hit his 2nd home run of the season to put the Dragons up 9-2. After Holland got hit with a pitch, the Tigers would finally get out of the inning to send it to the bottom of the second, Pickens leading Dawson, 9-2.

In the bottom of the second, Shouse, got the Tigers in order with 2 pop outs and a strikeout to send it to the third with Pickens leading Dawson, 9-2.

In the top of the third, Starks, would lead off with a single. After Rice flew out to right for the 1st out, Starks, would steal 2nd to get into scoring position. Shouse, would be hit with a pitch to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Starks, would come around to score from 2nd after Trey Payne reached on an error. Shouse and Payne, would pull off a double steal to advance to 2nd and 3rd.

Cade Sutton, would drive in both Shouse and Payne with a double to make it 12-2. Sutton, would advance to 3rd after a ground out by Jenkins. Ledbetter, would reach base after being hit with a pitch to put runners on the corners with 1-out. Holland, would bring in Sutton with an RBI double to make it 13-2. A single by Tyler Payne would drive in both Ledbetter and Holland to make it 15-2 Dragons going to the bottom of the third.

In the bottom of the third, after two quick outs, Horner, kept the inning alive by drawing a walk. Odom, then reached on a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Horner and Odom would then advance to 2nd and 3rd after a wild pitch. The Tigers, would leave those runners stranded as Shouse would pick up a strikeout to send it to the fourth with Pickens leading Dawson, 15-2.

Rice, would lead off the top of the fourth by drawing a walk on a full count. Rice, would then advance to 2nd on a passed ball. After another passed ball, Rice, would find himself at 3rd. Trey Payne, would bring in Rice with an RBI ground out to make it 16-2 going to the bottom of the fourth. The bottom of the fourth was much like the previous inning as the Tigers were looking to get something going with 2-outs.

Trey Harvey, would draw a walk on a full count to reach base. Preston Bannister, would also reach base by drawing a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Sawyer Bearden, would draw the 3rd walk of the inning on a full count to load the bases. Shouse, got out of the jam as Rickett flew out to center for the 3rd out. Going to the fifth, Pickens led Dawson, 16-2.

Kyle Grno, would come on to hit for the Dragons to lead off the top of the fifth and he would reach base on an error. Dylan Walls, would reach after a 1-out single to put runners at 1st and 2nd. A grounder by Sam Hammontree would advance both Grno and Walls to 2nd and 3rd with 2-outs. Starks, would draw a walk on a full count to load the bases. Rice, would also draw a walk to bring in Grno to make it 17-2 Dragons.

Shouse, would clear the bases after a grand slam to make it 21-2 Dragons. The Tigers, would get out of the fifth after a fly out. Going to the bottom of the fifth, Pickens led Dawson, 21-2. Tate Hales, came on in relief of Shouse in the bottom of the fifth. Hales, would toss a scoreless frame with 2 ground outs and a fly out as the Dragons would take game 1, 21-2 in 5 innings.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 2-4 with a single, a home run, 1 HBP, 1 steal, 3 runs scored, and 6 RBI (4 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 K, on 85 pitches)

Trey Payne: 1 steal, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI

Cade Sutton: 1-4 with 1 double, 1 run scored, and 2 RBI

Kam Jenkins: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 home run, 1 run scored, and 2 RBI

Trace Ledbetter: 2-3 with a single, a home run, 3 runs scored, and 1 RBI

Dawson Holland: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 HBP, 2 runs scored, and 1 RBI

Tyler Payne: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, and 3 RBI

Christian Starks: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, 1 HBP, 3 runs scored, and 1 RBI

A.J. Rice: 2 walks, 3 runs scored, and 1 RBI

Dylan Walls: 1-1 with a single, and 1 run scored

Kyle Grno: 1 run scored

Coleman Keener: 1 run scored

JP Nunn: 1 run scored

Tate Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, on 12 pitches

With the win, the Dragons run their win streak up to 10 games. The series will now shift over to Jasper as game 2 will be played at Dunn Field on Thursday, April 4th. First pitch time set for 5:55 pm.

A.J. Rice Cade Sutton Christian Starks Coleman Keener Connor Shouse Dawson Holland Dawson Tigers Dylan Walls JP Nunn Kam Jenkins Kyle Grno PHS Baseball Sports Tate Hales Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne Tyler Payne

Dragons win 9th straight game; sweep Bobcats

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 30, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Jasper, Ga — It was another beautiful day for high school baseball as the Pickens Dragons welcomed the Gilmer Bobcats to Dunn Field on Friday, March 29th for the third and final game of their series in 7-AAA. The Dragons, by virtue of taking the first two games, won the series and were looking to complete the sweep. The Bobcats, came in looking to steal a game. Prior to the ball game, PHS recognized Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day. A 5-run 2nd and a 4-run 6th helped the Dragons get the sweep, 10-3.

In the top of the first, Eli Cooper reached on an infield single with 1-out. Cooper, would advance to 2nd as Noah Gutillo grounded out to 1st. Dragons starter A.J. Rice, would then get Ethan McCollum to ground out to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Connor Shouse, would lead off by getting hit with the first pitch. Shouse, would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position.

Shouse, would then steal 3rd. He would come in to score on a throwing error by the catcher to make it 1-0 Dragons going to the top of the second.

In the top of the second, Hayden Berry would be hit by a pitch to reach base to start the inning. A sacrifice bunt by Austin Zabala would advance Berry to 2nd. Rice, would collect his 2nd and 3rd strike outs to send it to the bottom of the 2nd. In the bottom of the inning, Dawson Holland would reach with a 1-out double. Christian Starks, would drive Holland in with a 2-out double to make it 2-0 Dragons.

Rice, would then be hit with a pitch to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Shouse, would reach with a single to load the bases. Trey Payne, would bring in Starks and courtesy runner Ezra Faber in with a 2-RBI single to make it 4-1 Dragons. Shouse and Payne, would then pull off a double steal. A single by Cade Sutton would drive in Shouse and Payne to make it 6-0 Dragons going to the third.

In the top of the third, Rice, would collect his 4th strikeout for the first out. Blake Grizzle, would put the Bobcats on the board with a solo home run to left field to make it 6-1. Gutillo, would keep the inning alive with a 2-out single. McCollum, would bring Gutillo around to score with an RBI double to make it 6-2. Berry, would then be hit with a pitch to put runners at 1st and 2nd.

Rice, would get out of the third by picking up his 6th strikeout of the game to keep the score at 6-2 in favor of Pickens. In the bottom of the third, Trace Ledbetter, would lead off with a double. After a long at bat, Holland would send a fly ball out to right field that would advance Ledbetter to 3rd. Bobcats starter Dalton Crisp, would get out of the third with a strikeout and ground out. Going to the fourth, Pickens led Gilmer, 6-2.

Mel Mosley, would lead off the fourth with a single. After Rice picked up his 7th strikeout, Haden West and Grizzle would hit back to back singles to load the bases with 1-out. Cooper, would bring in Mosley with sacrifice fly RBI to make it 6-3. Gutillo, would then reach base as Sutton couldn’t get the ball out of his glove cleanly. Rice, showed off some quick reflexes as he caught a come backer from McCollum to send it to the bottom of the fourth.

Crisp, would fire his first 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth as they would head to the fifth, with Pickens leading Gilmer, 6-3.

