Season ends for Indians as Eagles sweep advance to final four

SHARPSBURG-Maybe it was the baseball gods or bad luck that doomed the East Coweta Indians as their 2013 baseball season came to an end Tuesday night as they were swept by the Milton Eagles in the third round of the AAAAAA state playoffs.
In game one, the Indians held a 4-1 before the wheels began to come apart in the top of the sixth inning and eventually the Eagles scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to come away with a 7-4 victory.
Errors in the early portion of game two as well as the inability to solve Eagles starting pitcher Dylan Cease haunted the Indians as they were defeated 11-1 in five innings.
Despite the sweep, the Indians will finish the season with a 28-5 record and the Region 3-AAAAAA championship while the Eagles improve to 25-7-2 and will face Parkview in the Final Four next Monday after the latter swept Colquitt County 16-11 and 7-3.
In the opener, the Eagles took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the second inning when John Thompson reached on a leadoff double and moved to third on an error in the outfield before coming home on a sacrifice fly by A. Cease.
The Indians came back in the bottom of the inning as Matthew Meyer reached on a one out double and after Blake Lorow reached on a two out walk, Travis Williams followed with a single that scored Meyer who slid into the catcher as the throw came into home.
On the play, courtesy runner Graden Treadwell also slid into home with the lead run while allowing Williams to advance to third.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Indians were able to add to the lead with as Bryce gemmel reached on a force play and with two outs came home on a single by Jeremy Walton who took second on the throw home and eventually scoring on a single by Meyer.
For most of the game, the lead was enough for Indians starter Zack McCurry who was putting batters away with regularity through the first five innings of the game.
In the top ofthe sixth inning, he would get extended as the first two batters of the frame reached on infield errors .
The top of the seventh inning would become McCurry's undoing as he walked the first batter and allowed a one out single to Farkas before loading the bases after hitting Gridley.
McCurry was lifted in favor of Cole Amtmann who was unable to get the double play as he surrendered a two-run single to Sean Brophy that gave Milton a 5-4 lead.
The Eagles extended the lead as Gridley scored from third on a sacrifice fly and Brophy completed the scoring when he came home on a wild pitch.
Eagles' pitcher Payton Smith ended the game when he retired the Indians in order in the bottom of the seventh to get the win while McCurry suffered his first defeat after winning his first 13 games.
Amtmann got the ball in the nightcap and unfortunately he did not have the luck he enjoyed in the deciding game last week against Marietta as a pair of errors and a pair of walks in the bottom of the first inning led to four runs for the Eagles including a two-run single by Farkas.
Milton took a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning as an error led to a pair of runs as well as an RBI single by Ewing.
The Indians got on the board in the top of the third inning as Cameron Smith and Gemmel reached on consecutive two out walks with both advancing on two wild pitches by Cease to score the lone run for EC as Smith crossed home plate.
Austin Bellamy took over for Amtmann in the bottom of the third inning and he would struggle as all but one batter reached base with Thompson hitting a two-run triple as part of a four-run frame that ended when Brandon Ruston came into the game and induced a pop to short by Ewing.
Ruston would pitch to two batters in the bottom of the fourth inning and retired both before Jay Mann came into the game to pitch his final EC contest and he went out with a bang as recorded a strikeout.
The Indians were retired in order in the top of the fifth inning and the Eagles left with the series sweep.

Race between East Coweta and Milton for final four begins

East Coweta (28-3)

