Dragons punch ticket to first ever state championship
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports May 15, 2026
Calhoun, Ga — For the first time since the tournament started, the Pickens Dragons, were on the road as they made their way to Calhoun to begin a three game series with the Yellow Jackets on Thursday, May 14th. The winner, would punch their ticket to Columbus and the 3A State championship. The Dragons, behind some clutch hitting and some big time pitching, were able to sweep the doubleheader, 4-2 and 11-5 to advance to their first ever state championship.
Game One:
Jennings Allen, would look to get things started in the top of the first with a 1-out single. Kam Jenkins and AJ Rice, would then draw back to back walks to load the bases. Truitt Grubbs, would reach on a fielder’s choice as Allen would be forced out at home. Christian Starks, would then reach on an error that allowed courtesy runner Caden Kirchoff to score. R. Baxter and the Yellow Jackets, would get out of the first with a ground out.
In the bottom of the first, C. Ware, would reach with a 1-out single. Rice, the Dragons starter, would pick up a pop out and a strikeout to send it to the second with the Dragons leading, 1-0.
In the top of the second, Robert Turner, would try to start a two out rally with a single. He would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. The Yellow Jackets, would get out of the second with a line out. Rice, would strike out the side in the bottom half of the second to send it to the third with the Dragons still leading, 1-0.
The Dragons, would go down in order in the top of the third after a pop out, a ground out, and a strikeout. Rice, would bring his strikeout total to seven for the game as he would strike out the side for the second straight inning. Heading to the fourth, it was still 1-0 Dragons.
In the top of the fourth, Everett Grubbs, would reach after an error. The Yellow Jackets, would turn a double play to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, the Yellow Jackets stung. Ware, would lead off by drawing a walk. H. Chadwick, would put the Yellow Jackets on top with a 2-run home run. Baxter, would keep the inning alive with a 2-out single. Rice, would get out of the fourth with a strikeout.
In the top of the fifth, Turner, would reach with his second hit of the day with a 1-out single. Turner, would then move up to 2nd after a balk was called. After a strikeout, Turner, would steal 3rd. The Yellow Jackets, would get out of the fifth with a pop out. Rice, would settle down nicely in the bottom of the fifth as he would sit the Yellow Jackets in order on a strikeout, a ground out, and a pop out. Heading to the sixth, Calhoun led it, 2-1.
Rice, would help himself and his Dragon teammates out as he would lead off the sixth with a home run to tie the game at 2. After a pop out, Christian Starks, would give the Dragons the lead with a solo home run to make it 3-2. Dawson Lowit, would keep the inning going with a 2-out single. The Yellow Jackets, would get out of the sixth with a strikeout. Rice, now armed with the lead again, came out for the bottom of the sixth focused.
Rice, would fire a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth with a pair of strikeouts and a pop out. Heading to the seventh, the Dragons led the Yellow Jackets, 3-2.
In the top of the seventh, Allen, would reach with a 1-out single. He would advance to 2nd on a throwing error. Jenkins, would drive in Allen with an RBI double to make it 4-2. Courtesy runner Kirchoff, would advance to 3rd on a line out to right field. The Yellow Jackets, would prevent any further damage by getting out of the seventh with a strikeout. In the bottom of the seventh, I. Nails, would lead things off by drawing a walk.
After a pop out, M. Peek, would draw the second walk of the inning to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. A wild pitch, would advance both Nails and Peek up a base. Rice, would gather himself, and pick up a strikeout and a pop out to seal the game one win for the Dragons, 4-2.
Stats for the Dragons in Game One:
Robert Turner: 2-4 with 2 singles and 2 steals
Jennings Allen: 2-4 with 2 singles and 1 run scored
Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with 1 double, 1 walk, and 1 RBI
Caden Kirchoff: 1 run scored
AJ Rice: 1-3 with 1 home run, 1 RBI, 1 run scored, 1 walk, and 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R/ER, 3 BB, 13 K on 107 pitches
Christian Starks: 1-3 with 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Dawson Lowit: 1-3 with 1 single
Game Two:
For the second game, the Dragons, were the home team and the Yellow Jackets, were the visitors. In the top of the first, C. Stewart and C. Ware, would draw back to back walks to lead off the inning. A wild pitch, would advance both runners up a base. After a strikeout, R. Hood, would drive in both Stewart and Ware with a 2-RBI single. Dragons starter Christian Starks, would get out of the first with back to back strikeouts.
In the bottom of the first, Kam Jenkins, would look to get something started as he would be hit by a pitch with two outs. Yellow Jackets starter, M. Peek, would get out of the first with a ground out. Heading to the second, Calhoun led Pickens, 2-0.
Peek, would lead off the top of the second by drawing a walk. After a wild pitch moved courtesy runner E. Bryant up to 2nd, M. Zander, would drive in Bryant with an RBI double to make it 3-0. Starks, would pick up a strikeout for the first out of the inning. Stewart, would draw his 2nd walk of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Jackson Nunn, would come in to pitch for the Dragons to try and get the final two outs of the second.