Cason Cannon would come on in relief of Rice in the top of the fifth. Berry, would lead off the fifth with a double. Cannon, would then get Zabala with a strikeout for the first out. Mosley, would draw a 1-out walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. A grounder by Brandon Davis, would advance Berry and Mosley up to 2nd and 3rd with 2-outs. Cannon, would get out of the jam by forcing a fly out to left to send it to the bottom of the fifth, Dragons leading, 6-3.

Kam Jenkins, would look to get things going in the bottom of the fifth as he reached with a 1-out single. The Bobcat defense, would turn an inning ending double play to send it to the sixth with the Dragons still leading, 6-3.

Starks, would come on in relief of Cannon in the top of the sixth. Starks, would get the first two out of the sixth on 2 pitches. Gutillo, would keep the inning going for the Bobcats as he reached with a 2-out double. McCollum, looked like he had at least a double and it looked like the Bobcats would score a run, but Trey Payne would have other ideas as he made a diving catch in right field to send it to the bottom of the sixth, Pickens still ahead, 6-3.

Holland, would lead off the bottom of the sixth with a double. He would then advance to 3rd after a passed ball. Tyler Payne, who came on to pitch hit, would reach on a fielder’s choice as Holland would be thrown out at home. Starks, would reach on a fielder’s choice as there were now two outs. Ezra Faber, would come in to run for Starks. Rice, would drive in Faber with an RBI double to make it 7-3 Dragons.

Rice, would advance to 3rd on the throw. Shouse, would bring in Rice with an RBI single to make it 8-3. Shouse, would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. Trey Payne, would reach base on an error. Shouse, would come in to score on the play to make it 9-3. After Payne stole 2nd, he would advance to 3rd as Sutton reached on an infield single. Jenkins, would then draw a walk to load the bases with 2-outs.

Ledbetter, would drive in Payne with an RBI single to make it 10-3. Sutton, would be tagged out at home trying to score from 2nd on the play. Going to the seventh, Pickens led Gilmer, 10-3.

JP Nunn, came on in relief of Starks in the top of the seventh. Berry, would lead off the inning by getting hit with a pitch. Nunn, would come back and get the first out of the frame with a strikeout. Mosley, would draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Nunn, would then start a game ending 1-6-3 double play to seal the 10-3 win for the Dragons.

Stats for the Bobcats:

Blake Grizzle: 2-4 with a single, a home run, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Eli Cooper: 1-4 with a single and 1 RBI

Noah Gutillo: 2-4 with a single, a double, and 1 run scored

Ethan McCollum: 1-4 with a double, and 1 RBI

Hayden Berry: 1-1 with a double and 3 hit by pitch

Austin Zabala: 1 sacrifice bunt

Haden West: 1-2 with a single and a walk

Mel Mosley: 1-2 with a single, 2 walks, and 1 run scored

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 hit by pitch, 4 steals, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored

Trey Payne: 1-4 with a single, 2 steals, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored

Cade Sutton: 2-4 with 2 singles, 1 steal, and 2 RBI

Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with a single, and a walk

Dawson Holland: 2-3 with 2 doubles, and 1 run scored

Trace Ledbetter: 2-4 with 1 single, 1 double, and 1 RBI

Christian Starks: 1-3 with a double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored (1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB on 10 pitches)

A.J. Rice: 1-2 with a double, 1 hit by pitch, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored (4 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 7 K, 2 HBP on 79 pitches)

Ezra Faber: 2 runs scored

Cason Cannon: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K on 20 pitches

JP Nunn: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 HBP, 1 BB, 1 K on 17 pitches

7-AAA Baseball Standings:

Pickens: 18-3 (11-1)

Dawson: 14-6 (8-4)

Wesleyan: 8-9 (5-4)

Lumpkin: 10-10 (6-6)

White County: 10-11 (2-7)

Gilmer: 8-11 (2-7)

West Hall: 5-14 (2-7)

Next week, the two top ten ranked teams from 7-AAA will face off in a 3-game series as the Pickens Dragons will take on the Dawson Tigers. Game one of the series is set for Tuesday, April 2nd in Dawsonville with a first pitch start time of 5:55 pm. As of now, there is a chance for rain on Tuesday. We’ll keep you updated on any schedule changes that occur during the week.

Dragons take series from Bobcats

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 29, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Jasper, Ga — It was a perfect afternoon for high school baseball on Thursday, March 28th as the Pickens Dragons welcomed their rivals to the north, the Gilmer Bobcats to Dunn Field for game two of their three game set in 7-AAA play. The Dragons, took game one in Ellijay on Monday, and looked to win the series on their home turf. Meanwhile, for the Bobcats, they looked to even up the series, and tighten up the race for the 4th seed. Behind a solid pitching performance and busy bats, the Dragons were game to win game two, 11-1 in six innings.

In the top of the first, the Bobcats looked to strike early as Blake Grizzle, Eli Cooper, and Noah Gutillo all reached on three straight singles to load the bases with nobody out. Dragons starter James Tilley, remained poised and picked up 2 strikeouts and a ground out to get out of the jam. In the bottom of the first, Bobcats starter Ethan McCollum, got two quick outs before Cade Sutton drew a walk to reach base.

Sutton, would steal 2nd to get into scoring position for Kam Jenkins who would drive him in with an RBI single to make it 1-0 Dragons going to the second.

After Tilley got the first two batters in order on two ground outs to start the second inning, Haden West would keep the inning going with a single to center. Grizzle, would drive in West with an RBI double to tie the game at 1. Tilley, would force a pop out for the 3rd out to send it to the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the frame, Trace Ledbetter led off by drawing a walk. Coleman Keener, who pitch ran for Ledbetter, would steal 2nd to get in scoring position.

A grounder by Dawson Holland would advance Keener to 3rd with 1-out. Christian Starks, would bring in Keener with a sacrifice fly RBI to give Pickens a 2-1 lead over Gilmer going to the third.

In the top of the third, Gutillo would lead off with a single for his 2nd hit of the day. After a strikeout by Tilley, Gutillo would be forced out at 2nd as McCollum would reach on a fielder’s choice. Tilley, would force a fly out for the 3rd out to send it to the bottom half of the inning. In the bottom of the third, Jenkins would keep the inning alive by making it to 2nd after an error in the outfield. That would be it as Pickens led Gilmer, 2-1 going to the fourth.

Tilley, would have his first clean inning of the game in the top of the fourth as he got a pop out and 2 ground outs. Ledbetter, would lead off the bottom of the fourth by drawing a walk. Holland, would follow with a single. After Starks advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, Ledbetter would come in to score on a wild pitch. Holland, would advance to 3rd on the play. A.J. Rice, would reach by being hit with a pitch to put runners at the corners with 1-out.

Connor Shouse, would smack a liner past the shortstop who was running to cover 2nd as Rice was attempting to steal 2nd. That liner would score both Holland and Rice to make it 5-1 Dragons. Shouse, would make it to 3rd on the play as the incoming throw got away from the Bobcat defense. Trey Payne, would bring in Shouse with an RBI ground out to make it 6-1 Dragons going to the top of the fifth.

In the top of the fifth, Tilley worked around a 1-out single by Cooper as the Dragons were able to turn an inning ending double play. In the bottom of the fifth, Tyler Payne would lead off by getting hit with a pitch. Ledbetter, would then hit a 2-run home run as he drove in Tilley who was pitch running for Tyler Payne. Starks, would reach 2nd on a two base error. Starks, would advance to 3rd on a balk.