Milton 23-7-2

Around the third turn they go may be a term used in horse racing but it can be applied to the third round of the AAAAAA state baseball playoff series between the East Coweta Indians and the Milton Eagles.
The two teams are hoping to get around that third turn when they meet Tuesday afternoon beginning at 5:00 for an opportunity to advance to the final four to face either Colquitt County (the 2003 champion after defeating East Coweta) or Parkview (2000-2002 champion who was eliminated by the Indians in 2004).
The Indians (28-3) and Eagles (23-7-2) will meet for the first time since 2004 when the Eagles defeated the Indians for 2004 title in Alpharetta.
East Coweta has had an up and down run through the playoffs having eased past Rockdale County in two games by scores of 13-0 and 16-0 in eight innings while needing three games to defeat a strong Marietta team with Cole Amtmann pitching a courageous game in the finale as the Indians deeated the Blue Devil 3-2 last Thursday.
Milton, the top seed from region 5, needed three games with two played in extra innings to eliminate the Brookwood broncos and elimnated Lambert in two games by scores of 7-3 and 9-2 in round two.
On the mound, the Eagles have a number of players available including junior Dylan Ceese who has six wins, senior Payton Smith with five wins and several hurlers with two wins.
Cease is among several Eagles who are also adept with the bat in a lineup that includes senior infielder Ryan Gridley who had three hits in the Lambert series and junior first baseman Jack Thompson who had three hits in one of the playoff games against Brookwood.
Now it is off to the races for the final four.




                                                                

Indians survive Blue Devils behind Amtmann, win series

                         3   2

SHARPSBURG-The East Coweta Indians scored all of their runs in the bottom of the first inning Thursday afternoon and pitcher Cole Amtmann made the lead stand with a strong outing to lead the Indians to a 3-2 victory over the Marietta Blue Devils aned clinch the second round AAAAAA state baseball playoffs series.
The Indians improve to 28-3 and will host the Milton Eagles in a third round matchup tentatively slated for Tuesday in a rematch of the 2004 championseries with the latter winning the title in Alpharetta.
Milrton swept Lambert Thursday by scores of in their second series.
"I thought Cole did an outstanding job," head coach Franklin Deloach commented. "In the fifth he was able to minimize the damage after a tough start allowing only one run after Marietta had runners on second and third with only one out and their three hole hitter at the plate."
After Amtmann, in his second start of the season, breezed throught the top of the first inning, the Indians appeared to be off to a strong start against Blue Devils starter Evan Steele.
With one out, Bryce Gemmel reached on an infield single and stole second before coming home on a single to center field by Amtmann that eluded Bradley Piggie who had been an outfield menace throughout the series.
Jonathan Banks gave the Indians the lead they would have throughout the afternoon when he drilled an 0-1 offering from Steele over the center field fence for a two-run home run and a 3-0 lead.
The Blue Devills, who finished their season with a 22-9 record, got one of the runs back in the top of the second inning as he led off by hitting a 1-2 offering from Amtmann over the right center field fence for a solo home run.
Amtmann surrendered a single to Marcus Mitchell after the home run but left him stranded at first as he retired the next two batters on strikeouts and induced a groundball to third to end the frame.
As solid as Amtmann was on the mound, Steele threw a lot of pitches early but made a few count including in the bottom of third when he retired the first two batters on solid flyballs before walking Geremy Walton and allowing a single to Matthew Meyer before getting a strikeout from Stephan Cruver on a strikeout.
That would be the only threat the Indians could muster against Steele who surrendered seven hits and recorded five strikeouts.
Marietta had a scoring opportunity in the top of the fourth as Mitchell doubled and moved to third on a groundout by TJ Bulock but Amtmann recorded a strikeout to end the frame.
The Blue Devils broke through in the top of the fifth inning as Piggie Led off with a single and Mathis was hit by a pitch ahead of a sacrifice bunt and a groundout by Travis Wildermuth that brought Piggee home.
Amtmann retired the next batter on strikes then caught a second wind in the top of the sixth inning
After inducing a groundout by Henderson Amtmann ended the inning in short order as he retired the next two batters on strikeouts before the pivotal seventh inning.
After surrendering a walk to begin the inning, Amtmann induced a flyball to center by Piggee, a fielder's choice to Mathis and the final blow came when he recorded his ninth strikeout when he retired Wilson swinging.

Marietta gains split with EC in series, deciding game Thursday

SHARPSBURG-The Marietta Blue Devils took advantage of eight errors by the East Coweta Indians Wednesday night to come away with an 11-6 victory and force a split in their second round AAAAAA state baseball playoff matchup.