Nunn, would force a pop out for the second out. After an intentional walk to load the bases, Nunn, would pick up a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. Truitt Grubbs, would lead off the bottom of the second by drawing a walk. T. Grubbs, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Starks, acting as the DH, would draw a walk as well to put runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out.
Everett Grubbs, would then be hit by a pitch to load the bases. Dawson Lowit, aka “Boogie”, would bring in T. Grubbs after being hit by a pitch to make it 3-1. Peek, would get out of the jam by striking out the side to send it to the third with the Yellow Jackets leading, 3-1.
In the top of the third, Nunn, would toss a 1-2-3 scoreless frame as he picked up a pair of strikeouts and a ground out. In the bottom of the third, the Dragons struck. Jenkins, would draw a lead off walk. Courtesy runner Caden Kirchoff, would then steal 2nd and advance to 3rd on a wild pitch. Kirchoff, would come in to score on a second wild pitch to cut the lead to 3-2. AJ Rice, would pick up the first hit of the game for the Dragons with a single.
T. Grubbs, would draw his 2nd walk of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Rice, would move up to 3rd after a pop out to right. T. Grubbs, would then steal 2nd. Rice, would come in to score on a throwing error to tie the game at 3. E. Grubbs, would draw the third walk of the inning to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. After a strikeout, Matthew Davis, would drive in T. Grubbs with an RBI single to make it 4-3 Dragons.
E. Grubbs would advance to 3rd on the play and Davis, would advance to 2nd on the same play. Robert Turner, would bring in both E. Grubbs and Davis with a 2-RBI double to make it 6-3. The Yellow Jackets, would get out of the third with a strikeout. Heading to the fourth, the Dragons were now ahead, 6-3.
In the top of the fourth, the Yellow Jackets, looked to get a 2-out rally going as Stewart, would reach with a single. Ware, would follow that up by drawing a walk. Nunn, would get out of the fourth with a strikeout. In the bottom of the inning, Jenkins, would reach with a lead off single. Courtesy runner Kirchoff, would then advance to 2nd on a wild pitch. The Yellow Jackets, would get out of the fourth with a ground out, a strikeout, and a line out.
In the top of the fifth, I. Nails, would reach 2nd on an error with one out. Nails, would then try to steal 3rd, but would be thrown out by Jenkins for the second out. R. Baxter, would keep the inning alive with a 2-out double. Turner, would come in to pitch for the Dragons and would get out of the fifth after a ground out on the first pitch. In the bottom of the fifth, the Dragons, broke things open.
Drew Dunlap, who came in to pitch hit for E. Grubbs, would lead off the bottom of the fifth by getting hit by a pitch. Lowit, would follow that up by getting hit by a pitch for the second time to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Davis, would reach on a single. Dunlap, would come around to score on a throwing error to make it 7-3. Tanner Bail, who came in to run for Lowit, would advance to 3rd and Davis, would advance to 2nd on the play.
Turner, would drive in Bail with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 8-3. Davis, would be thrown out at home trying to score on a wild pitch. Jennings Allen, Jenkins, and Rice, would draw back to back to back walks to load the bases. T. Grubbs, would then draw his third walk of the game to bring in Allen to make it 9-3. Starks, would drive in both Kirchoff and Rice with a 2-RBI double to make it 11-3 heading to the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, Zander, would reach with a lead off single. B. Davis, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Zander and Davis, would then move up a base on a wild pitch. Stewart, would bring in Zander with an RBI single to make it 11-4. E. Grubbs, would come in to pitch for the Dragons and he would strikeout the side to send it to the bottom of the inning.
E. Grubbs, would lead off the bottom of the sixth by drawing a walk. J. williams, who came in to pitch for the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the fifth, would pick up a pair of strikeouts and a pop out to get out of the sixth. Heading to the seventh, the Dragons led it, 11-4.
Nails, would lead off the top of the seventh by drawing a walk. After a pop out and a strikeout, Nails, would advance to 2nd on a wild pitch. Zander, would bring in Nails with an RBI single to make it 11-5. E. Grubbs, would force a pop out for the third out and the Dragons would take game two, 11-5 to sweep the series and advance to the 3A State Championship.
Stats for the Dragons in Game Two:
Robert Turner: 1-4 with 1 double, and 3 RBI
Jennings Allen: 1 walk and 1 run scored
Kam Jenkins: 1-1 with 1 single, 2 walks, and 1 hit by pitch
Caden Kirchoff: 2 runs scored
AJ Rice: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 walk, and 2 runs scored
Truitt Grubbs: 3 walks, 2 steals, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored
Christian Starks: 1-3 with 1 double, 1 walk, and 2 RBI
Everett Grubbs: 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 1 run scored, and 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, 4 K on 36 pitches
Drew Dunlap: 1 hit by pitch, and 1 run scored
Dawson Lowit: 2 hit by pitch, 1 RBI
Tanner Bail: 1 run scored
Matthew Davis: 2-4 with 2 singles, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Jackson Nunn: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, 4 K on 56 pitches
The Dragons, will now turn their attention to the defending 3A champs, the Troup County Tigers, who swept Peach County to advance to the State Championship. The Dragons, were eliminated by the Tigers in game three of the Final Four last season. The three game series will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday, May 23rd in Columbus at Synovus Park. The doubleheader is scheduled for 5 and 7:30 with the “if” game set for Monday, May 25th at 5 pm.
