Rice tosses shutout; Dragons advance to Sweet 16
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 26, 2023
Jasper Ga — It was win or go home on Tuesday, April 25th for both the Pickens Dragons and Hart County Bulldogs as they took the field for the 3rd and final game of their best of three series in the first round of the GHSA 3A State Baseball Tournament. The Bulldogs, won game 1, 4-3 in 9 innings, while the Dragons won game 2, 5-4 on Monday. The Dragons, got a complete game shutout from Freshman A.J. Rice as they won game 3, 8-0.
In the top of the first, Rice tossed a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout and 2 ground outs to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, the Dragons, went down in order also with a fly out and 2 ground outs to send it to the second with the game tied at 0.
In the top of the second, Rice needed 12 pitches to get a pop out and 2 more ground outs in another clean inning. In the bottom half of the inning, designated hitter Tyler Payne, led off with a single. Dawson Holland, would move pitch runner Ezra Faber over to 2nd with a sacrifice bunt. After Kam Jenkins reached on a walk, ’23 Young Harris commit Evan Giddens, came through with a 2-out RBI single to bring in Faber to make it 1-0 Dragons going to the third.
In the top of the third, the Bulldogs, picked up their first base runner and first hit of the game with a 1-out single. The Bulldogs, would then get another runner on after being hit with a pitch with 2-out. Rice, as he’s done all season it seems, kept his composure and was able to induce a ground out to 3rd to send it to the bottom of the third. In the bottom of the third, ’24 Ga Tech commit Connor Shouse, led off by drawing a walk.
Trace Ledbetter, followed that up by reaching on a fielding error to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Trey Payne, would then be hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Shouse, would come in to score on a wild pitch. Ledbetter and Trey Payne would advance to 2nd and 3rd on the same pitch. Tyler Payne, would reach on a full count walk to load the bases again.
Holland, would reach on a fielder’s choice as Ledbetter would be thrown out at home after a grounder to 3rd for the first out. The Bulldogs, got out of the jam with only the 1 run given up as they induced an inning ending double play. Going to the fourth, the Dragons, now led the Bulldogs, 2-0.
In the top of the fourth, Rice, found himself in a little bit of a jam again as he gave up a single, and then hit a batter with 1-out. His defense, which had been making plays behind him all game, got some more help from them as his Freshman battery mate Jenkins, threw out a runner trying to steal 3rd for the 2nd out. Rice, finished off the top of the fourth in strong fashion with his 2nd strikeout to send it to the bottom of the frame.
In the bottom of the fourth, Giddens and Colby Brooks, both reached on back to back fielding errors with 1-out. Shouse, would then get hit with a pitch on an 0-2 count to load the bases. Giddens, would come in to score on a fielder’s choice by Ledbetter. Ledbetter, would catch the Bulldogs off guard and steal 2nd. Trey Payne, would then drive in Brooks and Ledbetter with a single to make it 5-0 Dragons going to the fifth.
In the top of the fifth, Rice, picked up his 3rd strikeout and 2 ground outs in a 9-pitch top half of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Sam Hammontree, pitch hitting for James Tilley, sent the first pitch he saw down the left field line for a 2-out double. Tilley, would then re-enter to run for Hammontree. Giddens, drove in Tilley with an RBI single to make it 6-0 Dragons going to the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, after giving up a lead off single, Rice, picked up his 4th strikeout, a ground out, and a fly out to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Lebetter, reached on a 1-out single. Davin Abernathy, would come in to pitch run for Ledbetter. Abernathy, would then get to 2nd on a wild pitch. Trey Payne, would reach base with a single. Abernathy and Payne, would then advance on a wild pitch.
With Senior Harlan Will at the plate, he would drive in both Abernathy and Payne with a 2-RBI double to make it 8-0 Dragons going to the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, Rice, ended his very impressive outing with a 1-2-3 frame as Shouse made three great plays at short for all three outs. The Dragons, get the win 8-0 in game 3 to take the series, 2-1.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, and 1 run scored
Trace Ledbetter: 1-4 with a single, and 1 run scored
Trey Payne: 1-2 with a single, 2 hit by pitch, and 1 run scored
Tyler Payne: 1-2 with a single, and 1 walk
Harlan Will: 1-1 with a double and 2 RBI
Dawson Holland: 1 sacrifice bunt
Kam Jenkins: 1 walk and 1 runner thrown out
Sam Hammontree: 1-1 with a double
Evan Giddens: 2-3 with 2 singles, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored
Colby Brooks: 1 run scored
Davin Abernathy: 1 run scored
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
James Tilley: 1 run scored
A.J. Rice: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 HBP, 4 K on 89 pitches
The Dragons, will now look towards Saturday, April 29th as they begin a best of three series with the Gordon Lee Trojans with a doubleheader. The Trojans, are representing region 6 as the #2 seed. They are 20-8 overall. The Trojans, swept Cedar Grove in the first round to get to this point. It should be an entertaining series between a pair of good teams.
