By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

It’s a sweep.

The Troup Tigers, with Garrett Casey and Colby Williams delivering phenomenal pitching performances, advanced to the second round of the Class AAAA state playoffs by getting a pair of wins over Ridgeland on Thursday.

While most of the playoff games in the area were postponed because of the wet conditions, the show went on at Troup.

Casey and Williams were untouchable, throwing a combined 14 shutout innings while giving up three hits between them.

In the first game, Casey tossed a one-hitter to lead Troup to an 8-0 victory.

In the second game, Williams suffocated Ridgeland’s hitters as Troup rolled to a 7-0 win to finish the sweep.

Williams held Ridgeland to two hits, and he had an astonishing 15 strikeouts with no walks.

Troup will play either Blessed Trinity or Stephens County in the second round of the playoffs, and those two teams will play today.

Casey, who was making his playoff debut for Troup, got it done on the mound, and at the plate in the first game.

The left-handed Casey limited Ridgeland’s overmatched batters to one hit, and he struck out 11 and didn’t walk anyone.

Casey, hitting in the number five spot in the order, contributed offensively as well with two hits and two RBIs.

Caleb McCurry added two hits and two RBIs, Kenly Bridwell had two hits and an RBI, Cade Garner and Cooper Doughman each had a hit and an RBI, and leadoff hitter Ryan Bliss had a hit, two walks, and two runs scored.

The Tigers were clinging to a 2-0 lead when they broke it open with five runs in the bottom of the fifth.

With two men on, Doughman had an RBI double, and Casey followed with a two-run single to push the lead to 5-0.

Garner capped the five-run inning with an RBI single on a two-strike pitch.

In the sixth inning, Bliss doubled and scored on a McCurry base hit to complete the scoring.

After a 30-minute break, the teams returned to the field for the second game, and Williams had his way with Ridgeland’s batters with his 15-strikeout performance.

Casey had another big offensive game with a hit, two walks and three RBIs, and Williams and Doughman each had a hit and an RBI.

Bliss walked twice and scored two runs, Luke Purnell had a hit had a hit and a walk, McCurry had a hit, and Bridwell drove in a run.

Leading 1-0, Troup scored three runs in the fourth inning without getting a hit.

Doughman and Casey walked with the bases loaded, and Bridwell was hit by a pitch to drive in a run.

Troup added a single run in the sixth inning, and two more runs in the seventh.