Starks, would come in to score on a grounder by Rice to make it 9-1. Shouse, would hit the 2nd home run of the inning for the Dragons as he sent a shot over the left field fence to make it 10-1. A 2-out double from Trey Payne would keep the inning alive. The Bobcats, would record a strikeout to get out of the fifth, as Pickens took a 10-1 lead into the sixth.

Brodie Keener came on in relief of Tilley who went 5 strong innings. Keener, would toss a scoreless top of the sixth as he worked around a single by McCollum. McCollum, would be thrown out at 2nd trying to stretch it to a double. Going to the bottom of the sixth, Pickens led Gilmer, 10-1. In the bottom of the sixth, Sam Hammontree, who came on to hit for Tyler Payne, would draw a walk with 1-out.

Hammontree, would be out at 2nd as Ledbetter reached on a fielder’s choice. Kyle Grno, would came on to pitch hit for Holland, reached on a bloop single. The ball would get away from the Bobcat outfielder and Grno would advance to 2nd while Ledbetter advanced to 3rd. Starks, would follow that up with another bloop single as Ledbetter would come in to score to give the Dragons the 11-1 win in six innings.

With the win, the Dragons take their fourth straight region series. They are now 17-3 overall, and 10-1 in 7-AAA. The Gilmer Bobcats fall to 8-10 overall and 2-6 in 7-AAA. Game three of the series will be right back in Jasper at Dunn Field on Friday, March 29th. First pitch set for 5:55 pm.

Dragons defeat Bobcats on the road

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 26, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Ellijay, Ga — Monday, March 25th kicked off rivalry week as the Pickens Dragons made the short trek up 515 to take on the Gilmer Bobcats in game one of their three game series. Coming into the game, the Dragons, were 15-3 overall, 8-1 in 7-AAA, ranked 2nd in AAA, and riding a 6 game winning streak. The Bobcats, were 8-8 overall, and 2-4 in 7-AAA. Behind a strong pitching performance and timely hitting, the Dragons picked up a 7-1 win.

In the top of the first, Connor Shouse, led off by drawing a walk. After Shouse stole 2nd to get into scoring position, Trey Payne would reach on an error. The Dragons, would then pull a double steal as Shouse would take 3rd and Payne would take 2nd. Shouse, would come in to score on an error to make it 1-0. A fly out to left by Cade Sutton would advance Payne to 3rd. Kam Jenkins, would drive in Payne with a single to make it 2-0 Dragons.

In the bottom of the first, Blake Grizzle, would lead off by getting hit with a pitch. Shouse, would settle in after that by getting a ground ball and two strikeouts to send it to the second with Pickens leading Gilmer, 2-0.

In the top of the second, Dawson Holland, would reach on an error with 1-out. He would be left stranded at 2nd as Bobcats starter Austin Zabala, forced a line out and a ground out to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom half of the frame, Ethan McCollum, led off with a double to center. He would be picked off by Jenkins attempting to steal 3rd.

After back to back singles from Hayden Berry and Zabala, the Dragons were able to turn a double play to send it to the third with Pickens still leading Gilmer, 2-0.

In the top of the third, Shouse, would again lead off by drawing his 2nd walk. Shouse, would steal his 3rd base of the day as he made his way to 2nd. Sutton, would hit a single to right that would bring home Shouse to make it 3-0 Dragons. In the bottom of the third, Haden West, would lead off with a single. The Dragons, would then turn their 2nd double play to erase that single.

Eli Cooper, kept the inning alive for the Bobcats as he reached with a 2-out single. Cooper, would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. The inning came to an end when Jenkins threw out Cooper trying to take 3rd. Going to the top of the fourth, Pickens led Gilmer, 3-0.

In the top of the fourth, Holland, reached with a 1-out single. Holland, would advance to 2nd on an error during the play. Holland, would then advance to 3rd on a wild pitch. Christian Starks, would reach after drawing a walk. A.J. Rice, would bring in Holland with an RBI ground out to make it 4-0. Shouse, would draw his 3rd walk of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Zabala and the Bobcats, would get out of that jam and send it to the bottom of the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Shouse, picked up 2 quick ground outs. A 2-out single by McCollum, kept the inning alive for the Bobcats. Shouse, would record his 3rd K of the night to send it to the fifth with Pickens leading Gilmer, 4-0.

In the top of the fifth, Jenkins reached on an error and would be at 2nd with 1-out. Trace Ledbetter, would bring in Jenkins’ courtesy runner, JP Nunn, with a single to make it 5-0 Dragons. In the bottom of the fifth, Brandon Davis, would reach after being hit by a pitch with 1-out. Davis, would then advance to 2nd on a wild pitch. West, would draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out.

Shouse, would do a good job of settling down as he would end the fifth by striking out the next two batters to send it to the sixth with the Dragons still leading the Bobcats, 5-0.

In the top of the sixth, Rice, would hit his first home run of the season as he sent one over the right field fence to make it 6-0. Trey Payne, would then reach on an error with 2-outs to keep the inning alive. Sutton would drive in Payne with a double to make it 7-0 Pickens going to the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the inning, Cason Cannon came on in relief of Shouse.

After Cannon got the first two out via fly out and strikeout, McCollum, kept the inning going with his 3rd hit of the day. Berry, would bring in McCollum with an RBI single. Berry would advance all to way to 3rd on an error. Cannon, would pick up his 2nd strikeout of the inning to send it to the seventh with Pickens leading Gilmer, 7-1.

Sam Hammontree, who came on to pitch hit for Tyler Payne, would lead off by reaching on an error. Kyle Grno, who pitch hit for Holland, would reach on a fielder’s choice. He would be left at 2nd and they’d go to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Nunn came on to try and finish off the game for the Dragons. After picking up a strikeout and a fly out, Grizzle would reach with a 2-out single.

After two wild pitches would advance Grizzle to 3rd, Nunn would pick up his 2nd strikeout to seal the 7-1 win in game one of the series for the Dragons.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 3 walks, 3 stolen bases, 2 runs scored (5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 K on 78 pitches)

Trey Payne: 1 stolen base, and 2 runs scored

Cade Sutton: 2-4 with a single, a double, and 1 RBI

Trace Ledbetter: 1-4 with a single

Dawson Holland: 1-3 with a single and 1 run scored

A.J. Rice: 1-3 with 1 home run, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored

Cason Cannon: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K, on 23 pitches

JP Nunn: 1 run scored ( 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K on 19 pitches)

Game two of the series will be on the turf of Dunn Field in Jasper on Thursday, March 28th. First pitch is set for 5:55 pm.

A.J. Rice Cason Cannon Connor Shouse Dawson Holland Gilmer Bobcats JP Nunn Kam Jenkins PHS Baseball Sports Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne

Dragons sweep Spartans in region double header

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 20, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Oakwood, Ga — With impending weather later in the week again affecting things, the Pickens Dragons and West Hall Spartans decided to play two on Tuesday, March 19th as they began their best of three series in 7-AAA. Coming into the series, the Dragons, were 12-3 overall and 5-1 in 7-AAA. The Spartans, came into the series with a 4-11 overall record and 2-4 in 7-AAA. The Dragons, were able to win both games taking game one, 8-2, and game two, 15-2.

