Dragons reach Elite 8 for first time in school history
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports May 1, 2024
Jasper, Ga — It was win or go home for the Pickens Dragons and the Hebron Christian Lions on Tuesday, April 30th as Dunn Field was the site for game three of the best of three series. The Dragons and Lions, split a doubleheader on Monday, April 29th with the Dragons winning the first game, and the Lions winning the second game. The winner of the deciding third game, would move on to face the Harlem Bulldogs. The Dragons, pulled away from the Lions early on and came away with a 10-0 win in 6 innings.
In the top of the first, Dragons starter James Tilley, worked around a 2-out walk as he picked up two ground outs, and a strikeout to send it to the bottom half of the frame. In the bottom of the first, Connor Shouse, got things started by leading off with a single. A.J. Rice, would then ground into a fielder’s choice as Shouse would be forced out at 2nd. Lions starter Dallas Rice, would then force an inning ending double play to send it to the second still tied at 0.
Tilley, had a long inning pitch count wise in the top of the second, but picked up two more strikeouts and a ground out to get out of it. After Rice picked up two quick outs in the bottom of the second, things would turn for both teams as Rice would be hit with a come backer near the wrist of his throwing arm. Sutton, who reached on an error by the 1st baseman on the play, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position.
Tyler Payne, would draw a 4-pitch walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2-out. Kyle Grno, would draw the second straight walk to load the bases. Trey Payne, would then draw a full count walk to bring in Sutton to make it 1-0 Dragons. Shouse, would clear the bases with a 3-RBI double to make it 4-0 Dragons. Leyton Jones, would come on in relief of Rice and would get out of the inning with a ground out. Going to the third, the Dragons led it, 4-0.
Tilley, carried over that momentum from the bottom of the third to the top of the fourth as he fired a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout, and two ground outs. Kam Jenkins, would look to get something started for the Dragons in the bottom of the inning with a 1-out double. Christian Starks, would drive in courtesy runner JP Nunn with an RBI single to make it 5-0 Dragons. Starks, would then steal 2nd to move into scoring position.
Sutton, would then bring in Starks with an RBI triple to make it 6-0 Dragons. Tag Clement, would come on in relief of Jones and he would force a pop out and a ground out to get out of the third. Going to the fourth, Pickens led Hebron Christian, 6-0.
In the top of the fourth, Tilley, would keep rolling along as he picked up two strikeouts, and a pop out. In the bottom of the fourth, Shouse, would pick up his third hit of the day and his second double. Rice, would drive him in with an RBI single to make it 7-0 Dragons. Rice, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Trace Ledbetter, would bring in Rice with an RBI single to make it 8-0. Ledbetter would advance to 2nd on the throw.
Jenkins, would move pitch runner Jennings Allen up to 3rd on a fly out as he would tag from 2nd. Starks, would drive in Allen with his 2nd RBI knock of the day to make it 9-0 Dragons. Thomas Stallworth, would come on in relief of Clement and he would force a ground out to get out of the inning. Going to the fifth, Pickens led Hebron Christian, 9-0.
In the top of the fifth, Stallworth, would pick up the first hit of the day for the Lions with a 1-out single. Tilley, would shake that off to strike out the next two batters to send it to the bottom of the inning. The Dragons, would go down in order in the bottom of the fifth on two pop outs and a ground out. Going to the sixth, Pickens still led Hebron Christian, 9-0.
Brodie Keener, would come on in relief of Tilley in the top of the sixth. Keener, would toss a scoreless frame as he picked up a pop out, a line out, and a strikeout to send it to the bottom half of the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, pitch hitter Ezra Faber, would jump on the first pitch he saw and would bloop on down the right field line for a lead off single. Pitch hitter Dawson Lowit, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs.
