TUNNEL HILL — Northwest Whitfield won both games over Southeast Whitfield in a Thursday night doubleheader to finish off a three-game sweep of the Raiders in a Region 7-4A series.
Northwest (15-2) shut out Southeast (5-16) 10-0 in the first game, then won 8-3 in the second.
After Southeast got a runner to third in the first inning of the first game but failed to score, Northwest loaded the bases with two outs and cashed in.
A Trent Hixson grand slam got Northwest started and the Bruins didn’t let up, adding a run in the third, two in the fourth and three in the fifth to end the game with a 10-run lead.
Will Wade pitched three innings for Northwest and Kaylor Stancill went the final two. Both pitchers gave up just one hit, with Wade striking out five.
Hixson also doubled in the game, while Austin Cooley and Gavin Nuckolls both tripled. Cooley had two RBIs.
Grant McArthur and Brayden Lay picked up the hits for Southeast.
After being shut out in game one, Southeast brought in a run in the top of the first inning in game two.
Lay laid down a single to center field that brought home Elijah Couch to give Southeast the lead, but Northwest scored a trio of runs in the bottom of the first to take back the lead.
Northwest scored two on a couple of wild pitches, then another Nuckolls triple earned another run.
The Bruins scored three more in the second to build a 6-1 advantage. Southeast scored one more in the third, and the two teams were scoreless for two straight innings before Northwest added a pair in the sixth.
Needing a big rally in the top of the seventh to keep the game going, Southeast managed one run on a McArthur single, but couldn’t score another.
Nuckolls had a pair of RBIs for Northwest. Hixson, Cooley, Hank Harrison and Sam Crossen all doubled for Northwest.
Four Northwest pitchers saw at least one inning of action. Avery O’Neal and Hixson both pitched at least two, with O’Neal striking out three and Hixson striking out four in just two innings.
Prior to the game, Southeast Whitfield players and coaches donned white-and-blue warm-up jerseys over their black uniforms in honor of Allison Crossen, the mother of Northwest player Sam Crossen. Allison Crossen passed away from cancer earlier this month. Each of the shirts donned by Southeast was modeled after the style of the Bruins’ uniforms, and each bore Crossen’s No. 10.
Bowdon 6, Christian Heritage 1
Christian Heritage (3-11) was downed 6-1 by Bowdon (13-3) Thursday, one night after a 9-3 loss in game one of the two-game series.
Bowdon led 5-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, when a Lucas Roby bunt brought home Jackson Locke for the lone Christian Heritage run. Bowdon added an insurance run in the seventh.
Roby and Junior Castelo both finished 2-for-3, and Locke doubled.
The Lions play Mount Paran Christian on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Gordon Lee 6, Coahulla Creek 4
Coahulla Creek (5-7) dropped 6-4 to Gordon Lee (8-8) in eight innings Thursday night.
The Colts led 4-0 entering the sixth. Gordon Lee scored two in the sixth, then tied the game with two more runs in the seventh. The Trojans scored two go-ahead runs in the top of the eighth, and Creek couldn’t match.
Brody Howell finished with a double and a pair of RBIs for Creek. Asher Moore and Connor Chastain both had two hits, and Keith Collins and Luke Swiney each had an RBI.
Creek plays at Ridgeland tonight at 5:55 p.m.
Cass 7, Dalton 2
Cass (11-6) defeated Dalton (5-10) 7-2 Thursday to complete a three-game sweep of Dalton in a Region 7-5A series.
Dalton opened with a run in the top of the first on a Charles Chappelle home run, but Cass pushed out to a 4-1 lead in the second and never let Dalton back in the game.
Chappelle finished 2-for-3, as did Asher Renfroe. Renfroe had the RBI on Dalton’s second run in the third inning.
Dalton starts a series with Cartersville on Tuesday at 5:55 p.m.