Game 1:

In the top of the first, Connor Shouse got things going with a single to reach base. After Shouse stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd after a balk was called, Trey Payne brought him in with a sacrifice fly RBI. Cade Sutton, would then reach on an error. Kam Jenkins would then draw a walk. Dawson Holland, would reach on a fielder’s choice as he and Jenkins would advance on the error. Tyler Payne, would then be hit by a pitch to load the bases up.

Trace Ledbetter, would work a bases loaded walk as Jenkins would come in to score to make it 2-0 Dragons going to the bottom of the first. In the bottom half of the first, Shouse, the Dragons starter, worked around a 2-out walk as he would strike out the side. Going to the second, Pickens led West Hall, 2-0.

In the top of the second, Shouse, would reach base for the 2nd time with a 1-out single. Trey Payne, would reach on a fielder’s choice as the Spartans almost had an inning ending double play. Payne, would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. He would then advance to 3rd on a passed ball. The Spartans, got out of it with a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the second with Pickens still leading, 2-0.

In the bottom of the second, Shouse, worked around a 1-out hit batsman as he picked up his 4th and 5th strikeouts of the game and a fly out to send it to the third with the Dragons ahead, 2-0.

In the top of the third, Tyler Payne drew a 2-out walk to keep the inning going. Ledbetter, would then reach on an error. Both he and pitch runner Coleman Keener would advance on the throw. The Spartans, would get out of the jam to send it to the bottom of the third with the Dragons still up 2-0. The Spartans, would pick up a pair of 1-out singles to try and start a rally.

After executing a double steal, the Spartans would plate a run after a ground out to 1st to make it 2-1. Shouse, would get out of the third with a strikeout. Going to the fourth, Pickens led West Hall, 2-1.

In the top of the fourth, Shouse would reach for the 3rd time after being hit with a pitch. He would eventually come around to score on a wild pitch to make it 3-1 Dragons going to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom half of the frame, The Spartans, hit line outs to both James Tilley and A.J. Rice for the first 2 outs. Shouse, got out of the fourth with another strikeout. Going to the fifth, Pickens led West Hall, 3-1.

In the top of the fifth, Jenkins led off by drawing a walk. His courtesy runner, JP Nunn, would then steal 2nd. Nunn, would then take 3rd as Holland drew a walk to put runners at the corners. Holland, would steal 2nd to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Sam Hammontree, who came on to hit for Tyler Payne, would drive in Nunn on a fielder’s choice to make it 4-1 Dragons.

In the bottom of the fifth, Shouse would work around a 2-out hit and stolen base as he struck out the side for the second time to push his total up to 11 on the day. Going to the sixth, Pickens led West Hall, 4-1.

Sutton and Jenkins would start the sixth with back to back 1-out walks. Holland, would then reach on an error to load the bases. Hammontree, would drive in Sutton and Nunn with a 2-RBI double to make it 6-1. Ledbetter, would bring in Holland after a ground out to 1st to make it 7-1 Dragons. In the bottom of the sixth, Cason Cannon came on in relief of Shouse.

Cannon, worked around a batter who reached on a dropped 3rd strike, and a single to strike out two. Jenkins, also threw a runner out trying to steal 3rd. Going to the seventh, Pickend led West Hall, 7-1.

Kyle Grno, who came on in the sixth to play shortstop, drew a 1-out walk to reach base. Sutton, would keep the inning going with a 2-out single, and Jenkins would follow with a 2-out walk. Grno, would come in to score after a wild pitch to make it 8-1 Dragons. Nunn, came on in relief of Cannon in the bottom of the seventh. The Spartans, started off the inning by drawing a walk, and then advancing to 2nd on a wild pitch.

After getting a pop out for the first out, the Spartans, would score on a ground out to make it 8-2. Nunn, would pick up a strikeout to close out the game as the Dragons took game one, 8-2.

Stats for the Dragons in Game 1:

Connor Shouse: 2-2 with 2 singles, a hit by pitch, 1 walk, and 3 runs scored (5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 11 k on 88 pitches

Trey Payne: 1 RBI

Cade Sutton: 1-3 with a single, a walk, and 1 run scored

Kam Jenkins: 4 walks, 1 run scored

Dawson Holland: 1 walk, and 1 run scored

Tyler Payne: 1 hit by pitch, and 1 walk

Sam Hammontree: 1-2 with a double and 3 RBI

Trace Ledbetter: 2 walks and 1 RBI

Cason Cannon: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K on 18 pitches

JP Nunn: 2 runs scored (1 IP, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K on 23 pitches)

Game 2:

Game 2 began with Connor Shouse leading off the top of the first with a double. Trey Payne followed that up by being hit with a pitch. Cade Sutton, then reached with a single to load the bases. Kam Jenkins, would drive in Shouse and Payne with a 2-RBI single to make it 2-0. Tyler Payne would bring in Sutton and courtesy runner JP Nunn with a 2-RBI single to make it 4-0 Dragons going to the bottom of the first.

In the bottom half of the first, Dragons starter James Tilley, would toss a scoreless frame as he picked up a fly out, a strikeout, and a pop out to send it to the second with Pickens leading West Hall, 4-0.

In the top of the second, the Drgons, would go down in order with all three batters grounding out to the second baseman. In the bottom of the inning, Tilley, worked around a batter reaching on a dropped third strike, a stolen base, and a wild pitch to strikeout the side. Going to the third, Pickens still led West Hall, 4-0.

Trey Payne, would lead off the top of the third with a single, but would be thrown out trying to steal 2nd. Jenkins, would reach base with a 2-out double, but his courtesy runner Nunn, would be left stranded at 2nd. In the bottom of the third, the Spartans, would plate a run on 1 hit, 3 walks, and 1 hit batsman. Going to the fourth, Pickens led West Hall, 4-1.

In the top of the fourth, Tyler Payne led off by drawing a walk. His pitch runner Coleman Keener, would be thrown out at 2nd trying on a steal attempt. Trace Ledbetter, would reach on an error. A.J. Rice, would bring in Ledbetter with a 2-out double to make it 5-1. Shouse, would drive in Rice with an RBI single to make it 6-1. After Shouse stole 2nd, Trey Payne would reach with a single. He would then steal 2nd.

Sutton, would work a full count walk to load the bases. Jenkins, would drive in Shouse and Payne with a 2-RBI single to make it 8-1. Dawson Holland, would work a full count walk to load the bases once again. pitch hitter Sam Hammontree, would bring in Sutton after drawing a walk as the Dragons took a 9-1 lead. Tilley, would strikeout the side in the bottom of the fourth to send it to the fifth with Pickens leading West Hall, 9-1.

In the top of the fifth, Rice would reach with a 1-out single. Shouse, would then send one over the fence in left center for a 2-run home run to make it 11-1 Dragons. Sutton, would keep the inning alive with a 2-out double. Jenkins, would follow that up by drawing a walk. The Spartans, would get out of the fifth with a fly out as the Dragons took an 11-1 lead.

Brodie Keener, came on in relief of Tilley in the bottom of the fifth. The Spartans, would plate a run in the frame on 2 walks, a wild pitch, a stolen base, and 2 hits. The Dragons, would get out of the fifth after they threw out a runner trying to score from 2nd. Going to the sixth, Pickens led West Hall, 11-2.