Faber, would move up to 3rd after a fly out by Ledbetter. Pitch hitter Sam Hammontree, would drive in Faber with an RBI single to take game three 10-0 and send the Dragons to the Elite 8 for the first time in school history.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 3-3 with 1 single, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, and 1 run scored
A.J. Rice: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 steal, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Trace Ledbetter: 1-4 with 1 single and 1 RBI
Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with 1 double
Christian Starks: 2-3 with 2 singles, 2 steals, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored
Cade Sutton: 1-3 with 1 double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Tyler Payne: 1 walk
Kyle Grno: 1 walk and 1 run scored
Trey Payne: 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Ezra Faber: 1-1 with 1 single and 1 run scored
Dawson Lowit: 1 walk
Sam Hammontree: 1-1 with 1 single and 1 RBI
Coleman Keener: 1 run scored
JP Nunn: 1 run scored
Jennings Allen: 1 run scored
James Tilley: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K on 70 pitches
Brodie Keener: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K on 12 pitches
The Dragons, will now get ready for the Elite 8 as they will take on the Harlem Bulldogs on the road in a best of three series starting on Saturday, May 4th in a doubleheader. Game 1 is set to start at 2 pm, and game 2 is set to begin at 4:30 pm. The “if” game is set for Monday, May 6th at 5 pm.
Dragons sweep Tigers to advance to Sweet 16
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports April 24, 2024
Jasper, Ga — The 3A State Baseball Tournament began on Tuesday, April 23rd as the Pickens Dragons welcomed the Adairsville Tigers to Dunn Field for a double header as part of a best of three series. Coming into the game, the Dragons, were 25-5 overall, the #1 seed out of 7-AAA, and ranked #2 in AAA. The Tigers, came into the game 15-9 overall, and the #4 seed out of 6-AAA. The Dragons, were able to pull out a sweep to advance to the Sweet 16.
Game 1:
Dragons starter Connor Shouse, got off to a good start in the top of the first as he forced a line out, and two ground outs to send it to the bottom of the frame. Shouse, would lead off the bottom of the first by lacing a double down the left field line. Trey Payne, would follow that by reaching on an error to put runners at 1st and 3rd. As Payne stole 2nd, the throw got through the infield which would allow both Shouse and Payne to score to make it 2-0 Dragons.
Later on in the inning, Trace Ledbetter, would reach with a 2-out single. Christian Starks, would follow with a single of his own. Kyle Grno, drove in Ledbetter with an RBI single to make it 3-0 Dragons. Starks would advance to 3rd and Grno would advance to 2nd on the play. Starks, would come in to score on a wild pitch to make it 4-0 Dragons going to the second.
After Shouse the first two outs to start the top of the second, Ryan Farr, would pick up the first hit for the Tigers with a 2-out double. Shouse, would work around that as he forced a grounder to 1st for the third out. A.J. Rice, would lead off the bottom of the second with a single. Rice, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Payne, would move Rice over to 3rd with a 1-out single.
Cade Sutton, would drive in Rice with an RBI single to make it 5-0 Dragons. The Tigers, would get out of the second with a double play. Going to the third, Pickens led Adairsville, 5-0.
In the top of the third, Harrison Cole, would reach with a 1-out walk. Cole, would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. Peyton Bowen, would bring in Cole with an RBI single to make it 5-1. Jarrett Scott, would be hit with a pitch to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2-outs. The inning would come to an end as Braxton Ryan would be called out due to running inside the baseline.
Ledbetter, would lead off the bottom of the third by legging out a triple. Grno, would bring in Ledbetter with an RBI ground out to make it 6-1 Dragons. Dawson Holland, would keep the inning alive for the Dragons as he would lace a 2-out triple to center. The Tigers, would force a pop out to get out of the third and send it to the fourth with Pickens leading Adairsville, 6-1.
In the top of the fourth, Jack Nelson, would lead off with a ground rule double. Farr, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Landon O’Neal, would then reach on a bunt single to load the bases with nobody out. Hayden Blalock, would reach on a fielder’s choice as Nelson would come in to score to make it 6-2. After Shouse picked up a strikeout, the Dragons turned a 5-2-3 double play to send it to the bottom of the fourth.