Dragons advance to Final Four for second straight year
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports May 8, 2026
Jasper, Ga — On Thursday, May 7th, for the first time in school history, a boys team hosted an Elite Eight match up as the Pickens Dragons took on the West Laurens Raiders in a best of three series. The Dragons, came into the series as the #3 seed, while the Raiders came into the series as the #6 seed. Head coach Adam Williams, would pick up his 201st and 202nd career wins at PHS as the Dragons swept the doubleheader 3-1, and 5-0.
Game One:
Auburn commit AJ Rice, took the mound for the Dragons for game one. JD Hogan, would draw a lead off walk to begin the game. Hogan, would then be thrown out by Dragon catcher Kam Jenkins trying to steal 2nd. After a strikeout for the second out, Rice, would induce a ground out to send it to the bottom of the first. In the bottom of the inning, Jenkins, would look to get a rally going after reaching on a 2-out double. The Raiders, would get out of the first with a pop out. Heading to the second inning, the game was still tied up at 0.
In the top of the second, the Raiders, would strike first as C. Pollock, would hit a solo home run with two outs to put West Laurens up, 1-0. Rice, would shake that off and force a pop out to send it to the bottom of the second. The Dragons, would go down in order in the bottom of the second after a strikeout and a pair of pop outs. Heading to the third, the Raiders led it, 1-0.
Rice, would pick up a strikeout and a pair of ground outs in a scoreless top of the third. In the bottom of the inning, Matthew Davis Jr, would reach by drawing a walk with 1-out. Davis Jr, would then advance into scoring position by stealing 2nd. Robert Turner, would drive in Davis Jr with an RBI double tie the game at 1. Jennings Allen, would bring in Turner with an RBI single to give the Dragons a 2-1 lead.
Allen, would move up to 2nd on the throw to the plate. Allen, would then advance to 3rd after a line out. Rice, would help himself out by driving in Allen with an RBI single to make it 3-1. Courtesy runner Cooper Helmuth, would steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Truitt Grubbs, would keep the inning going after getting hit by a pitch to put runners at 1st and 2nd.
The bases would be loaded after the short stop tried to throw the ball to 3rd to try to get Helmuth, but it got away and everyone was safe. The Raiders, would get out of the third after a line out. Avoiding possible further damage. Heading to the fourth the Dragons led it, 3-1.
K. Clark, would draw a lead off walk to start the top of the fourth. After a pop out, Rice, would pick up a strikeout for the second out. Clark, would advance to 2nd after a delayed steal. Clark, would be left stranded at 2nd after Rice picked up another strikeout to send it to the bottom of the fourth. Dawson Lowit, would lead off the bottom of the inning by getting hit by a pitch. Tanner Bail, would then come in to run for Lowit.
Bail, would be left stranded at 1st however as D. Malone and the Raiders, would get out of the fourth with a strikeout and a pair of line outs. Heading to the fifth, the Dragons still led it, 3-1.
Rice, would pick up a pair of strikeouts and a pop out in a 1-2-3 top of the fifth. In the bottom of the inning, the Dragons, would go down in order on a pair of ground outs and a line out. Heading to the sixth, the Dragons were still ahead of the Raiders, 3-1.
Rice, who had been rolling since the home run in the second inning, picked a pair of strikeouts and a line out in a scoreless top of the sixth. Everett Grubbs, would get the bottom of the sixth going with a 1-out single. After a pop out, Malone, still pitching for the Raiders, would force a ground out to send it to the seventh with the Dragons still leading, 3-1.
G. Baker, would lead off the top of the seventh by drawing a walk. B. Shepard, would follow that up by drawing a four pitch walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Rice, would settle down to strikeout the side to seal the 3-1 win for the Dragons in game one.
Stats for the Dragons in Game One:
Robert Turner: 1-3 with 1 double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Jennings Allen: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with 1 double
AJ Rice: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 RBI, and 7 IP, 1 H, 1 R/ER, 4 BB, 13 K on 99 pitches
Truitt Grubbs: 1 hit by pitch
Everett Grubbs: 1-3 with 1 single
Dawson Lowitt: 1 hit by pitch
Matthew Davis Jr: 1 walk, 1 steal, and 1 run scored
Cooper Helmuth: 1 steal
Game Two:
For the second game of the doubleheader, the Dragons were the away team, and the Raiders were the home team. In the top of the first, Robert Turner, would lead off with a single. Jennings Allen, would follow that with a single of his own to put runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Kam Jenkins, would then be hit by a pitch to load the bases. AJ Rice, would bring in Turner with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 1-0.
Truitt Grubbs, would then work a walk to reload the bases. Christian Starks, would then reach on a fielder’s choice as Allen would come in to score to make it 2-0. Courtesy runners Caden Kirchoff and Cooper Helmuth, would then pull off a double steal to make it 3-0. Everett Grubbs, would draw another walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Helmuth, would then steal 3rd to put runners at the corners with 2-out.
