RINGGOLD, Ga. – One team had little to gain and the other everything to lose, and after Ringgold’s 10-0 five-inning baseball win Tuesday over Region 5-AAA foe Coahulla Creek, it was easy to see which squad had the most pressure on it.
The host Tigers (17-8, 10-4) already were locked into the No. 2 playoff spot, but the Colts (8-14, 5-8) still had postseason life heading into Tuesday. After committing four errors — including three in an ugly bottom of the first inning — and managing just two hits, Coahulla Creek lost its shot at making the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
For a loose Ringgold team, Tuesday’s next-to-last playoff tuneup was good medicine after a roller-coaster week in which the bats went quiet. The Tigers rapped out 11 hits, including home runs by Slade Dale and Zach Morris, and turned two slick double plays to the delight of coach Brent Tucker.
“Last week we had an up-and-down week, but up until then we had won seven straight,” said Tucker, whose team won the earlier game with the Colts 3-2. “We got our legs back under us this weekend and came out today and played a great ballgame. We squared the ball up well today, and up until last week that’s the way we had been playing.
“We’re trying to get some momentum going into the playoffs. and this definitely helps.”