Marietta's win forced the deciding game to be played Thursday afternoon at 5:30 with the winner to face the winner of the series between Milton and Lambert.

The Indians (27-3) scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to win the opener 3-2 as the Blue Devils were guilty of an error.

Marietta (22-8) took the lead with two outs in the top of the first inning as Travis Wildermuth reached on a walk and brother Trent followed with a single.

On the play the throw to third from the outfield bounced away and courtesy runner Will Crowe was able to come home with the lone run of the frame.

After Indians starter Zack McCurry retired the first two batters in the top of the third inning, the Blue Devils took a 2-0 lead as Travis Wildermuth hit a solo home run over the right field fence with the ball hitting a window of a Mazda van.

The Indians, who had several chances to rally early in the contest came back in the bottom of the fifth inning Blake Lorow, Travis Williams and Tim Manning reached on consecutive singles that allowed EC to get on the scoreboard as courtesy runner Graydon Treadwell came home.

Cameron Smith followed with a fielder's choice that forced Manning at second and Bryce Gemmel followed with a ground ball that was mishandled at third allowing Williams to score the tying run and Smith came home with the lead run as the throw got away from the catcher.

The Blue Devils had a chance to regain the lead with one out in the top of the sixth inning as the Wildermuths reached on consecutive walks but McCurry responded strongly as he induced an infield fly from Eric Henderson and a strikeout of Marcus Mitchell to end the frame.

McCurry, who finished with a three-hitter recorded 11 strikeouts as he retired the side in order in the top of the seventh inning to end the game.

The nightcap got off to a rough start for the Indians as Jordan Mathis led off the bottom of the first inning by reaching first on an error and moving to third on an error before coming out on a sacrifice fly by Travis Wildermuth.

The Indians tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third inning as Williams reached on a dropped third strike, advanced to second on a single by Smith and came home when Cole Antmann singled to left field.

Marietta regained the lead after two outs in the bottom of the frame as Mathis walked, Wilson reached on an error and Indians starter Austin Bellamy threw a wild pitch that brought Mathis home with the lead run.

Travis Wildermuth reached on a walk and Trent Wildermuth followed with a two-run single that gave the Blue Devils a 4-1 lead and he advanced to second on an error.

The error hurt as the Blue Devils added one more run in the frame when Henderson followed with a run scoring single to left.

Marietta took a 7-1 lead with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning as TJ Bulock singled, Piggee doubled and Mathis followed a sacrifice fly to right field.

Wilson followed with a triple that scored Bradley Piggee and Bellamy was relieved by Brandon Ruston who retired the next batter on strikes.

East Coweta did not give up as they scored twice in the top of the sixth inning as Geremy Walton doubled and Matthew Meyer followed with a walk for Austin Jones ho followed with a single that loaded the bases.

Williams singled to right to score Walton and a wild pitch allowed Meyer to score but the Indians were unable to get any more runs as Henderson retired the next three batters to end the frame.

The game appeared to be decided in the bottom of the sixth inning as three errors led to four runs that gave the Blue Devils an 11-4 lead.

The final margin came in the top of the seventh inning Amtmann doubled and  Jonathan Banks followed with a two-run home run but that would be as close the Indians could get despite adding two more base runners in the frame.

 

Newnan finally has a second round opponent

Brandon Dawson had his normal game Friday night against the Newton County Rams as the senior allowed one hit over five innings and was 3-for-3 at the plate. He will pitch one of the games Thursday afternoon against Tift County at Joe Pope Field.