The Dragons, would again try a double steal situation, but the Raiders would get Helmuth at the plate to send it to the bottom of the first. In the bottom of the first, Dragons starter Christian Starks, would pick up a ground out, a strikeout, and a pop out in a scoreless frame. Heading to the second, the Dragons led it, 3-0.
In the top of the second, the Dragons, would go down in order on a pop out, a line out, and a ground out. In the bottom of the inning, Starks, would pick up a line out and a pair of strikeouts to send it to the third with the Dragons still leading, 3-0.
Jenkins, would look to get something started in the top of the third as he reached with a 1-out single. Rice, would then follow that with a double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. T. Grubbs, would draw his second walk of the game to load the bases. Starks, would help himself out by driving in both Kirchoff and Rice with a 2-RBI single to make it 5-0 Dragons. T. Grubbs, would make it to 3rd on the play.
After Helmuth was thrown out trying to take 2nd, the Raiders, would get out of the third with a pop out. In the bottom of the third, N. Hester, would reach 2nd after a throwing error. T. Mascaro, would then reach on a fielder’s choice as Rice made a great diving play at short and threw out Nester trying to get back to 2nd. JJ Giles, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Starks, would get out of the third with a pair of line outs. Heading to the fourth, the Dragons still led the Raiders, 5-0.
In the top of the fourth, Drew Dunlap, would lead off by drawing a walk. After a strikeout, Turner, would lace a double down the right field line to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1-out. B. Milton and the Raiders, would get out of the fourth with a strikeout and a pop out. In the bottom of the inning, G. Baker, would draw a lead off walk. After a line out, Starks would pick up a strikeout and a ground out to send it to the fifth with the Dragons up, 5-0.
The Dragons, would go down 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth on a pop out and a pair of ground outs. In the bottom of the inning, Turner, would come in to pitch for the Dragons. Mascaro, would reach with a 1-out single. Giles, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Turner, would pick up a strikeout and a ground out to send it to the sixth with the Dragons leading, 5-0.
In the top of the sixth, Brock Teal, would draw a walk with two outs. The Raiders, would then pick off the runner at 1st to send it to the bottom of the sixth. Turner, back out there for the bottom of the sixth, would pick up a pop out and a pair of ground outs to send it to the seventh with the Dragons still ahead, 5-0.
Turner, would lead off the top of the seventh by drawing a walk. Turner, would advance to 2nd after a ground out by Allen. After a pop out, Turner, would swipe 3rd. Milton, would pick up a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the seventh. E. Grubbs, would come in to pitch for the Dragons in the bottom of the seventh. C. Pollock, would draw a lead off walk to get the bottom of the seventh started for the Raiders.
After a strikeout, Mascaro, would pick up a 1-out single to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Giles, would then reach on an error as the bases would be loaded with 1-out. E. Grubbs, would settle in and pick up back to back strikeouts to seal the 5-0 win and send the Dragons to the Final Four for the second consecutive year.
Stats for the Dragons in Game Two:
Robert Turner: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 walk, 1 steal, 1 run scored, and 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, 1 K on 31 pitches
Jennings Allen: 1-4 with 1 single, and 1 run scored
Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with 1 single, and 1 hit by pitch
Caden Kirchoff: 2 runs scored
AJ Rice: 1-3 with 1 double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Truitt Grubbs: 2 walks
Christian Starks: 1-3 with 1 single, 3 RBI, and 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 K on 61 pitches
Everett Grubbs: 1 walk and 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, and 3 K on 30 pitches
Drew Dunlap: 1 walk
Brock Teal: 1 walk
Cooper Helmuth: 2 steals
The Dragons, will await their Final Four opponent as they will play the winner of the series finale between Oconee County and Calhoun starting with a doubleheader on Thursday, May 14th. The Dragons, will either be hosting Oconee County, or traveling to Calhoun.
Dragons split doubleheader with Tigers; force deciding game three
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports May 14, 2025
LaGrange. Ga — The Final Four kicked off on Tuesday, May 13th as four teams were just two wins away from the AAA State Championship series. For the #8 seeded Pickens Dragons, they made the couple hour trip down to LaGrange to take on the #4 seeded Troup County Tigers. The Tigers, would take game one of the doubleheader, 8-0. Just when it looked like the Tigers were on the verge of a sweep, the Dragons would make a late come back to take game two, 5-4.
Game One:
The Dragons, would go quietly in the top of first after a ground out, a fly out, and a strikeout. In the bottom half of the frame, D. Moncus would reach with a 1-out double. C. Walker, would follow that up with a single to put runners at 1st and 3rd. F. Baltzell, would then draw a walk to load the bases. B. Willis, would bring in Moncus with an RBI single to make it 1-0 Tigers.
An RBI sacrifice fly from C. Mosley, would drive in Walker to make it 2-0. Baltzell, would be thrown out at home as the Tigers attempted a double steal. Heading to the second, the Tigers led it, 2-0.
