First Presbyterian Christian Academy raised its season record to 8-6 Thursday with a sweep of region foe Robert Toombs at home.
FPCA edged Robert Toombs, 4-3, in the first game, which was the continuation of a game suspended by darkness. The Highlanders walloped the Crusaders, 12-2, in the nightcap.
The first action of Thursday picked up tied at 3-3 in the top of the eighth inning. Michael Lovelady was 2-for-2 and drove in the winning run in the 10th inning.
Highlander pitcher Jake Lee worked three innings on the hill in the first game, and then started the second game for FPCA and gave them two strong innings of work before getting into a bases-loaded jam.
“Jake did a great job for us. We got in a little trouble and went to Cameron Riley to work the rest of the game,” FPCA head coach Bruce Green said.
Riley was able to get the Highlanders out of the jam by only allowing one run to score.
“Cameron gave us three really good innings. He struck out eight batters including striking out the side in the fourth and fifth inning,” Green said.
Green also credited center fielder Dalton Smiley’s defensive play, which took away extra-base hits from Robert Toombs.
“Robert Toombs is usually a very fundamentally sound baseball team. I think the fact that they lost the first game, which could cost them a region championship, really affected them mentally in the second game,” Green said.
FPCA hit the ball hard which created several errors in the five-inning run rule of the Crusaders’ win.
“Phillip Swindell has to be one of the hottest hitters in the state right now. He hit a three-run homer against Robert Toombs and has hit for the cycle this past week, too,” Green said.
The Highlanders host David Emanuel Academy on Tuesday and Memorial Day on Thursday.
According to Green, FPCA has played into the region playoffs, but the Highlanders’ seed is yet to be determined.
“We ended up backing into the playoffs, but there are still some games left to be played before we know what our seed will be,” Green said.
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