In the bottom of the fourth, after two quick outs, Sutton would draw a walk on a full count to reach. Kam Jenkins, would then be hit with a pitch to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2-outs. The Tigers, would force a line out to left to get out of the fourth. Going to the fifth, Pickens led Adairsville, 6-2.
In the top of the fifth, Cason Cannon came on in relief of Shouse. Scott, would reach with a 1-out single. Cannon, would pick up a fly out and a ground out to send it to the bottom of the inning. Starks, would lead off the bottom of the fifth by lining one to center and coming in to score for an inside the park home run to make it 7-2. Rice, would reach with a bunt single with 2-out to keep the inning going.
Shouse, would then hit his 2nd double of the game as he drove in Rice to make it 8-2 Dragons going to the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, Cannon, on for his second inning of relief, picked up the first two outs of the inning via strikeout and line out. Blalock, would keep the inning alive for the Tigers as he reached with a 2-out single. Blalock, would be forced out at 2nd as Shouse just beat Blalock to the bag. Sutton, would lead off the bottom of the sixth by reaching on an error. Jenkins, would also reach on an error to put runners at 1st and 2nd with no one out.
Ledbetter, would then lay down a sacrifice bunt to move Sutton over to 3rd, and courtesy runner Ezra Faber over to 2nd. A 1-out single by Starks would drive in both Sutton and Faber to make it 10-2 Dragons. The Tigers, would get out of the sixth with a double play. Going to the seventh, Pickens led Adairsville, 10-2.
JP Nunn came on in relief of Cannon in the top of the seventh. Nunn, would pick up a strikeout and a fly out for the first two outs. Scott, would then reach by drawing a 2-out walk. Nunn, would close it out with a strikeout as the Dragons took game one, 10-2.
Stats for the Dragons:
Connor Shouse: 2-4 with 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 1 run scored, 1 steal, and 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 K, on 68 pitches
Trey Payne: 1-4 with 1 single and 1 run scored
Cade Sutton: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Kam Jenkins: 1 hit by pitch
Trace Ledbetter: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 triple, 1 sacrifice bunt, and 2 runs scored
Christian Starks: 3-4 with 2 singles, 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored
Kyle Grno: 1-4 with 1 single and 1 RBI
Dawson Holland: 1-2 with 1 triple, and 1 walk
A.J. Rice: 2-3 with 2 singles and 2 runs scored
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
Cason Cannon: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K on 33 pitches
JP Nunn: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K on 20 pitches
Game 2:
For the second game, the Dragons would be labeled as the “visitors”. Connor Shouse, would lead off by drawing a a full count walk Shouse, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Trey Payne, would follow by also drawing a walk on a full count to put runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. In what looked like an attempted hit and run situation, Shouse would be thrown out at 3rd, while Payne would steal 2nd.
Cade Sutton, would then draw the third full count walk of the inning to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Kam Jenkins, would move the runners over after a ground out to 3rd. Trace Ledbetter, would then be hit by a pitch to load the bases with 2-out. Ledbetter, would be forced out at 2nd as the Tigers got out of the inning with no damage done. In the bottom of the first, Dragons starter James Tilley, would pick up a fly out and a strikeout for the first two outs.
Jarrett Scott, kept the inning going for the Tigers with a 2-out single. Tilley, would get out of the first with his 2nd strikeout. Going to the second, Pickens and Adairsville were tied at 0.
In the top of the second, Dawson Holland, would be hit by a pitch with 1-out. Holland, would have to exit the game and Kyle Grno would come in to replace him. A.J. Rice, would lace a 1-out double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. The Tigers, would then choose to intentionally walk Shouse to load the bases. Trey Payne, would draw his 2nd walk of the game as Grno would come in to score to make it 1-0 Dragons.
Jenkins, would drive in both Rice and Shouse with a 2-RBI single to make it 3-0. Payne, would be thrown out at home trying to score from 1st. In the bottom of the second, Landon O’Neal, would draw a 2-out walk to reach. Hudson Parr, would follow by drawing a full count walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Harrison Cole, would draw the third straight 2-out walk to load the bases.