In the top of the second, Dawson Lowit, would draw a full count walk to reach base. Christian Starks, would follow that up with a double. Lowit, would be thrown out at home trying to score from 1st. The Tigers, would get out of the second with a ground out. In the bottom of the inning, Dragons starter Jackson Nunn, would toss a scoreless inning with a pop out, a fly out, and a ground out. Heading to the third, the Tigers still led it, 2-0.
Matthew Davis, would lead off the top of the third with a lead off single. The Tigers, would get out of the third after a strikeout, a line out, and a ground out. In the bottom of the third, Moncus, would reach with his 2nd hit of the day. He would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. After a line out, Baltzell, would be intentionally walked. Willis, would then draw a walk to load the bases with 2-out.
Moncus and Baltzell, would both come in to score after an error to make it 4-0 Tigers heading to the fourth.
The Dragons, would go down in order in the top of the fourth after a pair of strikeouts and a line out. In the bottom of the inning, the Tigers, would extend their lead by plating 4 runs on several hits, a walk, and a hit batsman. Heading to the fifth, the Tigers, led the Dragons, 8-0.
In the top of the fifth, Sam Hammontree, would reach with a 1-out single. After a strikeout, Dawson Holland, would keep the inning alive with a 2-out single. Both runners would advance a base after a passed ball. The Tigers, would get out of the fifth with a pop out. In the bottom of the inning, Ezra Faber, who came on in relief of Nunn in the fourth, would work around some trouble to send it to the sixth with the Tigers still leading it, 8-0.
In the top of the sixth, Cade Sutton, would draw a 1-out walk. Kam Jenkins, would follow that with a single to put runners at 1st and 3rd with 1-out. The Tigers, would get out of the sixth with a double play. In the bottom of the inning, Faber, would work around a 2-out hit batsman and a wild pitch to keep the Tigers scoreless. Heading to the seventh, Troup led Pickens, 8-0.
Starks, would lead off the top of the seventh with his 2nd hit of the day. The Tigers, would turn their 2nd double play in as many innings to clear the bases. A 2-out single by Davis, would keep the inning going. The Tigers, would end the game with a strikeout as they would take the first game by a score of 8-0.
Stats for the Dragons in Game One:
Cade Sutton: 1 walk
Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with 1 single
Dawson Lowit: 1 walk
Christian Starks: 2-3 with 1 double and 1 single
Sam Hammontree: 1-3 with 1 single
Matthew Davis: 2-3 with 2 singles
Dawson Holland: 1-3 with 1 single
Game Two:
The Dragons, were the home team for the second game. In the top of the first, C. Walker, would reach with a 2-out double. F. Baltzell, would drive in Walker with an RBI single. Baltzell, would be thrown out at 2nd trying to stretch it into a double. In the bottom of the first, A.J. Rice, would draw a lead off walk to reach 1st. After a pop out, Rice, would advance to 2nd on defensive indifference. Rice, would be thrown out at 3rd trying to swipe the bag.
The Tigers, would get out of the first with a fly out. Heading to the second, the Tigers led the Dragons, 1-0.
Rice, the Dragons starter for game two, would keep the Tigers scoreless in the second as he picked up a ground out, as well as his 2nd and 3rd strikeout to send it to the bottom of the frame. The Dragons, would go down in order in the bottom of the second with a pair of fly outs and a ground out. Heading to the third, the Tigers still led it, 1-0.
In the top of the third, the Tigers, would extend their lead with 3 runs on 2 hits, 2 passed balls, 2 steals, and 1 hit by pitch. Heading to the bottom of the third, the Tigers now led the Dragons, 4-0. In the bottom of the inning, Dawson Holland, would reach with a 1-out single. After a strikeout, Rice, would keep the inning alive with a 2-out knock. Christian Starks, would then draw a walk to load the bases.
Holland, would come in to score as Cade Sutton would draw the bases loaded walk to cut the lead to 4-1. The Tigers, would get out of the third with a fly out to send it to the fourth with Troup leading Pickens, 4-1.
In the top of the fourth, Rice, would work around a 1-out walk to pick up a ground out, a strikeout, and a fly out to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Dawson Lowit, would draw a lead off walk. The Tigers, would turn their third double play of the series for the first two outs. A ground out, would send it to the fifth with the Tigers still leading it, 4-0.
Rice, would keep the Tigers at bay in the top of the fifth as he would work around a 2-out single to send it to the bottom of the frame. In the bottom of the inning, Jennings Allen, would reach with a 1-out single. Rice, would then reach on a fielder’s choice as Allen would be forced out at 2nd. Starks, would keep the inning going with a 2-out single. Sutton, would then draw his 2nd walk of the game to load the bases.
The Tigers, would escape the bases loaded jam with a ground out. Heading to the sixth, the Tigers, still led the Dragons, 4-1.
In the top of the sixth, Rice, still on the mound nearing 100 pitches for the game, worked around a 1-out walk to strike out the side to bring his total to 9 on the night. In the bottom of the inning, Lowit, would lead off by getting hit by a pitch. Sam Hammontree, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Matthew Davis, would bring in Lowit with an RBI double to cut the lead to 4-2.