Hammontree, led off the sixth by reaching on an error. Ledbetter, followed that by drawing a walk. Christian Starks, would reach on an error that would allow Hammontree to score. Ledbetter and Starks would advance on the play. Rice, would bring in Ledbetter on a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 13-2. Later on, Jenkins, would drive in Starks on a single to make it 14-2. Holland, would bring in Shouse by drawing a bases loaded walk to make it 15-2 Dragons.

Tate Hales, would come on in relief of Keener in the bottom of the sixth. Hales, would toss a scoreless sixth inning with two ground outs and a strikeout as the Dragons took game two, 15-2.

Stats for the Dragons in Game 2:

Connor Shouse: 4-5 with a double, 2 singles, 1 home run, 2 RBI, and 4 runs scored

Trey Payne: 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 hit by pitch, and 2 runs scored

Cade Sutton: 2-3 with a single, a double, 1 walk, and 2 runs scored

Kam Jenkins: 4-4 with 3 singles, 1 double, and 4 RBI

Dawson Holland: 2 walks and 1 RBI

Tyler Payne: 1-1 with a single, a walk, and 2 RBI

Sam Hammontree: 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Trace Ledbetter: 1 walk, and 2 runs scored

Christian Starks: 1 run scored

A.J. Rice: 2-3 with a double, a single, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored

JP Nunn: 1 run scored

Kyle Grno: 1 hit by pitch

James Tilley: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 7 K on 69 pitches

Brodie Keener: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K on 19 pitches

Tate Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K on 11 pitches

The Dragons, win the series by sweeping the double header. Pickens, now finds themselves at 14-3 overall, and 7-1 in 7-AAA. Game three of the series will be on Thursday, March 21st at Dunn Field. First pitch set for 5:55 pm.

A.J. Rice Brodie Keener Cade Sutton Cason Cannon Christian Starks Connor Shouse Dawson Holland James Tilley JP Nunn Kam Jenkins Kyle Grno PHS Baseball Sam Hammontree Sports Tate Hales Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne Tyler Payne West Hall Spartans

Dragons sweep region series with White County

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 14, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Cleveland, Ga — On Thursday, March 14th, the Pickens Dragons baseball team celebrated pi day by heading up to Cleveland, Ga to take on the White County Warriors in the third game of their 3-game set. Coming into the third game, the Dragons, had won the previous two games, 4-0. In those two games, they combined to give up just 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 hit batsman while striking out 27 batters. The Pitching for the Dragons, continued its stellar series as A.J. Rice, Cason Cannon, and J.P. Nunn combined for a shutout in the 7-0 win.

The Dragons, got things started early in the top of the first as Connor Shouse drew a lead off walk on a full count to reach base. Shouse, would advance to 2nd on a wild pitch, and steal 3rd. Trey Payne, would drive in Shouse with an RBI ground out to make it 1-0. Pickens threatened to score more in the top half of the frame as Kam Jenkins and Dawson Holland hit back to back singles, but the Warriors would get out of it to send it to the bottom of the first.

In the bottom half of the first, Rice, the starter for the Dragons, picked up his first strikeout on three pitches. After the Warriors would reach on a 1-out double, Rice would get out of the potential jam with a ground out and a pop fly to send it to the second with Pickens leading, 1-0.

In the top of the second, Trace Ledbetter, led off by drawing a walk on four pitches. Christian Starks, would follow that up with a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Rice, would then move them over on a sacrifice bunt. Shouse, would bring in Ledbetter on an RBI ground out to make it 2-0. A 2-out RBI double by Trey Payne would drive in Starks to make it 3-0 Dragons going to the bottom of the second.

In the bottom of the second, Rice, would have a clean 1-2-3 inning as he forced a ground out and picked up his 2nd and 3rd strikeout. Going to the third, Pickens led White County, 3-0.

In the top of the third, Holland, kept the inning alive with a 2-out walk, but the Warriors got out of it with a ground out. In the bottom of the frame, the Warriors would reach base with a lead off single. That would be all for the Warriors in the third as Rice struck out the side to bring his total to 6. Going to the fourth, Pickens led White County, 3-0.

In the top of the fourth, Starks, picked up his 2nd hit of the night with a 1-out single. The Warriors, were able to turn an inning ending double play to send it to the bottom of the fourth. In the bottom of the inning, Rice, picked up two ground outs and his 7th strikeout in a scoreless fourth. Going to the fifth, Pickens still led White County, 3-0.

Shouse, would lead off the top of the fifth by drawing his 2nd walk of the game. He would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. Shouse, would then swipe his second bag of the inning as he would steal 3rd, then score on an error to make it 4-0. Jenkins, would keep the inning going by drawing a 2-out walk. His courtesy runner, Nunn, would advance to 2nd on an error. The Warriors, would get out of the inning with a strikeout.

In his final inning of work, Rice, struck out the side for the second time to bring his strikeout total to 10 on the night. Going to the sixth, Pickens led White County, 4-0.

In the top of the sixth, the Dragons worked a little 2-out magic as Starks reached base after his third hit of the game. Rice, would follow that up with an RBI double to stretch the lead out to 5-0. Shouse, would then draw his third walk of the night to put two runners on. The Warriors, would get out of the sixth after forcing a pop up. Cannon, would come on in relief of Rice in the bottom of the sixth.

Cannon, would work around a 2-out single as he struck out 2 in his lone inning of work. Going to the seventh, Pickens led White County, 5-0.

Cade Sutton, would lead off the top of the seventh by drawing a walk. Jenkins, would bring him in with an RBI double to make it 6-0. Jenkins, would be thrown out at 3rd trying to stretch it to a triple. Holland, would then pick up his 2nd hit of the night as he smacked a double into center. After Holland advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch, Sam Hammontree would drive Holland in with an RBI ground out to make it 7-0 Dragons going to the bottom of the inning.

Nunn, would come on in relief of Cannon in the bottom of the seventh to finish the game off. Nunn, would toss a scoreless inning with a strikeout, a pop out, and a ground out to seal the 7-0 win and a sweep for the Dragons.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 3 walks, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored

Trey Payne: 1-4 with a double and 2 RBI

Cade Sutton: 1 walk and 1 run scored

Kam Jenkins: 2-3 with a single, a double, a walk, and 1 RBI

Dawson Holland: 2-3 with a single, a double, a walk, and 1 run scored

Sam Hammontree: 1 RBI

Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with a walk, a single, and 1 run scored

Christian Starks: 3-4 with 3 singles, and 2 runs scored

A.J. Rice: 1-2 with a sac bunt, a double, and 1 RBI & 5 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 0 ER, 10 K on 71 pitches

Cason Cannon: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K on 14 pitches

JP Nunn: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K on 17 pitches

7-AAA Baseball Standings:

Pickens: 12-3 (5-1)

Lumpkin: 8-6 (4-2)

Dawson: 10-4 (4-2)

White County: 8-7 (2-4)

West Hall: 4-11 (2-4)

Wesleyan: 4-7 (1-2)

Gilmer: 6-7 (0-3)

In the series sweep against White County, Dragons pitchers combined to go 21 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 0 R, 0 ER, 40 K on 276 pitches. The Dragons will now turn to the busy week they have next week as they will play four games. The first game being a non-region game against the Fannin Rebels on Monday, March 18th at Dunn Field. First pitch set for 5:30.