Dragons split doubleheader with Hart County
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 25, 2023
Jasper, Ga — It was a beautiful day for playoff baseball on Monday, April 24th as they Pickens Dragons welcomed the Hart County Bulldogs to Dunn Field for a doubleheader in the first round of the GHSA 3A State Baseball Tournament. The Bulldogs, are the #4 seed out of region 8, and the Dragons are the #1 seed out of region 7. After the Bulldogs took game 1 in 9 innings, 4-3, the Dragons came back to take game 2, 5-4, to force a game 3 on Tuesday, April 25th.
Game 1:
In the top of the first, Dragons starter and ’24 Ga Tech commit Connor Shouse, worked around a 2-out single as he picked up 2 strikeouts and a line out to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Shouse, led off with a double. Shouse, would advance to 3rd, but the Bulldogs got out of the early threat to send it to the second with the score tied at 0.
In the top of the second, Shouse, needed 8 pitches for a 1-2-3 inning with two ground outs and a strikeout. In the bottom of the second, Kam Jenkins, reached on a 1-out walk. His courtesy runner, Tee Knight, would be left stranded and they’d go to the third, still scoreless.
In the top of the third, Shouse, continued the good start to his outing as he sat the Bulldogs down in order on two ground outs and a strikeout. In the bottom of the inning, the Dragons, went down in order as well and the game would move to the fourth, with both teams still scoreless.
In the top of the fourth, Shouse, worked around a 2-out single as he struck out the side. That gave him 7 for the game. In the bottom of the frame, the Dragons, again would go down in order as we officially had a pitcher’s duel on our hands. Going to the fifth, the Dragons and Bulldogs were still tied at 0.
In the top of the fifth, the Bulldogs would break the tie as they scored 3 runs on 1 hit, 4 walks, and 1 hit by pitch to take a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, the Dragons, got a run back as Jenkins led off with a single. A.J. Rice, then reached on a fielder’s choice. ’23 Young Harris commit Evan Giddens, moved them over on the sacrifice bunt. An RBI grounder from Colby Brooks brought in courtesy runner Tee Knight to make it 3-1 Bulldogs going to the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, Cason Cannon, who came on in relief of Shouse in the top of the fifth, worked his first full inning of relief and kept the score where it was to send the Dragons bats back up. In the bottom of the sixth, Trey Payne got on with a 1-out double. He’d come around to score after an RBI single from Tyler Payne. Jenkins, drove in pitch runner Ezra Faber on a 2-out, RBI double to tie things up at 3 going to the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, ’24 Jacksonville State commit JP Nunn, came on in relief of Cannon. Nunn, kept the Bulldogs off the board in the top half of the inning to send it to the bottom of the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, the Dragons, would go down in order. They would head to extra innings with the score tied at 3.
In the top of the eighth, Nunn, in his 2nd inning of work, worked around a 1-out walk to keep the Bulldogs off the board. In the bottom of the eighth, Shouse, now at shortstop, sent a ball for a ride in center field, but it was just shy of the fence. The Bulldogs, would get out of the bottom of the eighth and we’d head to the ninth with it still tied up at 3.
In the top of the ninth, the Bulldogs, were able to plate a run on 2 hits to retake the lead, 4-3. In the bottom of the ninth, Dawson Holland would reach on a 1-out single. The Bulldogs however, were able to get a double play to end the game as Hart County took game 1, 4-3.