Holland, would follow that up with a 2-RBI double that would score pitch runner Ezra Faber, and Davis to tie the game at 4. After a strikeout, Holland, would move up to 3rd on a passed ball. Rice, would draw a walk to put runners at the corners with 1-out. Starks, would bring in Holland with an RBI ground out to give the Dragons a 5-4 lead. The Tigers, would get out of the sixth with a strikeout. Heading to the seventh, the Dragons led it, 5-4.
Rice, nearing the limit for pitches, came out to start the seventh, he would pick up his 10 strike out for the first out. G. Edwards, would reach with a 1-out single. Dylan Walls, would come on in relief of Rice to try and close things out. Moncus, would reach on an error to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Walls, would come back to pick up a strikeout and a ground out to seal the 5-4 win for the Dragons and force a deciding game three.
Stats for the Dragons in Game Two:
A.J. Rice: 1-2 with 1 single, 2 walks, & 6.1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 10 K on 118 pitches
Christian Starks: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, and 1 RBI
Cade Sutton: 2 walks and 1 RBI
Dawson Lowit: 1 walk, 1 HBP, and 1 run scored
Sam Hammontree: 1 walk
Ezra Faber: 1 run scored
Matthew Davis: 1-3 with 1 double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Dawson Holland: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 double, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored
Jennings Allen: 1-3 with 1 single
Dylan Walls: 0.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K on 8 pitches
The third and final game of the series will take place on Wednesday, May 14th. The winner, will go on to the AAA State Championship series where they will take on the winner of game three between Cherokee Bluff and Peach County. First pitch time for game three between the Dragons and the Tigers is scheduled for 5 pm.
Dragons pull off shocker; Advance to Final Four
PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports May 8, 2025
Harlem, Ga — A trip to the Final Four was on the line as the Pickens Dragons made the trip down to Harlem to take on the #1 seeded Bulldogs on Wednesday, May 7th. Coming into the game, the Bulldogs, were sporting a 107-3 record since 2023, and were ranked 10th in the nation by MaxPreps. The Dragons, came in winners of five straight, and were looking to avenge last year’s loss. The Dragons, would do just that as they swept the doubleheader, 8-3 and 5-1.
Game one:
The Dragons, would go down in order in the top of the first after a fly out, a strikeout, and a ground out. In the bottom of the frame, D. Titus would look to get something going by drawing a 1-out walk. W. Holder, would follow with a double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. A. Fox, would give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead with a 2-run double. Dragons starter Christian Starks, would get out of the first with a pair of strikeouts. Heading to the second, the Bulldogs led the Dragons, 2-0.
In the top of the second, Kam Jenkins, would draw a lead off walk. Dawson Lowit, would follow by drawing a walk of his own. After a strikeout, courtesy runner Drew Dunlap, would come around to score as Matthew Davis reached on an error. Dawson Holland, would then draw a walk to load the bases with 1-out. Jennings Allen, would draw the fourth walk of the inning to bring in Lowit to tie the game at 2.
A.J. Rice, would then reach on a fielder’s choice as Davis would be forced out at home. Starks, would help himself out by driving in both Holland and Allen with a 2-RBI single to make it 4-2 Dragons heading to the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the inning, D. Smith would draw a 1-out walk. The Bulldogs, would then decide to test the arm of Kam Jenkins and Jenkins would throw out Smith at 2nd.
Starks, would pick up his 3rd strikeout of the game to get out of the second and send it to the third with the Dragons leading, 4-2.
In the top of the third, Lowit, would draw his 2nd walk of the game to reach base with 1-out. Sam Hammontree, would follow that with a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Davis, would follow with a single to load the bases. Holland, would bring in both Lowit and pitch runner Ezra Faber with a 2-RBI single to make it 6-2 Dragons. Davis, would come in to score after Allen reached on a fielder’s choice.
The Bulldogs, would get out of the third with a pop out. Heading to the bottom of the inning, the Dragons led it, 7-2. In the bottom of the third, Starks, would toss a scoreless frame with a ground out, a fly out, and a strikeout. Heading to the fourth, the Dragons led the Bulldogs, 7-2.
In the top of the fourth, Cade Sutton, would reach with a 1-out single. Jenkins, would follow that with a single of his own to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Sutton and courtesy runner Dunlap, would move up a base on a dropped 3rd strike. Sutton would come in to score as Faber would reach on an error as the ball fell in between the pitcher and the 1st baseman.
The Bulldogs, would get out of the fourth with a ground out. Heading to the bottom of the inning, the Dragons led it, 7-2. The Bulldogs, would look to get something started to begin the bottom of the fourth as A. Fox would draw a walk, and B. Knight would be hit by a pitch. Daven Abernathy, would then come on in relief of Starks. After picking up a strikeout, T. Lindo would reach with a 1-out single to load the bases.
Abernathy, would pick up his 2nd strikeout and a fly out to get out of the jam and send it to the fifth with the Dragons leading, 8-2.