A.J. Rice Cade Sutton Cason Cannon Christian Starks Connor Shouse Dawson Holland Fannin Rebels JP Nunn Kam Jenkins PHS Baseball Sam Hammontree Sports Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne White County Warriors

Dragons tied atop standings after first week of region play

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 8, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Peachtree Corners, Ga — It was a nice day for baseball as the Pickens Dragons traveled to Wesleyan to take on the Wolves for game three of their three game region series on Thursday, March 7th. The Dragons, had already clinched the series win as a result of sweeping the doubleheader on Wednesday, March 6th. In a back and forth game, it was the Wolves who came away with the win in game three, 7-4.

’24 Georgia Tech signee Connor Shouse, led off the game with a double to right. A fly ball to right field by Trace Ledbetter, moved Shouse up to 3rd. Cade Sutton, would bring in Shouse on an RBI ground out to make it 1-0 Dragons. In the bottom half of the first, Dragons starter AJ Rice, had a 1-2-3 inning with two ground outs and a strikeout. Going to the second, the Dragons led Wesleyan, 1-0.

In the top of the second, the Dragons would go down in order on a ground out, a fly out, and a strikeout. In the bottom of the inning, the Wolves would have their first base runner of the evening as he would reach on an error. That runner would be wiped out on the next pitch after an inning ending double play to send it to the third with Pickens still leading the Wolves, 1-0.

In the top of the third, Rice reached base with a 1-out single. After stealing 2nd, Rice would advance to 3rd on a fly out by Shouse. The Wolves, were able to escape the scoring threat as they got a pop up for the 3rd out. In the bottom of the third, the Wolves would take the lead as they scored 4 runs on a walk, a stolen base, and 3 hits. Going to the fourth, Wesleyan led the Dragons, 4-1.

Sutton, led off the top of the fourth by drawing a four pitch walk. Dawson Holland, followed that up with a single. Sutton, would advance to 3rd on the throw. Holland, would then steal 2nd. After Christian Starks drew a walk, Kam Jenkins drove in Sutton with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 4-2. A 2-out single by Trey Payne would load the bases. The Wolves, would get out of the top of the fourth with just the one run given up as the bases were left loaded.

In the bottom of the frame, Rice, fired a 1-2-3 inning picking up his 3rd and 4th K in the process. Going to the fifth, Wesleyan led Pickens, 4-2.

Shouse, led off the top of the fifth with his 2nd hit of the day as he reached with a single. Shouse, would then steal 2nd to put himself in scoring position. With 1-out, he then swiped 3rd. Sutton, would draw a walk to put runners at the corners. Sutton, would steal 2nd to put himself in scoring position. Starks, came up with a little 2-out magic as he drove in Shouse and Sutton with a 2-RBI single to tie it at 4 going to the bottom of the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Wolves, retook the lead as they scored 3 runs on a walk, 2 hits, and an error to take a 7-4 advantage into the sixth.

In the top of the sixth, Tyler Payne, who came on to pitch hit for James Tilley, worked a walk to lead off the inning. A grounder by Trey Payne, would advance Tilley to 2nd, who came in to run for Tyler Payne. With 2-outs, the Dragons got a walk by Shouse and a single by Ledbetter to load the bases. The Dragons, were unable to scratch a run across as the Wolves caught a liner in center for the 3rd out. Going to the bottom of the sixth, Wesleyan still led, 7-4.

In the bottom of the sixth, Cason Cannon, who came on to finish out the bottom of the fifth, pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning as he picked up two strikeouts and a ground out to send it to the seventh with the Wolves leading, 7-4.

Holland, led off the top of the seventh by working a walk to start the inning. After a strikeout for the first out, Holland would advance to 2nd on a ground out. Holland would then move to 3rd after a balk was called on the pitcher. The Wolves, would get the third out to pick up the win in game three, 7-4.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 2-3 with a double, a single, 2 stolen bases, and 2 runs scored

Trace Ledbetter: 1-4 with a single

Cade Sutton: 1 RBI, 2 walks, a stolen base, and 2 runs scored

Dawson Holland: 1-3 with a single and a walk

Christian Starks: 1-3 with a walk, a single, and 2 RBI

Kam Jenkins: 1 RBI

Tyler Payne: 1 walk

Trey Payne: 1-3 with a single

AJ Rice: 1-3 with a single and a stolen base

7-AAA Baseball Standings:

Pickens: 9-3 (2-1)

White County: 8-4 (2-1)

West Hall: 4-8 (2-1)

Dawson: 7-4 (1-2)

Lumpkin: 5-6 (1-2)

Wesleyan: 4-7 (1-2)

Gilmer: 5-4 (no region games played)

The Dragons, will be back on the turf at Dunn Field on Tuesday, March 12th as they take on the White County Warriors in another 7-AAA series. First pitch set for 5:55 pm.

AJ Rice Cade Sutton Christian Starks Connor Shouse Dawson Holland Kam Jenkins PHS Baseball Sports Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne Tyler Payne Wesleyan Wolves White County Warriors

Dragons sweep doubleheader to open region play

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 7, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Jasper, Ga — It’s time for region baseball in 7-AAA as the Pickens Dragons hosted the Wesleyan Wolves at Dunn Field on Wednesday, March 6th. The Dragons, were coming off a successful trip to Hoover, Alabama where they went 3-1 against some of the top teams in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. The 3-game series against the Wolves, was set to begin on Tuesday, March 5th, but the rain forced it to be moved to a doubleheader on Wednesday. The Dragons, used a good combination of hitting and pitching as the #2 team in AAA swept the doubleheader.

Game 1:

The Dragons, were classified as the “away” team for game one since these two teams didn’t get to play at Wesleyan on Tuesday. Cade Sutton, got on with a 2-out walk, but that would be it for Pickens in the top of the first. In the bottom of the inning, Dragons starter Connor Shouse, worked around a 2-out walk as he struck out two and forced a ground out to send it to the second with the score tied at 0.

In the top of the second, the Dragons would go down in order after a pair of ground outs and a pop out. In the bottom half of the frame, Shouse would pick up his 3rd strikeout. The inning ended when catcher Kam Jenkins threw out a runner attempting to steal 3rd. Going to the top of the third, the game was still scoreless.

To begin the third inning, Trey Payne was able to leg out an infield single for the Dragons first hit. AJ Rice, followed by drawing a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. On the very next pitch, Shouse, sent a screaming line drive home run over the left center field wall to put the Dragons up 3-0. Trace Ledbetter, followed that up with a double and Sutton reached with a single.

Dawson Holland, kept the train moving as he drove in pitch runner Sam Dart with an RBI single to make it 4-0. Christian Starks, would bring in Sutton with an RBI single to stretch the lead to 5-0. The Wolves, were able to get out of the top of the third with the Dragons leading, 5-0. After giving up a double and a single with 1-out, Shouse was able to get out of the inning with no damage done. Going to the fourth, Pickens led Wesleyan, 5-0.

The Dragons, worked a little 2-out magic in the top of the fourth as Ledbetter drew a walk, looking to start a rally. He would then advance all the way to 3rd as the catcher overthrew the first baseman trying to throw out Ledbetter. Sutton, added to his day as he drove in Ledbetter with an RBI single to make it 6-0. Shouse, threw a clean inning in the bottom of the fourth as he picked up a fly out, and his 7th and 8th K of the game. Going to the fifth, the Dragons led, 6-0.