PJ Weeks, would drive in courtesy runner Evan Hardin and Parr with a 2-RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2. Weeks, would then steal 2nd to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Peyton Bowen, would draw the fourth walk of the inning to load the bases. Tilley and the Dragons, would get out of the second after a ground out. Going to the third, Pickens led Adairsville, 3-2.
In the top of the third, Tyler Payne kept the inning going by getting hit by a pitch with 2-outs. The Tigers, would get out of the third with a ground out. Tigers starting pitcher Jack Nelson, would reach in the bottom of the third with a 1-out single. Ryan Farr, would then follow with a single as courtesy runner Dutch Hernandez would advance to 2nd. O’Neal, would ground out to 1st, moving the runners over to 2nd and 3rd.
Tilley, would get out of the jam by picking up a strikeout to send it to the fourth with Pickens leading Adairsville, 3-2.
Rice, would lead off the top of the fourth with his 2nd hit of the game. Rice, would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. After a ground out, Trey Payne, would reach on a fielder’s choice as Rice would be forced out. Payne, would then advance by stealing 2nd. Payne, would get thrown out trying to steal 3rd to send it to the bottom of the fourth. Cole, would lead off the bottom of the fourth by reaching on a single. An error would advance Cole to 2nd.
After a pop out and a ground out, Scott would drive in Cole with a single to tie the game at 3. Braxton Ryan, would then be hit with a pitch to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Nelson, would help himself out as he drove in pitch runner McCayden Hufstetler with an RBI double to make it 4-3 Tigers. Brodie Keener, would come on in relief of Tilley and would get out of the fourth with one pitch. Going to the fifth, Adairsville led Pickens, 4-3.
In the top of the fifth, Jenkins, would reach by drawing a 1-out walk. Ledbetter, would then reach on a fielder’s choice as courtesy runner JP Nunn was forced out at 2nd. Nelson, would force a ground out to get out of the fifth. In the bottom of the inning, Keener, working his first full inning of relief, forced a ground out and two pop outs to send it to the sixth with Adairsville leading Pickens, 4-3.
In the top of the sixth, Rice, would reach on an error with 2-outs. Shouse, would move Rice to 3rd with a double. Nelson and the Tigers, would get out of the jam with a fly out to center. Weeks, would lead off the bottom of the sixth by drawing a full count walk, Bowen, would move Weeks over to 2nd after a sacrifice bunt. After intentionally walking Scott, Keener, forced a pop out and a line out to send it to the seventh, Tigers leading 4-3.
In the top of the seventh, Jenkins, would make it to 2nd on an error with 1-out. Ledbetter, would advance courtesy runner Ezra Faber, over to 3rd after a ground out. Christian Starks, would sneak a single past the diving first baseman to bring in Faber to tie the game at 4. In the bottom of the seventh, Cason Cannon, came on in relief of Keener. Cannon, picked up a fly out and two strikeouts to send it to the eighth, all tied up at 4.
In the top of the eighth, Rice, would draw a walk with 1-out. Shouse, would then be intentionally walked to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Trey Payne, would reach on a fielder’s choice as Shouse would be forced out at 2nd. Rice, would come home to score after an error on the play to make it 5-4 Dragons. Payne, would end up at 2nd on the play. Sutton, would be hit with a pitch to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2-out.
The Tigers, would get out of the eighth with just the one run scored as they forced a fly out. In the bottom of the eighth, Cole, would lead off by drawing a walk. After a fly out by Weeks for the first out, Cole, would move into scoring position after stealing 2nd. Bowen, would then draw a walk to put the potential game winning run on. JP Nunn, would come on in relief of Cannon to try to close it out for the Dragons.
As Nunn, picked up a strikeout for the second out, Cole would steal 3rd to put runners at 1st and 3rd with 2-outs. Nunn, would pick up his 2nd strikeout to close it out for the Dragons as Pickens took game two, 5-4 in eight innings.