The Newnan Cougars may have been uttering the saying "Rain, rain go away" over the last five days since sweeping the Newton County Rams in the first round of the AAAAAA state baseball playoffs.
The McEachern Indians and Tift County Blue Devils met Friday in a first round matchup in Cobb County with the two teams splitting games and having to play a deciding contest on Saturday.
The problem was that Mother Nature did not get the memo as rain hit the Atlanta area and since GHSA sanctioned games cannot be played in Georgia on Sunday, the next available day was Monday.
Somebody stop the bus in Tifton as the field in Powder Springs was too wet to play on and the game had to be postponed to Tuesday evening at 5:00.
After a 90-minute delay, the two teams managed to begin the game with the Indians expected to win with their number one ranking against the fourth-ranked visitors from Region 1-AAAAAA who made the over 200 mile trip north to Powder Springs.
The scenario did not play out that way as McEachern's defense or lack of it ended the season for the Indians when they made five errors during the game and were defeated 2-1.
Expecting to need a bus for the series at McEachern Wednesday, the Cougars will get to stay home for a second round series at Joe Pope Field with the Blue Devils on Thursday at 4:00 as the Georgia High School Association allowed a one day delay in the series.
When the series begins Thursday, the Cougars, the number two seed from Region 3-AAAAAA will bring a record of 22-5 with them including a five-game winning streak and an 8-2 record in their last 10 games while Tift County enters the series with a 16-13 record and are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
The Cougars will benefit to a degree in the erratic scheduling as they will be able to use pitchers Brandon Dawson and Thomas Sumner on five days rest while the Blue Devils will be unable to use junior Zack Bullard who won both games in the series with the Indians.
In Tift's win on Tuesday, Bullard allowed four hits and recorded one strikeout on a night in which his defense did the work while in his other start he allowed only three hits in a 4-1 win.
Meanwhile, the Cougars are coming off a series in which they won games over the Rams by scores of 15-9 and 11-0.
In game one, the work of Tanner Snellgrove was the story as he recorded seven strikeouts in three innings as the Rams scored six in the frame to mount a rally.
Dawson was the star of game two as he was 3-for-3 at the plate and limiting the Rams to a single hit in the five-inning contest.

Indians to meet tough Blue Devils in second round

It is said that the second round of a tournament becomes more difficult than the first and the third is touggher than the second.
The East Coweta Indians will find out Wednesday as they do battle in the second round of the AAAAAA state baseball playoffs as they host the Marietta Blue Devils in Sharpsburg.
Meanwhile, the Newnan Cougars will look to extend the coaching tenure of Kenny Morris when they face either Tift County or McEachern on Thursday.
Tift County and McEachern are meeting on Tuesday due to the rain in the Atlanta area with the former travelling to Coweta County and the latter hosting a series on Thursday.
The Indians (26-2) are coming off a first round sweep of Rockdale County in which they outscored the Bulldogs 29-0 in eight innings and allowed all of two hits.
In the sweep over the Bulldogs, senior Zack McCurry continued his path to an undefeated season as he pitched the first four innings of game one and Austin Bellamy combined with Brandon Ruston to quickly retire Rockdale batters.
In game one, the Indians scored five runs and four in the second to set the tone for the contest.
Bryce Gemmel was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a stolen base while Cole Amtmann each had two hits with four runs scored and four RBIs.
The script was the same as the first game with the Indians scoring four runs in the top of the first inning then adding six in the top of the second inning as the Bulldogs committed a pair of errors.
The Indians added six more to end the game in three innings and end the doubleheader in less than three hours.
Gemmel, Jonathan Banks, Geremy Walton, Austin Jones and Tim Manning combined to go 10-for-12 at the plate with 10 runs scored and 10 RBIs.
Marietta, in their first playoff in eight years, comes in 21-7 after having the same level of success last Friday as they swept Camden County by scores of 2-0 and 10-0 with Eric Henderson pitching a no-hitter in the finale after Gabe Friese tossed a one-hitter in the opener.
Henderson helped his own cause at the plate in the game as he was 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.
The senior had support at the plate by Trent and Travis Wildermuth who were a combined 4-for-6 with a double, four runs scored and two RBIs.
The series sweep gave the Blue Devils a four-game winning streak and a 7-3 record in their last 10 games.
In the current winning streak, the Blue Devils have outscored the opposition 34-0 and for the season they have outscored the opponents by a combined score of 206-61.