Starks, started off the top of the fifth by drawing a walk. Jenkins, followed that up with a single. Tyler Payne, would then bring in Starks with an RBI single to make it 7-0. Later on, Ledbetter, would draw a bases loaded walk that brought in courtesy runner JP Nunn to make it 8-0 Dragons. The bottom of the fifth was another clean inning for Shouse as he picked up his 9th and 10th K’s of the game. Going to the sixth, Pickens led Wesleyan, 8-0.

Holland, began the sixth with a single to reach base. Jenkins, would then reach on an error as both he and Holland would advance on the play. James Tilley, would bring in Holland with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 9-0. Tate Hales, came on in relief of Shouse in the bottom of the sixth and worked a scoreless frame to send it to the seventh with the Dragons leading, 9-0.

The Dragons, would go down in order in the top of the seventh after two ground outs and a fly out. Starks, came on in relief of Hales in the bottom of the seventh and he was able to close things out to give the Dragons the win in game 1, 9-0.

Stats for the Dragons in game 1:

Connor Shouse: 1-5 with a home run, 3 RBI, & 1 run scored (5 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 10 K on 76 pitches)

Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with a double, 2 walks, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI

Cade Sutton: 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 walk, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI

Dawson Holland: 2-4 with 2 singles, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI

Christian Starks: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 walk, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, on 12 pitches)

Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with a single and a sacrifice bunt

Tyler Payne: 1-1 with 1 single, and 1 RBI

James Tilley: 1 RBI

Trey Payne: 1-3 with a single, a sacrifice bunt, and 1 run scored

AJ Rice: 2 walks, and 1 run scored

Sam Dart: 1 run scored

JP Nunn: 1 run scored

Tate Hales: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 HBP, 1 K on 11 pitches

Game 2:

Game 2 began with James Tilley on the mound for the Dragons. After giving up back to back hits to start the first inning, he was able to pick up 2 k’s and a ground out to send it to the bottom of the first. In the bottom of the inning, Connor Shouse led off with a single. He then stole 2nd to get into scoring position. After a grounder by Trace Ledbetter, Shouse held up in a rundown long enough for Ledbetter to reach 2nd.

Dawson Holland, would drive in Ledbetter with an RBI double to make it 1-0. Christian Starks, followed that up with a single to put runners at the corners with 2 out. As Starks attempted to steal 2nd, the ball got through the infield which allowed Holland to score to make it 2-0. Kam Jenkins, would bring in Starks with an RBI single to make it 3-0 Dragons going to the second.

In the top of the second, Tilley, worked around a pair of hits to strikeout the side to send it to the bottom of the frame. In the bottom of the inning, the Dragons, would go down in order on 2 k’s and a fly out to send it to the third with the Dragons still leading the Wolves, 3-0.

In the top of the third, Tilley, had his first clean inning as he picked up his 6th K of the game and a pair of ground outs to keep Wesleyan scoreless. In the bottom of the third, the Dragons would go down 1-2-3 on two pop outs and a strikeout. Going to the fourth, the Dragons led the Wolves, 3-0.

In the top of the fourth, Tilley, worked around a hit and a stolen base to pick up a ground out, and his 7th and 8th K. The Dragons, would add to their lead in the bottom of the inning as Jenkins would reach on a single with 1-out. His courtesy runner, JP Nunn, would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. Designated hitter Tyler Payne, would drive in Nunn with an RBI single to make it 4-0 Dragons going to the fifth.

In the top of the fifth, the Wolves would cut into the lead as they scored a run after three straight hits. Tilley, did a good job of limiting Wesleyan to only the one run as they headed to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Shouse, led off with a single. After Shouse stole 2nd and 3rd, Ledbetter drove him in with an RBI double. Cade Sutton, would bring pitch runner Sam Dart in with an RBI single to make it 6-1 Dragons going to the sixth.

In the top of the sixth, the Wolves would once again cut into the lead as they would score a pair of runs on a couple of hits. Going to the bottom of the inning, Pickens now led Wesleyan, 6-3. In the bottom of the sixth, the Dragons would get back to back hits by Trey Payne and AJ Rice to pur runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. The Wolves, were able to get out of the jam with a double play to send it to the seventh with the Dragons leading, 6-3.

JP Nunn, came on to close it out in the top of the seventh and he would do just that. Nunn, sat the Wolves down in order on just 6 pitches to get the save and preserve the 6-3 win for the Dragons.

Stats for the Dragons in game 2:

Connor Shouse: 2-4 with 2 singles, 3 stolen bases, and 1 run scored

Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with a double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Cade Sutton: 1-3 with a single and 1 RBI

Dawson Holland: 1-2 with a double, 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Christian Starks: 1-3 with a single, and 1 run scored

Kam Jenkins: 2-3 with 2 singles, and 1 RBI

Tyler Payne: 1-2 with a single, and 1 RBI

Trey Payne: 1-3 with a single

AJ Rice: 1-3 with a single

Sam Dart: 1 run scored

James Tilley: 5 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 8 H, 9 K on 66 pitches

Brodie Keener: 1 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K on 25 pitches

JP Nunn: 1 run scored and 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB on 6 pitches

With the sweep of the doubleheader the Dragons take their first 7-AAA series of the season. The 3-game set against Wesleyan will conclude with game 3 on Thursday, March 7th at Wesleyan. First pitch set for 5:55 pm.

AJ Rice Brodie Keener Cade Sutton Christian Starks Connor Shouse Dawson Holland James Tilley JP Nunn Kam Jenkins PHS Baseball Sam Dart Sports Tate Hales Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne Tyler Payne Wesleyan Wolves

Dragons defeat Rome to move to 3-1

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports February 24, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Jasper, Ga — Baseball season is in full swing as the Pickens Dragons hosted the Rome Wolves at Dunn Field in a non-region contest on Friday, February 23rd. The Wolves, are out of the 6A classification and came into the game 1-3. The Dragons, came into the game 2-1, and ranked 4th in AAA. The Dragons, took advantage of 5 walks, 5 hit by pitch, 6 hits, and a great pitching outing to come away with a 9-1 win.

Ga Tech signee Connor Shouse, got the start for the Dragons and pitched beautifully. After giving up a lead off single, Shouse, picked up his first strikeout of the game, and the defense behind him forced a 5-4-3 double play to send it to the bottom of the first. The Dragons, would go down in order in the bottom of the frame. Going to the second inning, the game was still tied at 0.

Shouse, would pick up his 2nd and 3rd K of the game in the top of the second. In the bottom of the second, Tyler Payne and Christian Starks were hit by pitches. Kam Jenkins, would then draw a walk to load the bases with nobody out. A grounder to the shortstop by Trey Payne, drove in pitch runner Coleman Keener to make it 1-0. A grounder to 3rd base by Dawson Holland would bring in Starks to make it 2-0 Dragons going to the third.

After giving him a 2-run lead to work with, Shouse, went out and had a 1-2-3 top of the third with two more K’s to bring his total to 5 for the night. In the bottom of the third, Shouse led off with a single, and advanced to 2nd on an error. He would then move up to 3rd on a wild pitch. Trace Ledbetter, would bring him in with a sac fly RBI to make it 3-0. Cade Sutton, would then be hit by a pitch, and Tyler Payne and Starks would draw back to back walks to load the bases.