Stats for the Dragons in game 2:
Connor Shouse: 1-2 with 1 double, 3 walks, 1 steal, and 1 run scored
Trey Payne: 2 walks, 2 steals, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Cade Sutton: 1 walk and 1 hit by pitch
Kam Jenkins: 1-4 with 1 single, 1 walk, and 2 RBI
Trace Ledbetter: 1 hit by pitch
Christian Starks: 1-3 with 1 single
Tyler Payne: 1 hit by pitch
A.J. Rice: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 walk, 1 steal, and 2 runs scored
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
Brodie Keener: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB on 19 pitches
Cason Cannon: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K on 28 pitches
JP Nunn: .2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K on 8 pitches
With the sweep of the best of three series, the Dragons move on to the Sweet 16 where they will host the Hebron Christian Lions. The Lions, are the #2 seed out of region 8-AAA. The Lions, had little trouble in their first round series sweeping Cedar Grove. The best of three series is set to begin with a double header on Monday at Dunn Field. The “If” game, will be on Tuesday. That game will also be at Dunn Field.
Dragons win 9th straight game; sweep Bobcats
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports March 30, 2024
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 get much needed win over West Hall
PHS Football, Team FYN Sports October 21, 2023
Jasper, Ga — It was a nice, cool night on Friday, October 20th as the Pickens Dragons hosted the West Hall Spartans for their final home game of the 2023 season. Both teams were coming into the game on losing skids and still searching for their first region win. The Dragons, would send the Seniors out with a win in their final home game as they pulled out a 35-12 victory.
The Spartans got the ball to start the game. On the first play from scrimmage, QB Brett Sturm pitched it to RB Elijiah Hayes and he took it 85 yards for the touchdown. The PAT attempt hit off the crossbar and with 11:43 left in the first quarter, the Spartans led the Dragons, 6-0. The Dragons, got on the board after a 6-yd touchdown run from RB Miguel Salto. The PAT from Charlie Gibbons was good and with 5:01 left in the first quarter, the Dragons now led the Spartans, 7-6. At the 2:39 mark of the first quarter, the Dragons defense, led by Oscar Rivera, forced and recovered a fumble. Pickens, had possession as they went to the second quarter holding a 7-6 lead.
Salto receiving the handoff from Streicher
The only score in the second quarter came after the Dragons took advantage of the fumble recovery and turned it into points as QB Sam Streicher rolled to his right and the lefty threw a nice pass to WR Hayden Jones for a 10-yd touchdown. The PAT from Gibbons was good, and with 10:14 left in the first half, Pickens led West Hall, 14-6. Just before the end of the first half, the Dragons caused another turnover as Landon Poole came down with the INT. Heading into the break, the Dragons led, 14-6.
Dragons stopping the run attempt by Hayes
The Spartans, looked to even things up in the third quarter as Hayes would run it in from 28-yds out for his 2nd score of the day. The 2-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful and with 3:29 left in the third, Pickens led West Hall, 14-12. The Dragons, answered right back after a couple of great catches from Jones and nice runs from Salto set up a 1-yd TD run from Streicher to make it 21-12 Pickens going to the fourth.
Streicher looking for an open receiver
The Dragons, would add to their lead at the 7:11 mark of the fourth quarter as Salto powered his way in from 10-yds out for his 2nd TD of the game. The PAT was good and Pickens now led West Hall, 28-12. The Dragons, once again took advantage of turnovers as Ezra Faber picked off the pass attempt and ran it back into Spartan territory. A late hit penalty on the Spartans gave the Dragons even better field position. Streicher, made his way in from a yard out for his 2nd rushing touchdown of the game and 3rd overall. The PAT was good and with 2:25 left in the game, the Dragons were up 35-12. The Pickens defense, would force a turnover on downs during the next possession by the Spartans and the offense ran out the clock as Pickens took this one, 35-12.