End of the road for a few

COMMENTARY

When my life hit a very large pothole two years ago, I felt the world would continue to move along with a number of people still around providing that constant in the world.

Since September a lot of people began leaving and in some cases there was a physical departure. 
Since becoming a high school, athletes at Northgate came to depend on Dale Krach for the many bumps and bruises.
Two athletes in particular, softball player Charlie Lazar and basketball/tennis player Natalie Pluskota often had his name on speed dial and the man would come with bandages, braces and in Charlie's case a 9/16" screw and a portable screwdriver.
If there was an event, Krach was usually in attendance and at the ready in case of injury.
In the middle of September of 2012 that story met with a sad end as Krach was found dead in his sleep a day after the Vikings played football.
He left behind a family including daughter Amy who was a basketball star for Paula Jones at East Coweta in the 1990s and went on to play at Georgia Southern and has been an assistant at EC, Northgate, Berry College in Rome and most recently at Archer High School in Gwinnett County.
I always found him to be personable and accessible when I needed to speak with him and the fondest memory I have was told to me by former colleague Bob Fraley.
While shooting photos at a football game, Bob and his camera discovered they were no match for a huge football player with equipment and running at a high rate of speed.
Bob broke his leg and Dale Krach stayed with him until the ambulance arrived. By the way, the camera survived.
Krach's death meant the beginning of the end for three full-time school employees who carried the nickname "the Three Amigos".
The other two members of this group are Lloyd Knott (who I affectionately call uncle Lloyd) and James "Radar" Brantley who were the head athletic trainers at East Coweta and Newnan respectively until Thanksgiving when they retired.
At least the version of retirement means you don't work 150 hours a week but work only a fraction of that time because the schools can't do without you.
When I arrived here in 1999, these were the first people that I actually met when I paid visits to their respective schools during football season.
Since it has been awhile I am hopeful they didn't want to have me flogged or something since I was this oddball who had no clue what he was going to do while at practice.
Fortunately, time has allowed me to know these gentlemen better and be able to communicate with them.
In fact, Radar is also a “land baron” in the county as he owns a house next to mine so I have seen him on his riding mower cutting grass.
As for “Uncle Lloyd”, he was always the first person I sought after EC football games not to get injury updates unless I needed them, but to say hi and pick up the positive vibe he seemed to extol among the masses.
Lloyd has also been helpful during my little situation as in making suggestions and giving me an occasional ride to the vehicle in the “Lloyd-mobile”.
By the way, these guys do not know the word retirement as they are still on their campuses doing their thing but at a reduced time and I believe Radar is looking forward to a future fishing trip.
Another person in local athletics that departed is Cindy Waugh who was the secretary in the athletic office at East Coweta.
Whenever I called the office, Cindy usually answered the phone and provided me with the information I needed or would send something by email when needed.
I will have to tell you the athletic secretary runs the department not the athletic director and Cindy definitely had things under control until she retired at the same time that the trainers did.
I don’t know if she will take up fishing, but Cindy has earned the opportunity to take a rest.
A couple of basketball coaches are also looking into future endeavors after long service in Northgate’s Mack Cain and East Coweta’s Paula Jones while Kenny Morris will be turning in one of his hats at Newnan as he will no longer be the baseball coach.
All three have been successful in their fields with all three leading programs to state playoff games with Jones leading the 1998 Lady Indians to the state finals, Cain leading Jonesboro to the finals in 2003 and Morris led the Cougars to the final four only two years ago.
Whoever comes in to fill these spots may have tough shoes to fill but hopefully the support will be strong and no one suffers from the John Wooden syndrome.
Finally, the county lost the big fan when Danny “Boomer” Bishop passed away recently.
Boomer knew everything about athletics in this county before those of us who reported it did and he was a pretty good authority at Atlanta Braves baseball and knew a little something about Georgia Tech athletics.
This year has been a little surreal with him not there but I am sure he will not be forgotten.
So I guess it is the end of a road for a few but the beginning of another for others.