Stats for the Dragons in Game 1:
Connor Shouse: 1-4 with a double
Trace Ledbetter: 1 walk
Trey Payne: 1-4 with a double and 1 run scored
Tyler Payne: 1-1 with a single and 1 RBI
Dawson Holland: 1-4 with a single
Kam Jenkins: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 walk, and 1 RBI
Colby Brooks: 1 RBI
Tee Knight: 1 run scored
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
Game 2:
The Dragons, were the “visitors” for game 2 and they looked to put up some early runs in the top of the first as Trey Payne and Tyler Payne got on with a pair of 2-out singles, and Dawson Holland reached with a full count walk. The Bulldogs, got out of the bases loaded threat to send it to the bottom of the first. In the bottom of the frame, the Bulldogs, did strike for early runs as they scored 4 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks, and 1 error.
Going to the second inning the Bulldogs, held a 4-0 lead over the Dragons.
In the top of the second, the Dragons, would go down in order to send it to the bottom half of the inning. In the bottom half of the second, Dragpns starter James Tilley, bounced back after a tough first inning to get the Bulldogs in order with a grounder to 1st base, and 2 strikeouts to send it to the third, Bulldogs leading, 4-0.
In the top of the third, the Dragons struck. Connor Shouse, led off by drawing a full count walk after being down 0-2 in the count. Trace Ledbetter, followed that up with a single. After a double steal by both Shouse and Ledbetter, Trey Payne would bring them home with a 2-RBI single to make it 4-2 Bulldogs. After Tyler Payne worked another full count walk, Holland, laid down a bunt to move Trey Payne to 3rd and pitch runner Sam Dart to 2nd with 1-out.
Freshman Kam Jenkins, once again came through with a big hit as he drove in Trey Payne and Dart with a 2-RBI single to tie the game up at 4 going to the bottom of the third. In the bottom of the third, Tilley, worked around a 1-out single to send it to the fourth with the game now tied at 4.
In the top of the fourth, Colby Brooks, reached with a 1-out single. Shouse and Ledbetter, got on by drawing back to back walks to load the bases. Trey Payne, would bring in Brooks with the sacrifice fly RBI to give the Dragons the lead 5-4, going to the bottom of the fourth. In the bottom of the fourth, Tilley, was able to work around a 2-out walk to get out of the inning. Going to the fifth, the Dragons now led it, 5-4.
In the top of the fifth, the Dragons, would go down in order on a pop up and 2 ground outs. In the bottom of the inning, Tilley, kept the Bulldogs from scoring as he picked up 2 big strikeouts to keep the runner at 3rd after he reached on an error and advanced to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt. Going to the sixth, the Dragons maintained their 5-4 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Brooks, reached on a 1-out walk. Shouse, would then get hit by a pitch on a 3-2 count and the Dragons had runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. The Bulldogs, somehow, were able to get out of it with no damage done to send it to the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the inning, Tilley, sat the Bulldogs down in order with a ground out, a fly out, and a strikeout to send it to the seventh with the Dragons up, 5-4.
In the top of the seventh, Holland, would make it to 2nd after an error by the shortstop. Jenkins, followed up with a single. As the throw was going home, Jenkins took the opportunity to advance to 2nd to give the Dragons 2 runners in scoring position with 1-out. Once again, the Bulldogs found a way to get out of the jam and keep it at 5-4 going to the bottom of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, Tilley, nearly crossing the 100 pitch mark, finished the ball game off by striking out the side to keep Pickens alive as the Dragons took game 2, 5-4.
Stats for the Dragons in Game 2:
Connor Shouse: 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, and 1 run scored
Trace Ledbetter: 1-3 with a single, a walk, and 1 run scored
Trey Payne: 2-3 with 2 singles, 3 RBI, and 1 run scored
Tyler Payne: 1-1 with a single, and 1 walk
Dawson Holland: 1 walk
Kam Jenkins: 2-4 with 2 singles and 2 RBI
Colby Brooks: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, and 1 run scored
Sam Dart: 1 run scored
With the two teams splitting the doubleheader, we now turn to the deciding game 3. The winner of game 3, will advance to the sweet 16 and face Gordon Lee on Saturday. First pitch for game 3 between Pickens and Hart County is set for 5 pm.
Rice throws complete game shutout as Dragons sweep Tigers
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 6, 2023
Jasper, Ga — On another beautiful day for baseball, the Pickens Dragons welcomed the Dawson Tigers to Dunn Field for the third and final game of their 7-AAA series on Thursday, April 6th. The Dragons, came into the game looking to sweep the series, while the Tigers came into the game looking to at least steal a game. The Dragons, got a masterful performance from Freshman A.J. Rice as he threw a 4-hit complete game shutout as Pickens picked up a 3-0 win.