7-AAA Football Standings:
Lumpkin: 8-0 (4-0)
Wesleyan: 5-3 (3-1)
Gilmer: 6-3 (3-2)
White County: 4-4 (2-2)
Dawson: 2-7 (2-3)
Pickens: 2-6 (1-3)
West Hall: 1-7 (0-4)
The Dragons, will be back on the road next week as they head to Cleveland, Ga to take on the Warriors of White County on Friday, October 27th. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.
Dragons fall short against Lions; prepare for region play next week
PHS Football, Team FYN Sports September 16, 2023
Dalton, Ga — After having last week off, the Pickens Dragons were back on the field on Friday, September 15th as they took to the road for the first time during the 2023 season as they faced the Christian Heritage Lions in the final tune up before region play begins. An interesting part with these two teams playing is the head coach of the Lions, Frank Barden, used to coach the Dragons from 94-95. This was just the second ever meeting between these two schools in football as the Dragons came away with a 24-22 win in Jasper last year. This year, it was the Lions coming away with the win as they were able to hold onto a 29-24 victory.
The Dragons, much like they’ve done throughout the season so far, won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Pickens, couldn’t get anything on their opening drive, and had to punt it away to the Lions. The Lions, saw their first possession of the game stall out as well and they would have to punt it back to the Dragons. It wasn’t until the 2:36 mark of the opening quarter when we saw the first points being scored as the Lions connected on an 8-yd touchdown pass. The snap on the PAT attempt was high, but it helped the Lions pick up a 2-point conversion to make it8-0. The Dragons, wasted little time answering as McCord Purdy took the ensuing kickoff back 80+ yards for the touchdown. The PAT attempt would be blocked and as they headed to the second quarter, the Lions led the Dragons, 8-6.
Dragons defending the Lions early on
Scoring in the second quarter was hard to come by for both teams as Christian Heritage would add to their lead with a 4-yd touchdown pass. The PAT attempt was good and with 4:12 remaining in the first half, the Lions now led the Dragons, 15-6. The Dragons, were then able to sustain their first big offensive drive of the game and answer with points of their own as Miguel Salto, with a little help from his buddies up front on the offensive line, powered in for a 7-yd touchdown run. Pickens, then went for two to try to make it a 1-point game, but they were stopped short and with 1:18 left in the first half, the Lions lead was cut down to 15-12. After getting a stop on defense, the Dragons had a chance to tie or take the lead late in the first half. After picking up one first down, Sam Streicher’s pass into the end zone as time expired would be tipped away and as they went into the half, Christian Heritage led Pickens, 15-12.
Miguel Salto with a touchdown run
There was not a lot of scoring in the third quarter for both teams, but the lone points in the quarter came from the Lions as they were able to score on a 54-yd touchdown on a screen pass. The PAT would be good and as they headed into the fourth quarter, Christian Heritage held a 22-12 lead over Pickens.
Dragons looking to stop a Lions run play
In the fourth quarter, the Lions added to their lead as their QB Carter Triplett scrambled for a 22-yd touchdown to make it 29-12 Lions with 10:09 left in the ball game. The Dragons, were able to cut into the lead as Streicher found Purdy for a 7-yd touchdown. The PAT attempt was no good and with 8:38 left in the game, the Lions now led the Dragons, 29-18. The Dragons, after getting a stop, looked to again cut into the lead. On fourth down, the Dragons Streicher rolled to his left, and his pass would be tipped by a Lions defender right into the waiting arms of Ezra Faber, who took it the rest of the way for a 44-yd touchdown. The 2-point conversion attempt was no good and with 1:54 left in the game the Lions lead was down to 29-24. The Dragons, then went for the onside kick attempt and nearly came up with it, but the Lions were able to fall on it. Christian Heritage would then run out the clock to get the win, 29-24.
After a tough stretch to end their non-region schedule, the Dragons will now turn to 7-AAA play as they will host a team in who many believe are the region favorites, the Lumpkin County Indians next Friday. Kickoff is set for 7:30.
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.