RINGGOLD, Ga. — Tuesday was an odd day for the Ringgold High School baseball team. After going the maximum three games in each of their first three Class AAA state playoff series, the Tigers completed an impressive sweep at Oconee County on Monday, winning 11-2 and 6-2.
That gave them a rare day off.
“We picked a good time for our first sweep,” Ringgold coach Brent Tucker said. “I felt like it was the best two games we played all year. We played solid defense all night, we hit the ball well with two big innings, and our pitching was exceptional.”
Ringgold will travel to Columbus for the state championship series. The start of the best-of-three set will be Friday or Saturday. Both Ringgold and Columbus have graduation Friday night, so a later start is likely, according to Tucker.
Calhoun, which also has graduation slated Friday, will begin its Class AA finals at Cook County on Monday at 4.
Ringgold starting pitchers Matthew Crownover and Colton Cross combined to strike out 27 Oconee batters in the two games, though in each game the Tigers had to rally to win.
Though game one was a blowout, Ringgold actually trailed 2-1 heading into the sixth inning. However, a nine-run frame highlighted by two-run hits by Austin Parrish, Zach Lance and Corey Kafka gave Crownover more than enough support.
In game two, Cross struck out 14 and allowed six hits in his most dominant performace of the season.
“I’ve seen Colt pitch all his life, and I believe that’s the best he’s ever looked,” Ringgold assistant coach David Crownover said. “He was ahead of the hitters at least 80 percent of the time, and he was in complete control.”
Oconee, the visitor in game two, took a 1-0 lead, but Matthew Crownover tied it with a leadoff homer in the bottom half. An Adam Frazier homer gave Oconee a 2-1 lead in the third, but the Tigers countered with a four-run bottom half on a two-run double by Erik Hull and Caleb Jones’ two-run single.
Kafka had three of the Tigers’ 11 hits and two RBIs, while Jones and Adam Weldon had two hits each.