In the top of the first, Rice started off the game with a strikeout. After a 1-out single by Sawyer Bearden, he would advance to 2nd after a ground out by Julian Horner. The Tigers, would leave Bearden stranded at 2nd after Rice picked up his 2nd K of the inning to send it to the bottom of the first. In the bottom of the frame, the Dragons got a 1-out double by Trace Ledbetter, and a 2-out walk by Tyler Payne.
Tigers starter Banks Hickman, got out of the first with a strikeout to send it to the second with the game still tied.
In the top of the second, Elijah Odom led off with a single. After Rice picked up his 3rd K of the game, Odom would be out at 2nd as Chase Adams reached on the fielder’s choice. Rice, got his 4th K to end the top of the second and keep the game scoreless. In the bottom of the second, James Tilley would reach on a 1-out single. He would then steal 2nd to put himself in scoring position. Colby Brooks, kept the inning going with a 2-out infield hit.
Hickman, was able to get out of the runners at 1st and 3rd jam with a ground out to send it to the third with the game still scoreless.
In the top of the third, Rice needed just 7 pitches to get out of the top half of the inning as he picked up 2 more strikeouts and a ground out. In the bottom of the third, Ledbetter, would reach after being hit by a pitch. Ezra Faber, would then come in to pitch run for Ledbetter. Tyler Payne, drew his 2nd walk of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Davin Abernathy, would come in to pitch run for Payne.
Dawson Holland, drove in Faber with the RBI double to make it 1-0 Dragons. Abernathy, would advanced to 3rd on the double, would come in to score after a wild pitch to make it 2-0 Dragons going to the fourth.
In the top of the fourth, Rice picked up his 7th strikeout to begin the inning. After a 1-out double by Davis Glass, Rice induced a grounder to 3rd and picked up his 8th strikeout leaving Glass stranded at 3rd. In the bottom of the fourth, Young Harris commit Evan Giddens, led off with a single. He would then steal 2nd to advance to scoring position. Ga Tech commit Connor Shouse, would advance Giddens to 3rd on a fly out to right.
Ledbetter, drove in Giddens with the RBI single to make it 3-0 Dragons going to the fifth.
In the top of the fifth, Rice continued his stellar night as he struck out the side giving him 11 punch outs on the night. In the bottom of the fifth, Bearden came on in relief of Hickman. Bearden, picked up 2 ground outs and a strikeout in a 1-2-3 inning to send it to the sixth with the Dragons leading, 3-0.
In the top of the sixth, Rice had his 2nd straight 1-2-3 inning as he picked up his 12th K, and 2 fly outs to send it to the bottom half of the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Brooks reached with his 2nd hit of the night. He advanced to scoring position after stealing 2nd. Bearden, got out of the inning by getting a fly out. Going to the seventh, the Dragons still led the Tigers, 3-0.
After Rice picked up two quick outs to start the top of the seventh, Preston Bannister kept the game alive for the Tigers with a 2-out single. In a fitting way to end the game, Rice fielded a grounder right to him and he would flip it to Ledbetter for the third and final out. The Dragons, pick up the sweep with the 3-0 win.
Stats for the Dragons:
Trace Ledbetter: 2-2 with a double, a single, a hit by pitch, and 1 RBI
Tyler Payne: 2 walks
Dawson Holland: 1-3 with a double and 1 RBI
James Tilley: 1-3 with a single and 1 stolen base
Evan Giddens: 1-3 with a single, 1 stolen base, and 1 run scored
Colby Brooks: 2-3 with 2 singles and 1 stolen base
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
Davin Abernathy: 1 run scored
7-AAA Region Standings:
Pickens: 22-3 (14-1)
Lumpkin: 18-5 (9-3)
Wesleyan: 12-7 (9-3)
Dawson: 12-11 (8-7)
White Co.: 8-14 (3-9)
West Hall: 6-16 (2-10)
Gilmer: 6-16 (0-12)
With the win, the Dragons have run their win streak up to 15 games in a row. Next week, the Dragons will play their final region series of the season as they take on the Lumpkin County Indians. Game 1 of the series, is set for Tuesday, April 11th. Game will be at Lumpkin. First pitch set for 5:55 pm.
