Bulldogs stomp past Razorbacks en route to round two

Apr. 24—THOMASVILLE — It was a good day for Thomasville high school baseball fans on Tuesday as the state playoffs got underway on home soil. The Bulldogs welcomed the Cross Creek Razorbacks and treated them to eight innings of pure domination.

Game one saw the Bulldogs bats get hotter than they've ever been as Thomasville racked up 13 hits, scoring 15 runs and ending the game in just three innings. They scored 12 in the bottom of the third before the game was called. Every Thomasville batter who stepped up to the plate had a hit, including designated hitter Jasper Davis who drove in three runs.

}Game two was no different, though the Bulldogs got off to a slower start, scoring just two runs through the first two innings. Thomasville never struggled to make contact, but seemed to have difficulty getting the ball out of the infield.

It was Jadon Lirette who sparked the Bulldogs eight run third inning as he led off with a bomb to left field. After that the game unraveled for the Razorbacks. Three errors, a balk and two hit batters followed Lirette's homer and before they new it, Cross Creek was down 10-0.

The next two innings went by quickly, and the game was called after the fifth inning with Thomasville claiming the series victory.

Thomasville's pitchers had a field day with the Razorbacks. Jay Harrison, who got the start in game one, pitched all three innings, struck out four and pitched a no hitter. Ethan Barrett got the start in game two and his efforts, combined with Cruz McCall and Lirette, led to a second no hitter to end the series with 11 combined strikeouts. McCall led all pitchers in the series with five K's in two innings pitched.

Now the Bulldogs enter round two where they will once again host the series. This time they will face Pike County. Pike, who is currently 12-16 overall, had a rough start to the season, opening with a nine-game losing streak.

Though the Pirates did recover and went 9-3 in region play, secured second place in their region and finished the regular season on a seven-game win streak. The Pirates defeated Savanah Christian in two games, winning the first 8-7 and the second 7-2. Round two of the state playoffs is slated to begin on Monday, April 29. Game one between the Bulldogs and Pirates will start at 4 p.m.