 

Indians sweep Bulldogs in first round series

SHARPSBURG-The East Coweta Indians struck early, often and a lot Friday evening as they swept the Rockdale County Bulldogs in their first round AAAAAA playoff serries.
In game one, Zach McCurry and Brandon Ruston combined to allow one hit iin five innigs while Bryce Gemmel had three hits and Cole Amtmann and Geremy Walton had two hits each to lead the Indians to a 13-0 win,
The nightcap wasn't any easier for the Bulldogs as Austin Bellamy combined with Ruston for a one-hitter in three innings while the Indians offense struck again in a 16-0 win.
The sweep improved the Indians' record to 26-2 while the Bulldogs finished the season with a 14-13 record.
In the opener, the first four Indian batters reached base as Cameron Smith and Gemmel reached on singles, Amtmann followed with an RBI double and Jonathan Banks reached on a walk.

Zack McCurry moved a step closer to being the holder of the single season victory total by an Indians starter after the 13-0 five inning win in game one of the state playoffs. 

After the first out of the inning, the Indians went back to work as Matthew Meyer had a two-run single while Banks scored on a wild pitch and Tim Manning had an RBI groundout that gave the Indians a 5-0 lead.
The Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the second inning as they scored four runs with singles by Gemmel, Amtmann, Banks and Geremy Walton led to a pair of runs while a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Travis Williams were responsible for the other two runs and a 9-0 lead.
Walton added the highlight in the bottom of the third inning as he contributed a two-run double while an RBI groundout by Manning and an RBI single by Gemmel were the highlights of the fifth inning and sealed the game for the Indians.
After a 30-minute break for work on the field and the concession stand to feed the masses, game two got underway with the Indians serving as the "visitors" and they were rude guests as they opened with the first four batters reaching base with Gemmel, Amtmann and Banks driving home single runs while a wild pitch brought Banks home with the fourth run of the inning.
In the top of the second inning,  The Indians were able to take advantage of defensive miscues on the Bulldogs part.
Manning and Smith reached on singles and advanced a base when Gemmel grounded out to third then Amtmann reached first on a walk that loaded the bases.
Banks hit what appeared to be an easy sacrifice fly to center field but the ball was misplayed and Manning came home with a run and Banks was able to reach first on the error.
A single by Walton, a sacrifice fly by Meyer that wasn't misplayed and a double by Austin Jones led to three more runs and an infield error by the Bulldogs brought Walton and courtesy runner Grayden Treadwell home with the final runs of the frame and give the road crew a 10-0 lead.
With the outcome of the game already decided, the length of the game was still in doubt but that was answered in the top of the third inning as the Indians scored six runs for the final margin.
Banks had a two-run double while Jones and Manning also performed the same feat for the Indians in the frame.
Now the Indians will advance to the second round with a tough opponent in the  Marietta Blue Devils who swept Camden County in a first round series Friday night.
.

Weber School defeats Trinity in season finale

Trinty Christian pitcher Cole Elrod pitched three and two-third innings before leaving the game. The Lions were defeated 14-6 by the Weber School Rams at Handley Park in Tyrone.

TYRONE-The 2013 baseball season did not end the way the Trinty christian Lions had hoped Thursday evening as the Weber School Rams scored runs in all but one inning in a GISA 1-AAA victory at Handley Park.
The Rams from Atlanta evened their overall record to 8-8 on the season and their region record improved to 3-5 and the number four seed in the region while the Lions finished the season with an overall mark of 4-9 and 0-7 in the region.
Weber took the first lead of the game in the top of the first inning when Kyle Rabonwitz scored scored on a one out single by Ben Karvin.
Trinity came back in bottom of the first inning Leighton Cannon reached base on a double, starting pitcher Cole Elrod reached opn an infield error and with two outs Tanner Johnson reached on a walk for Kenny Swygert launched a shot over the center field fence for a grand slam and the Lions held a 4-1 lead.
The Rams came back with two runs in the top of the second inning to cut the margin to 4-3 then tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the third inning as Karlin led off with a walk and moved into scoring position on a single and an error before coming home when Max Wildstein grounded out to second.
Weber took the lead with one out in the top of the fourth inning as  a wild pitch and RBI singles by David Martin and Sam Gresoff did the damage for the Rams and brought an end to the after for Elrod on the mound for the Lions.
Miscues hurt the Lions in the top of the fifth inning as a pair of errors and wild pitches allowed the Rams to add four runs to the lead and a two-run single in the top of the seventh accounted for the Rams'final runs of the game.
Despite their best effort, the Lions were unable to mount a comeback but were able to end their season with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning as Swygert had a two-run, two-out double that scored Cannon and Daniel Shoates.