In the top of the fifth, Allen, would reach with a 1-out single. He would be left stranded as the Bulldogs would pick up a pop out, and a strikeout to send it to the bottom of the fifth. In the bottom of the inning, D. Titus, would lead off with a double. Titus, would look to advance to 3rd after a passed ball, but he would be thrown out. W. Holder and S. Harshbarger would then reach with back to back singles.
The Dragons, would get out of the fifth after turning a 4-6-3 double play. Heading to the sixth, Pickens led Harlem, 8-2.
The Dragons, would go down 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth on a pair of strikeouts and a fly out. In the bottom of the sixth, Abernathy, would pick up the first two outs on a pair of strikeouts. T. Lindo, would keep the inning alive for the Bulldogs with a 2-out single. D. Reed, would follow that up by drawing a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. W. Spivey, would bring in Lindo with an RBI single to make it 8-3.
Abernathy, would get out of the sixth with his 3rd strikeout of the inning to send it to the seventh with the Dragons leading, 8-3.
Faber, would lead off the seventh with a single. Davis, would move Faber up to 2nd with a sacrifice bunt. Faber, would advance to 3rd after a ground out by Holland. The Bulldogs, would get out of the seventh with a ground out. W. Holder, would lead off the bottom of the seventh with a double. Dylan Walls, would then come on in relief of Abernathy. After an intentional walk, the Dragons would pick up a fly out for the first out.
Walls, would then force a pop out and a line out to close things out as the Dragons would take game one, 8-3.
Stats for the Dragons in Game one:
Christian Starks: 1-4 with 1 single, 2 RBI, and 3 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 4 K on 54 pitches
Cade Sutton: 1-4 with 1 single and 1 run scored
Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with 1 single and 1 walk
Dawson Lowit: 2 walks and 2 runs scored
Sam Hammontree: 1-2 with 1 single
Ezra Faber: 1-2 with 1 single and 1 run scored
Matthew Davis: 1-3 with 1 single, and 1 run scored
Dawson Holland: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 walk, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored
Jennings Allen: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Drew Dunlap: 1 run scored
Daven Abernathy: 3 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 5 K on 53 pitches
Dylan Walls: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K on 6 pitches
Game two:
For the second game of the doubleheader, the Dragons, would be the home team. In the top of the first, D. Titus would draw a 1-out walk. W. Holder, would follow that up with a single. After the Dragons decided to intentionally walk the next batter to load the bases for a chance at a force out at any base, starter A.J. Rice, would pick up a strikeout and a ground out to get out of the early jam.
The Dragons, would go down quietly in the bottom of the first on a strikeout, a ground out, and a pop out. Heading to the second, the game was tied at 0.
Rice, would toss a 1-2-3 top of the second with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out. In the bottom of the inning, Dawson Lowit, would reach with a 1-out double. Christian Starks, would follow that with an RBI double that scored Lowit to make it 1-0 Dragons. Starks, would be thrown out at 3rd trying to stretch it into a triple. The Bulldogs, would get out of the second with a pop out. Heading to the third, the Dragons led it, 1-0.
Rice, picked up his 4th and 5th strikeout and a ground out in a scoreless top of the third. In the bottom of the inning, Georgia Southern commit Will Holder, would strike out the side to send it to the fourth with the Dragons still ahead, 1-0.
Rice, would continue his nice outing with a scoreless fourth inning as he picked up his 6th strikeout, a fly out, and a pop out. In the bottom of the fourth, Cade Sutton, would reach on a 1-out triple. After a strikeout, Sutton, would come in to score as Lowit would reach on an error. Starks, would follow that up with a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2-out.
Pitch runner Zach Williams, would come around to score on a single by Sam Hammontree to make it 3-0 Dragons. Matthew Davis, would then draw a walk to load the bases. Dawson Holland, would add to the lead with a 2-RBI double that scored Starks and Hammontree. It looked like Davis got under the tag, but he would be called out to end the fourth. Heading to the fifth, the Dragons led the Bulldogs, 5-0.
Rice, would pick up his 7th, 8th, and 9th strikeout in the top of the fifth as he struck out the side to send it to the bottom of the frame. The Dragons, would go down in order in the bottom of the fifth on a line out and a pair of ground outs. Heading to the sixth, the Dragons led it, 5-0.
The Bulldogs, would look to make it a game in the top of the sixth as W. Spivey, D. Titus, and Holder, reached back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases with nobody out. Rice, would settle down as he picked up his 10th and 11th strikeout and a ground out to get out of the sixth without any damage done. The Dragons, would go down in order in the bottom of the inning. Heading to the seventh, Pickens led Harlem, 5-0.
Dylan Walls would come on in relief of Rice in the top of the seventh to try and close things out. After a line out, T. Lindo, would draw a 1-out walk to reach base. Lindo, would then advance to 2nd on a wild pitch. D. Smith, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. An RBI single by W. Spivey, would bring in Lindo to make it 5-1. Walls, would settle in and pick up a strikeout for the 2nd out.