Jenkins, would extend the lead with an RBI single that drove in Sutton. Trey Payne, would bring in Sam Dart after drawing a walk to make it 5-0. Starks, would come in to score after a wild pitch to give the Dragons a 6-0 lead going to the fourth.

In the top of the fourth, Shouse worked around a 1-out single as he picked up his 6th strikeout. The top of the fourth ended with a great play by James Tilley as he was able to flip the ball to Ledbetter for the third out. In the bottom of the fourth, Shouse and Ledbetter were both hit by pitches to start the frame. They would then pull off a double steal to get into scoring position.

Sutton, would then draw a walk to load the bases. Dart, would draw a walk to bring in Shouse to make it 7-0. Starks, would bring in Ledbetter with a sac fly RBI to make it 8-0 Dragons going to the top of the fifth.

Brodie Keener, came on in relief of Shouse in the top of the fifth. Keener, threw a clean inning with a ground out and 2 K’s to send it to the bottom of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Holland would lead off with a double. AJ Rice, would bring him in with an RBI single to make it 9-0. Shouse, followed that up with a double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. The Wolves, would get out of that jam to send it to the sixth with the Dragons up, 9-0.

Tate Hales, would come on in relief of Keener in the top of the 6th. Hales, would work a scoreless inning by getting a pop out, a fly out, and a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the frame, Dawson Lowit, would get on with a 1-out double. The Wolves, would get out of the bottom of the sixth with Lowit stranded at 3rd. Going to the seventh, Pickens led Rome, 9-0.

In the top of the seventh, the Wolves would plate a run after several walks. It would not be enough as the Dragons came away with the 9-1 win.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 2-3 with a single, a double, a HBP, and 2 runs scored (4 IP, 2 H, 6 K, 0 BB on 49 pitches)

Trace Ledbetter: 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Cade Sutton: 1 walk, and 1 run scored

Tyler Payne: 1 HBP, 1 walk

Christian Starks: 1 HBP, 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored

Kam Jenkins: 1 single, 1 walk, and 1 RBI

Trey Payne: 1 walk, and 2 RBI

Dawson Holland: 1-4 with a double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

AJ Rice: 1-3 with a single and 1 RBI

Coleman Keener: 1 run scored

Sam Dart: 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Dawson Lowit: 1 double

The Dragons, will be right back on the diamond on Saturday, February 24th as they take on the Hampton Hornets. First pitch is set for 5:30 pm.

AJ Rice Cade Sutton Christian Starks Coleman Keener Connor Shouse Dawson Holland Dawson Lowit Hampton Hornets Kam Jenkins PHS Baseball Rome Wolves Sam Dart Sports Trace Ledbetter Trey Payne Tyler Payne

Dragons fall in close game with 6A Woodstock

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports February 16, 2024 , by RJ Casey

Jasper, Ga — The Pickens Baseball Mountain Classic started up on Thursday, February 15th and it features teams from around the state and in different classifications. The first game of the night saw East Forsyth defeat Calhoun 8-2. The second game, was the hosting Pickens Dragons, and the Woodstock Wolverines. Pickens, came into the game 1-0, and ranked 4th in AAA. Woodstock, came in 0-1, and ranked 6th in AAAAAA. With a number of MLB scouts in attendance, the Wolverines were able to come away with a 4-2 win.

Georgia Tech signee Connor Shouse, got the start for the Dragons in this one. With teams like the Brewers, Red Sox, Tigers, and Yankees watching, Shouse struck out 2 and forced a ground out on 15 pitches in the top of the first. In the bottom of the frame, Shouse led off with a solo shot to left field to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead. Trace Ledbetter followed that up with a single. Cade Sutton, would then hit a double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with nobody out.

The Wolverines, were able to get out of that jam as they struck out the side to keep the score at 1-0 going to the second.

In the top of the second, Shouse, would get into a bit of trouble by hitting the lead off batter, then giving up a hit. A passed ball would move the runners up to 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. The Senior, would work his way out of the jam with back to back strikeouts, and James Tilley would be at the right place at the right time to catch a line drive for the third out.

Trey Payne, would lead off the bottom of the second by reaching on an error. A single by Tyler Payne, would put runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. A,J, Rice, would then lay down a perfect sacrifice bunt as Payne and pitch runner Davin Abernathy advanced on the play. Again, the Wolverines would get out of the jam with back to back strikeouts to send it to the third with the Dragons still ahead, 1-0.

The Wolverines, would lead off the top of the third with a single. After Shouse struck out his 5th batter, the runner from 1st stole 2nd to advance into scoring position. Shouse, and catcher Kam Jenkins, combined for a strike them out throw them out to send it to the bottom of the third with Pickens still leading, 1-0. The Dragons, would go down in order in the bottom of the third as they headed to the fourth with the Dragons still clinging to a 1-0 lead.

Woodstock, would tie the game in the top of the fourth on 1 hit, 2 walks, and 2 passed balls. Tilley, who came on in relief of Shouse, was able to get out of the jam and keep the game tied going to the bottom of the frame. In the bottom of the fourth, the Dragons again would go down in order. Going to the fifth, the Dragons and Wolverines were tied at 1.

In the top of the fifth, Tilley, would be able to work around a 1-out walk as he struck out the side to send it to the bottom half of the inning. In the bottom of the fifth, the Dragons went down 1-2-3 to send it to the top of the sixth with the game tied up at 1.

In the top of the sixth, the Wolverines, were able to plate 2 runs to take the lead for the first time on the night. Going to the bottom of the sixth, Woodstock now led it, 3-1. Dawson Holland, got on with a 1-out single to try and start a rally for the Dragons. Christian Starks, would then hit a sharp ground ball to the short stop, who threw the ball away trying to get the out at second. Both runners would advance on the throw.

Jenkins, would drive in Holland with a sacrifice fly RBI to cut the Wolverine lead down to 3-2. Woodstock, would be able to preserve the lead after forcing a fly out. Going to the seventh, the Wolverines led the Dragons, 3-2.

The Wolverines, were looking to add to their lead as they loaded up the bases with no one out. JP Nunn, who came on in relief of Tilley to begin the seventh, looked to get out of the jam as he got back to back strikeouts. With the potential third out down 0-2 in the count, the pitch would hit the batter, allowing a run to score. Nunn, would strike the next batter out to send it to the bottom of the inning with Woodstock now leading, 4-2.

Rice, would work a 4-pitch walk to get on base to try to start a final inning rally. The Wolverines, were able to get a pop out and a fly out to secure the 4-2 victory.

Stats for the Dragons:

Connor Shouse: 1-4 with a home run, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Trace Ledbetter: 1-4 with a single

Cade Sutton: 1-3 with a double

Dawson Holland: 1-3 with a single and 1 run scored

Christian Starks: 1-3 with a single

Kam Jenkins: 1 RBI

Tyler Payne: 1-3 with a single

A.J. Rice: 1 sacrifice bunt and 1 walk

The Dragons, will be back at Dunn Field on Saturday, February 17th as they take on the Fort Payne Wildcats (AL). First pitch is set for 5:30 pm.

A.J. Rice Cade Sutton Christian Starks Connor Shouse Dawson Holland Fort Payne Wildcats Kam Jenkins PHS Baseball Sports Trace Ledbetter Tyler Payne Woodstock Wolverines

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