Rich has three-hit day as Heritage defeats Trinity on Senior Day in key region game



Teammates congratulate Candler Rich after hitting a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning of the Heritage Hawks 15-0 victory over the Trinity Christian Lions.

 

 Heritage 15 Trinity Christian 0 (Four Innings)

It was threes for Candler Rich Tuesday afternoon as he was 3-for-3 at the plate, scored three times and had three RBIs while Tyler Nix and Luke Crook each had two hits to lead the Heritage Hawks to a 15-0 GISA Region 1AAA victory over the Trinity Christian Lions.
The four-inning win at home improves the Hawks' overall record to 14-2 and 5-2 in the region with a home game Friday against Dominion Christian to solidify the second seed for the upcoming state playoffs.
Loganville Christian won the region's top seed Tuesday after defeating Dominion Christian 3-2.
It was also Senior Day as Rich, Nix, Crook, Patrick McKee, Sam Pulsipher and Joe Bonner were honored prior to the game.  
Heritage scored early as they came away with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning as Rich led off with a double, Brad Macke followed with a walk and Rich stole third before Nix reached on a walk that loaded the bases.
A sacrifice fly to center field by Crook allowed Rich to score while both Macke and Nix advanced into scoring position on the throw home for Bonner who hit a ground ball to short that scored Macke from third.
Heritage added to the lead with one out in the bottom of the second inning as Pulsipher reached base on an inifield error aned Matthew Burns stole second for Rich who recorded his second straight double with a shot to left center field that was good for an RBI.
After advancing to third on a groundout, Rich came home on an infield single by Nix who subsequently stole second and came home on a line drive single to center field by Crook and the Hawks enjoyed a 5-0 lead.

Tyler Nix (left) and Candler Rich (right) were among siox seniors honored prior to the Heritage Hawks game against the Trinity Christian Lions.

Benefitting from the lead was starting pitcher Luke Smith who retired the first five men he face while the sixth batter was retired on a scorebook error.
Smith was replaced by Nix who retired the first batter on strikes and walked the next batter before getting a flyball to Rich who caught the baserunner too far off the bag for the double play.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Hawks added to their lead when Tyler Henson reached on a one out walk and Mack Wilkins followed with a double for Pulsipher who hit a bloop single to right center field allowing Henson to score while pinch runner Hayden Stanley advanced to third.
After a walk to Rich, Macke hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Stanley, then a throwing error allowed courtesy runner Burns to come home.
The scoring in the frame came to an end as Nix hit a single to left and Rich was able to walk home for the run.
Nix pitched in the top of the fourth inning and retired the first two batters before getting into a minor jam with a pair of walks before ending the frame with a forceplay.
The Hawks were able to end the game in the bottom of the fourth inning as 11 batters went to the plate and six came home.
With one out, McKee and Henson had consecutive doubles for one run then Wilkins followed with an RBI single.
After a flyball to center for the second out of the inning, Rich lined a 1-0 offering over the left field fence for a two-run home run then Macke followed with a solo shot to right field and the lead was 14-0.
Nix reached first after being hit by a pitch then Crook had a single before Bonner was hit by a pitch and McKee reached on a walk to end the game on the 15-run mercy rule.