Walls, would then get Holder to ground out to Rice at short. Rice would step on 2nd to force out Spivey and the Dragons would take game two, 5-1 to sweep the series and advance to the Final Four.
Stats for the Dragons in Game Two:
A.J. Rice: 6 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 11 K on 105 pitches
Cade Sutton: 1-3 with 1 triple and 1 run scored
Dawson Lowit: 1-3 with 1 double and 1 run scored
Christian Starks: 2-3 with 1 double, 1 single, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored
Sam Hammontree: 1-2 with 1 single and 1 run scored
Matthew Davis: 1 walk
Dawson Holland: 1-2 with 1 double and 2 RBI
Zach Williams: 1 run scored
Dylan Walls: 1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K on 27 pitches
The Dragons, will have to be road warriors once again as they head down to LaGrange to take on Troup County in a best of three series starting on Tuesday, May 13th in a doubleheader.
Nettes battle Lady War Eagles in 4A Final Four
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports March 5, 2022
Fort Valley, Ga — It was the year 2000. That was the last time the Pickens Dragonettes played in a Final Four game in the state basketball tournament. On Friday, March 4th, the Nettes made the nearly 3 hour trip south to Fort Valley State University to take on the Marist Lady War Eagles in the GHSA 4A Girls State Basketball Tournament. The Lady War Eagles came into the game with one of the better defenses in the state allowing 31.5 points per game. The Nettes defense, hadn’t been too shabby during the season either only allowing 34.9 points per game. This was expected to be a low scoring affair, and that is what it was. In the end, the Lady War Eagles were able to come away with a 38-35 win.
After a bit of a back and forth to start the first quarter, Amanda Nelson got the scoring started with a three pointer to give the Nettes an early 3-0 lead. After Marist made two layups and a free throw, Caroline Mullins went on a personal 4-0 run by making two free throws and a layup to make it 7-5 Pickens. Going blow for blow in this opening quarter, the Lady War Eagles tied it up at 7 with a bucket. Carmyn Mullins gave the Nettes the lead with a three pointer. Going to the second, Pickens led Marist 10-7.
Nettes with the ball in the first quarter
The Lady War Eagles opened the second quarter with a pair of free throws to cut the Nettes lead down to 10-9. Caroline Mullins answered with a three pointer to make it 13-9. After a layup by Marist, Caroline Mullins went on another 4-0 run with back to back buckets to make it 17-11. The Lady War Eagles ended the run with a bucket to cut it to 17-13. Bella Hopkins then split a pair of free throws to make it 18-13. Marist closed the first half with a bucket to make it 18-15 Nettes going to the break.
The Nettes on defense against the Lady War Eagles
The third quarter began with Marist getting a layup to cut the lead to 18-17. Caroline Mullins carried over her strong first half into the third as she made a bucket to make it 20-17. After a pair of free throws by the Lady War Eagles, Caroline Mullins made a layup to make it 22-19. Marist, then hit a three pointer to tie things up at 22. It would not be tied for long as Caroline Mullins made a layup to give the Nettes a 24-22 lead going to the fourth quarter.
Nettes on offense in the third quarter
In the fourth quarter, the Lady War Eagles split a pair of free throws to cut the Pickens lead down to 24-23. Emma Gleason made a layup to make it 26-23. Marist, then went on a 7-0 run to take a 30-26 lead. After Carmyn Mullins split a pair of free throws, the Lady War Eagles made a layup to extend their lead to 32-27. Nelson, then hit a pair of free throws to make it 32-29. With just over 3 minutes left in the game, Marist held the ball till there was under a minute left. The Nettes, nearly had several steals while the Lady War Eagles were holding the ball, but with the time running down, they had to start fouling. Marist, made a pair of free throws to make it 34-29.
We then had an odd incident where as Caroline Mullins was going in for a layup, the horn blew. After a lengthy discussion between officials and coaches, 27 seconds were placed on the clock, the layup from Caroline Mullins counted, and went to the free throw line where she hit two free throws to make it 34-33 Lady War Eagles. The Nettes, then went for the steal on the ensuing in-bounds. Marist, got the ball in and Pickens fouled. The Lady War Eagles, again made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 36-33. Using that never say die mentality that they’ve come to be known for, the Nettes cut the lead down to 36-35 after a tough layup by Nelson. The Nettes quickly fouled and sent Marist to the line. The Lady War Eagles, made both free throws again to make it 38-35. With one final chance, a three point shot would not fall for the Nettes and Marist held on to win, 38-35.
Scorers for the Nettes:
Caroline Mullins: 21 points
Amanda Nelson: 7 points
Carmyn Mullins: 4 points
Emma Gleason: 2 points
Bella Hopkins: 1 point
The Nettes finish the 2021-22 season with a 26-4 overall record. The 26 wins are tied for the second most in a season. The 35 points per game the Nettes gave up on defense ranks as the best in the Pickens High School history. The 21-game win streak that the Nettes went on during the season tied for the second longest streak in team history. The Nettes, won their 900th game in program history during the season. The Nettes, won their second straight 7-AAAA regular season championship during the season. Congrats to the Pickens Dragonettes on an incredibly historic season.