This week's Top 10 baseball games to watch in Georgia (May 1-6)
Here is our weekly run down of the Top 10 games to watch this week in Georgia High School Baseball:
10. Prince Avenue Christian (27-2-1) vs. Athens Christian
Prince Avenue Christian and Athens Christian will face off in round two in a best of three game series. Prince Avenue is coming off a two-game sweep over Mount Vernon in round one. The Wolverines scored 30 runs and only allowed three in the two games. Not only were they dominant in that series but have been all season and are currently on a 20-game win streak. Athens Academy swept its first-round opponent as well and looked good doing so, It has won five in a row. These two former region rivals are squared up at 3-3 in their last six games with both teams splitting a series.
9. Walton (23-12) vs. North Paulding (21-10)
Walton and North Paulding will face off in a best of three game series in the Elite Eight. Walton is coming off series wins versus South Forsyth and a sweep over Buford. Levi Clark was huge for Walton, going 3-for-5 in the series with three walks, two homers, and four RBIs. Clark will need to continue to be huge in this round if Walton looks to advance. North Paulding brought out the big bats in round one scoring 21 runs to knock off Brookwood and came back down 0-1 in round two to defeat East Coweta. The Wolfpack are riding high after Jake Epstein’s game winning three-run home run and will look to carry that energy into the Elite Eight.
8. Mill Creek (23-12) vs. Hillgrove (24-10)
Mill Creek will face off in a best of three game series in the Elite Eight. Mill Creek completely shut down a red hot Kennesaw Mountain team that had won 15 of its last 18 games. Mill Creek finished them off 10-0 in game two to complete its second sweep of the playoffs. Hillgrove has been on fire to end the regular season and start the playoffs. The most recent stretch of games has gone like this for Hillgrove, sweep of Carrollton, sweep of Archer, win over Woodward Academy, sweep of Lassiter and a win over North Paulding in a region series. Both teams are red hot right now and the winner of the battle of the Hawks will find itself in the final four.
7. Marist (21-13-1) @ Houston County (29-5) Monday @ 5 p.m.
Marist and Houston County will face off in a win or go home game with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight. This series has had two games already with both swinging in two completely different directions, In game one, Houston County won 8-3 and in game two Marist swung back and earned itself a 7-3 victory. With the amount of talent on the diamond between these two, there will be nothing surprising that may come in game three.
6. Pope (26-9) @ Woodstock (23-10) Monday @ 6 p.m.
Pope and Woodstock will face off in a win or go home game with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight. This has been a super tight series with great defense and pitching. Woodstock won game one 3-1 and Pope came right back with a 3-2 victory in game two. Both of these teams have high expectations every season, so you can expect a dog-fight on Monday.
5. River Ridge (21-9) vs. Woodward Academy (28-5)
River Ridge and Woodward Academy will face off in a best of three game series in the Elite Eight. River Ridge is coming off a super impressive sweep over Lassiter. Lassiter scored over 200 runs on the season and River Ridge’s defense held Lassiter to just three runs that series. A big reason why is River Ridge’s pitching staff is amazing, led by JD Rediger. Woodward Academy has won five in a row after its sweep of Glynn Academy. Ethan Hall, Kevin Stephens, and Brandon Burnette were huge for the War Eagles in that series. They combined for seven hits, nine RBIs, two doubles, and a home run. This trio and the rest of the order will have to remain hot if they look to get off against River Ridge's rotation.
4. Locust Grove (32-2-1) vs. Loganville (25-7)
Locust Grove will take on Loganville in a best of three game series in the Elite Eight. Locust Grove is coming off a sweep against Harris County and Loganville swept Dalton. Loganville scored 11 in both games and extended its win streak to 14 games. Locust Grove’s win streak stands at 11 games, but all season the Wildcats have been great, with only three games that haven’t resulted in a loss. Locust Grove has been one of the best teams in the state all season and has the most wins of any 5A team. Loganville hasn’t shown any drop off after winning a state title last season and is looking prime to run it back.
3. Lovett (24-6) vs. Cherokee Bluff (28-4)
Lovett and Cherokee Bluff will face off in a win or go home game with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight. In game one, Lovett was on a mission, winning 16-6 with the run rule coming into play. In game two, Lovett controlled the game throughout, but a wild pitch sealed a Cherokee Bluff comeback to win it. Cherokee Bluff is facing its most adversity this season. Lovett ended its 11-game win streak and has had its number the majority of this series. But one thing is for sure, Cherokee Bluff has been one of the best if not arguably the best team in the state this year and a win or go home game between these two is great for all fans.
2. North Gwinnett (29-6) vs. Lowndes (22-11)
North Gwinnett and Lowndes will face-off in a best of three game series in the Elite Eight. North Gwinnett is coming off a series win over Forsyth Central which was just another showing of how dominant the Bulldogs have been. North Gwinnett has won 11 of its last 12 games and is averaging nearly 12 runs per game in that stretch. Lowndes is no stranger to dominance, as it has won 11 straight games including sweeps of Westlake and Grayson in the playoffs. The Vikings have scored 51 runs in the post-season and their bats are on fire. This should be a great series with two of the more higher-powered offenses in the state.
1. Dacula (23-10) vs. Parkview (28-5)
Dacula and Parkview will face-off in a best of three game series in the Elite Eight. Dacula has had a great start to its post-season. First the Falcons swept another Gwinnett County opponent in Norcross and then took down Denmark as the underdogs. And now, Dracula's reward is Parkview. Parkview is one of the best teams in the state. It finished the regular season scoring over 300 runs and allowing less than 90. The Panthers have been dominant in the playoffs as well with two sweeps, one over McEachern and the other over Richmond Hill. The Panthers have scored 42 runs in four playoff games and have only allowed seven. Parkview is usually the favorite in every series but with what Dacula has done so far in the playoffs any outcome is possible.
