Colonels improve to 4-0 in region, complete series sweep of Woodland
The Cass Colonels won a back-and-forth battle at Region 7AAAAA and county-rival Woodland Monday night in extra innings to remain unbeaten in region play and earn a season sweep over the Wildcats.
The two teams traded the lead and saw the game tied three different times before the Colonels scored twice in the top of the eighth for an eventual 6-4 win.
With the game tied 4-4 after seven innings, Cass coaxed four walks to take a 5-4 lead with only one out in the eighth. Following a fly out to centerfield, another base on balls gave the Colonels their ultimate 6-4 lead.
Cody Johnson, who pitched a pair of shutout innings for the Colonels, tossed a perfect bottom of the eighth to preserve the Cass victory. He induced a fly out to centerfield, recorded a strikeout, and enticed a pop up to first base to close out the game and garner the pitching victory.
Cass took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by Jake Collum. The Colonels then went ahead 2-0 in the third on a sac fly by Johnson that scored Bailey Campbell who had singled to start the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Woodland’s Cauy Williams followed a Jacob Frye single with a two-run home run to left field that tied the game 2-2.
The Colonels went ahead 3-2 in the fifth.
Steven Spell lined a single into left field, moved to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third on a ground out. Zach Yancey then hit a hard ground ball to third and a Woodland error allowed him to reach safely and Spell to score.
The Wildcats tied the game again in the bottom of the inning.
A single by Noah Ludy, a sacrifice, and a Jordan Lee ground ball single tied the game 3-3.
Woodland took a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning on a single by Williams, a stolen base by his courtesy runner Emmanuel Jones, and a Koby Stansel RBI single.
The Colonels tied the game again to send it to extra innings in the top of the seventh.
Tyler Hendon doubled on a line drive to center field and was replaced as a runner by Bryson Markley. When Yancey reached on a bunt single, Markley kept running and was able to score.
Hunter Reaid and Williams (2 RBIs) had two hits apiece for Woodland. Lee (RBI), Stansel (RBI), Frye, Trenton Harrison, and Ludy each added one hit.
Hendon (RBI) and Spell had a pair of hits each for Cass. Campbell, Collum (RBI), Yancey, and Nathan Smith had the other Colonels’ hits. Hinton and Johnson added RBIs.
Harrison (4.2 IP, 3R, 1ER, 5H, 2BB, 4K) started on the mound for the Wildcats. Reaid (1.1 IP, 0R, 1H, 2BB) worked on the mound through the sixth inning. Grayson Bagwell (1.1 IP, 3ER, 2H, 4BB, 1K) was saddled with the pitching loss, working the seventh inning and into the eighth and Garrett Pope (0.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) retired the final two outs in the top of the eighth.
Collum (6 IP, 4ER, 8H, 1BB, 2K) started on the bump for the Colonels and went six innings before Johnson closed out the final two frames for the win.
Woodland (9-5, 0-2) will play highly-touted East Paulding in their next Region 7AAAAA series. The Wildcats travel to East Paulding Wednesday and will host the Raiders on Friday. Both games are 5:55pm starts.
Cass (11-6, 4-0) moves on to host region-foe Villa Rica Wednesday and the Colonels travel to the Wildcats’ home field on Friday. Both of those games are also 5:55pm starts.