Dragons defeat Bobcats to push win streak to 10 games
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 29, 2023
Ellijay, Ga — It was a nice but windy day on Tuesday, March 28th as the Pickens Dragons traveled the short distance up to Ellijay for game 1 of their 3-game region series against their 515 rival, the Gilmer Bobcats. Coming into the game, the Dragons were riding a 9 game win streak and were tied atop the 7-AAA Standings with Lumpkin. The Bobcats, came into the game looking to break a bad string of luck and to pick up their first region win. The Dragons, piled up 15 K’s as a team continued their winning ways with a 7-1 victory.
In the top of the first, the Dragons wasted no time getting on the board as Ga Tech commit Connor Shouse, worked a full count and then sent a baseball over the left field wall to give Pickens the 1-0 lead. Harlan Will, reached on a 2-out walk, but the Bobcats starter Ethan McCollum, got out of the top half of the first only allowing the 1 run. In the bottom of the first, Austin Zabala led off by drawing a walk.
Shouse, the starter for the Dragons, settled down and got a grounder to 3rd base, and 2 strikeouts to send it to the top of the second with Pickens leading, 1-0.
In the top of the second, James Tilley reached after drawing a full count walk. Colby Brooks, then reached on a bunt single with 2-outs. Shouse, followed that up by drawing a walk to load the bases. McCollum, again was able to avoid the scoring threat and send it to the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the frame, the Bobcats, got a 1-out walk, and a 2-out walk. Shouse, was able to work around those pair of walks to send it to the third with the Dragons up, 1-0.
In the top of the third, Dawson Holland led off by reaching on an error. Will, followed up with a single. Holland, came in to score after a single by Trey Payne to make it 2-0. Kam Jenkins, reached after a dropped 3rd strike. Tilley, brought in pitch runner Ezra Faber with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 3-0 Dragons going to the bottom of the third. In the bottom of the third, Shouse, had his cleanest inning of the game as he picked up 2 K’s and a grounder on 8 pitches.
Going to the top of the fourth, the Dragons now led the Bobcats, 3-0.
In the top of the fourth, Shouse led off by drawing his 2nd walk of the game. He then stole 2nd base to put himself in scoring position for Trace Ledbetter. Ledbetter, drove in Shouse with an RBI double to make it 4-0 Dragons. Holland, followed that up by reaching on an error. Tyler Payne, pitch hitting for Will, drove in Ledbetter with a grounder to make it 5-0. Holland, would come around to score as Jenkins reached on a 2-out single and Tilley drew a full count walk.
In the bottom of the fourth, Shouse picked up his 2nd consecutive 1-2-3 inning as he struck out the side on 11 pitches to send it to the top of the fifth with the Dragons leading the Bobcats, 6-0.
In the top of the fifth, Brooks led off with his 2nd hit of the game. Brooks, then advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch. After the Bobcats got Shouse out on a fly out, they would get Brooks out in a rundown for the 2nd out. Hayden Berry, who came on in relief of McCollum, got a come backer for the 3rd and final out of the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Shouse, finished his outing off strong with 2 more K’s and a grounder to send it to the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, Haden West, who came on in relief of Berry, picked up the Bobcats first 1-2-3 inning as he got 2 grounders and a pop up to send it to the bottom of the inning with the Dragons leading 6-0. Cason Cannon, came on in relief of Shouse in the bottom of the sixth and he was impressive in his 1 inning of work. Cannon, picked up 2 K’s and a pop up to send it to the seventh, with Pickens leading Gilmer, 6-0.
In the top of the seventh, Christian Starks, pitch hitting for Tilley, reached on an error. Sam Hammontree, pitch hitting for Evan Giddens, followed up with a single. Brooks, reached on a 4-pitch walk to load the bases. Shouse, now at shortstop, hit a deep fly ball into the outfield that would bring in Starks to make it 7-0 Dragons going to the bottom of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Bobcats got a lead off walk. The Bobcats then got back to back 1-out walks to load the bases. Gilmer, picked up their first hit and their first run after a single to make it 7-1. JP Nunn, who came on in relief of Cannon, got back to back strikeouts to preserve the 7-1 win for the Dragons.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 1-3 with a solo home run, 2 walks, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, & 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K on 77 pitches
Trace Ledbetter: 1-5 with a double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Dawson Holland: 2 runs scored
Harlan Will: 1-1 with a single and a walk
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
Tyler Payne: 1 RBI
Trey Payne: 1-4 with a single
Kam Jenkins: 1-4 with a single
James Tilley: 2 walks, 1 RBI
Christian Starks: 1 run scored
Sam Hammontree: 1-1 with a single
Colby Brooks: 2-3 with 2 singles, and 1 walk
Cason Cannon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K on 13 pitches
JP Nunn: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K on 34 pitches
The Dragons, got a little bit of help from the Dawson Tigers as they defeated the Lumpkin Indians in the first game of their series. With that Lumpkin loss, the Dragons are now in sole possession of 1st place in 7-AAA. Pickens, will be back home on Thursday, March 30th as they will host the Gilmer Bobcats for game 2 of their 3-game series. First pitch is set for 5:55 pm.
