Ringgold junior Sebastian Haggard and his teammates are willing to leave it all on the line in order to help the Tigers do all they can in their hunt for a GHSA Class AAA state championship this postseason.
Haggard exemplified that determination as he sent Ringgold on to the state quarterfinals as he closed Monday's 7-1 game three home victory over Wesleyan by diving to tag out a runner caught in a pickle at second base. On the tag out, he lost a piece of his tooth as the runners cleats hit Haggard's mouth.
"I didn't even feel it in the moment," Haggard said. "I am just focused on doing whatever I can to help my team win. If that means losing a part of my tooth, it's worth it. We all want to advance right now. We feel like this is a really, really good year for us. We have to be dogs and go for it."
Ringgold senior Ty Gilbert certainly had that "dog" in him as he continued to swing a big bat in the playoffs by hitting his second home run of the three game series in which he drove in six runs.
Gilbert opened the scoring in the second inning as he squared up a two-out offering that tailed in the wind and disappeared in the trees just above the centerfield fence for a solo shot. He then helped key a four-run fourth inning as he singled and came around to score on a close play at the plate on Brady Hermann's 2-run single.
"You have to love the playoffs," Tigers head coach Drew Walker said. "Everything starts from scratch. It's all about who is going to step up now. Ty Gilbert is one of those dudes right now. He is stepping up in really key situations. (Sam) Crew has had some really big hits and in relief for us too. They keep taking care of business."
Ringgold (28-6) will host Columbus (24-11) in a quarterfinal best-of-three series starting either Friday or Saturday.
Also in Class AAA elimination games Monday, Gordon rode Aiden Goodwin's three-hit shutout to down Pickens, 3-0, and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe saw its season end at Oconee County, 16-5.
Ringgold sophomore pitcher Jackson Black delivered an incredible performance Monday to help make sure the Tigers moved on.
Black threw 39 of his 46 pitches for strikes as he allowed just one run in five innings. He threw only 31 pitches through his first four innings as he trusted his defense and pitched to contact. Crew closed the door as he struck out three over two scoreless innings.
"In today's pregame I walked in there and just got a really good vibe from our guys even though I was nervous as all get out," Walker said. "They knew they are at their home park and have played great baseball all year long. Our guys have been behind one another all year long and went out there and played their tails off again. They have competed since June and built confidence to do what they did today all year long."
Ringgold catcher Conner Christopher drove in the final run as he followed suit with Haggard as they both hit opposite-field doubles off the right-centerfield wall in the bottom of the sixth inning. Haggard and Gilbert each finished with a pair of hits and runs scored in the victory.
After holding down a potent Wesleyan lineup for just one run in each of the past two games, the Tigers feel even more dangerous as they try to make a push to the Final Four and then ultimately the state finals.
"We knew this series was going to be tough because they had a really good lineup," Gilbert said. "It was going to be one of the toughest teams along the way we had to get past and it made us stronger as a group. I feel like we have a really special team. We are pulling through together."
› Gordon Lee 3, Pickens 0: In a battle of state-ranked top-10 teams, the Trojans advanced as Goodwin went the distance on elimination day.
Gordon Lee (22-9) scored a single run in the third inning when Nate Dunfee hit a one-out triple and scored moments later on a passed ball. They added two more in the sixth when, after Blake Rodgers led off with a double and Brodie Genter was walked intentionally, Holt Roberts and Jackson Scali drove in runs with one-out singles.
Goodwin did the rest, working around trouble spots in the second and third innings. After a leadoff double in the second and a sacrifice bunt, the Dragons (29-7) failed to score as Goodwin got a popout and flyout.
In the third, Pickens had runners on first and second with one out before Dunfee saved at least one run with a diving catch in right-center and Goodwin retired No. 3 hitter Tyler Payne on a groundout.
Rodgers and Roberts had two hits each for the Trojans, who will travel to face Harlem in a best-of-three series that begins Saturday.
› Oconee County 16, LFO 5: The Warriors fell behind 11-1 after the first inning and never recovered as the host Warriors rapped out 21 hits, five of which left the park.
Tanner Mantooth had two RBIs, with Brent Bowman and Carson Goff each driving in a run for LFO (20-14).
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.