Dragons sweep Warriors after pitchers duel
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 18, 2023
Cleveland, Ga — It was a good day to be the teams wearing green as the Pickens Dragons took to the road to face the White County Warriors in the 3rd and final game of their region series on Friday, March 17th. Weather pushed the start time back almost 2 hours, but they were able to get the game in. The fans in attendance, were treated to a low scoring pitchers duel as the Dragons edged out a 1-0 win.
In the top of the first, the Dragons went down in order as the Warriors got 2 fly ball outs and 1 strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, The Warriors lead off man reached after being hit with a pitch on a full count. Dragons starter AJ Rice, collected himself and picked up his 1st strikeout for the first out. The runner at 1st base, would then be throw out by catcher Kam Jenkins trying to swipe 2nd.
Rice, picked up his 2nd K on the next pitch to send it to the top of the second, with Pickens and White County still scoreless.
In the top of the second, the Dragons got back to back 1-out hits from Dawson Holland and Jenkins. They would be left stranded on the base paths as the Warriors were able to get a line out to center, and a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the second, Rice would pick up his 3rd K of the night in between two fly outs to send it to the third with both teams still tied at 0.
In the top of the third, the Dragons got a pair of 1-out walks from Connor Shouse and Trace Ledbetter. The Warriors, again escaped any potential trouble as they were able to get a ground ball double play to send it to the bottom of the third. In the bottom of the third, the Warriors had a big time scoring chance with runners on the corners and nobody out. Rice, got his 4th K of the night for the first out.
The Dragons, almost turned a double play to end the inning, but they were able to get the out at home. The final out of the inning came after the batter for the Warriors reached on an infield single. The runner at 2nd tried to score on the play, but was thrown out at home to keep it deadlocked at 0 between the two teams.
In the top of the fourth, designated hitter Harlan Will, led off with a single. Ezra Faber, came on to run for Will and he would be able to take 2nd. Faber, made it to 3rd after a wild pitch. Holland, got him in with an RBI grounder to break the tie and give the Dragons a 1-0 lead over the Warriors going to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, the Warriors lead off man worked the count and reached on a walk.
Rice, got out of the inning by forcing a ground out, a fly out, and a line out to send it to the top of the fifth with the Dragons leading the Warriors, 1-0.
In the top of the fifth, the Warriors got the Dragons to go down in order with a fly out and a pair of strikeouts. In the bottom of the fifth, Rice would work around a 1-out walk as he would strikeout the side, Giving him 7 for the game. Going to the sixth, the Dragons still led, 1-0.
In the top of the sixth, Ledbetter led off with a single after working a full count. He would end up being left stranded at 3rd as the Warriors were able to get 3 straight outs to keep it at 1-0 going to the bottom of the sixth. JP Nunn, came on in relief of Rice in the bottom of the sixth to try to get the save and preserve the win for the Dragons. Nunn, struck out the side on 11 pitches to send it to the seventh with Pickens leading, 1-0.
In the top of the seventh, the Dragons would go down in order to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Nunn was back out there to try to get the save. He was able to do just that as he got a fly out, his 4th strikeout, and a pop up to seal the 1-0 victory and the series sweep for the Dragons.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Trace Ledbetter: 1-2 with a single and a walk
Harlan Will: 1-2 with a single
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
Dawson Holland: 1-3 with a single and 1 RBI
Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with a single
AJ Rice: 5 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 0 R, 0 ER, 7 K on 74 pitches
JP Nunn: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K on 27 pitches
The Dragons, will go into a busy week next week knowing they’ll be in a tie for first place in the region with Dawson or with Dawson and Lumpkin depending on how Lumpkin’s series with West Hall turns out. Pickens, will begin a busy week next week on Monday, March 20th as they host the Fannin County Rebels in a make up game that had been pushed back due to weather. First pitch is set for 5:30 pm.
Dragons baseball moves to 3-0 on the season
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports February 19, 2023
Jasper. Ga — The Pickens Dragons baseball team began the 2023 season on Friday, February 10th with a 10-1 win on the road at LaFayette. The Dragons then went to Blairsville on Tuesday, February 14th and beat Union County 8-2. Their home opener scheduled for Thirsday, February 16th against Sequoyah was then rained out. This brings us to Saturday, February 18th as the Dragons welcomed the Athens Christian Eagles for the 3rd day of the Pickens Mountain Classic. Pickens, picked up the win in 5 innings, 13-3.
In the top of the first, the Eagles plated the first run of the game on a pair of hits and two walks to make it 1-0. In the bottom of the inning, Georgia Tech commit Connor Shouse got things going with a double down the left field line. After Trace Ledbetter reached on an error, Trey Payne knocked in Shouse with an RBI single to tie it at 1. Harlan Will, drove in Ledbetter to give the Dragons a 2-1 lead going to the second.
In the top of the second, Shouse, picked up his 3rd and 4th strikeout of the game as he left a runner stranded on base to send it to the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the frame, the Dragons got back to back hits from Dawson Holland and Evan Giddens to start the inning. Colby Brooks, was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Shouse, brought in Holland after catcher’s interference was called to make it 3-1.
Ledbetter, drove in Giddens and Brooks on a 2 RBI single to stretch the lead to 5-1. Will, knocked in Shouse with a single to make it 6-1 Pickens going to the top of the third.
Tate Hales, came on in relief of Shouse in the top of the third, and pitched really well in his one inning of work. Hales, needed 10 pitches to sit down the Eagles in order and send us to the bottom of the inning. After a quick two outs to start the bottom of the third, Shouse, now at shortstop, hit his second double of the game to get into scoring position. Lebetter, knocked him in with a single for his 3rd RBI of the game to make it 7-1 Dragons going to the fourth.
Tee Knight, came on to relive Hales in the top of the fourth and much like Hales, pitched very well in his one inning of work. Knight, kept the Athens Christian bats quiet to send it to the bottom of the frame. In the bottom of the fourth, the Dragons plated 3 runs on 3 hits to extend their lead over the Eagles to 10-1 going to the fifth.
In the top of the fifth, Athens Christian looked to get back into the game as they had scored two runs on a hit, a couple walks, and a pair of hit batters. Freshman AJ Rice, came in and shut down the threat with three straight outs to limit the damage to just 2 runs. In the bottom of the fifth, another freshman, Kam Jenkins, led off with a double. His courtesy runner, Brodie Keener, came in to score on an RBI single by Rice to make it 11-3.
Rice, was brought in by an RBI single from Giddens to make it 12-3. After a double by Brooks, Shouse, who re-entered the game after being pitched hit for, drove in Giddens with an RBI single to enforce the run rule and give the Dragons a 13-3 win.
Stats for Pickens:
Connor Shouse: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 42 pitches (W) 3-3 with 2 doubles, 1 single, 2 RBI, & 3 runs scored
Trace Ledbetter: 2-3 with 2 singles, 3 RBI, & 1 run scored
Trey Payne: 1-1 with 1 single, 2 hit by pitch, & 1 RBI
Harlan Will: 2-3 with 2 singles & 1 RBI
AJ Rice: 1-4 with 1 single, 1 RBI, & 1 run scored
Dawson Holland: 2-4 with 2 singles & 2 runs scored
Evan Giddens: 3-4 with 3 singles, 2 RBI, & 3 runs scored
Colby Brooks: 1-3 with a double, 1 hit by pitch, & 1 run scored
Kam Jenkins: 1-1 with a double
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
Brodie Keener: 1 run scored
The Dragons, will have a busy week next week as they will play four games. The first game, will take place on Monday, February 20th as Pickens will welcome the Sequoyah Chiefs to Dunn Field. As mentioned earlier, this game, was supposed to take place on Thursday, the 16th, but was pushed back due to weather. First pitch is set for 6 pm.