Raiders rolling into quarterfinals

Published 12:41 pm Wednesday, May 8, 2019

By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

For more than a month, all they’ve done is win.

Beginning with a 6-3 victory over Vidalia, the Bacon County Raiders have won 13 of their past 14 games, and that includes all four of their games in the state playoffs.

Bacon County will look to keep the good times rolling when it visits Callaway today in the third round of the Class AA state playoffs. On the line is a trip to the state semifinals to play Rockmart or Harlem.

Bacon County (26-8), the number two team from Region 2-AA, has beaten Dodge County and Thomasville to reach this point.

Like Callaway, Bacon County is a veteran team, with many of its player having started for two or three seasons.

“They’ve got four guys that were sophomores when they went to the final four two years ago that are starting now as seniors,” Callaway head coach Dusty Hubbard said. “They’ve got some guys that have been in the fight a little bit, too. I think they start seven seniors. It’s a pretty veteran team. They’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of baseball.”

Bacon County lost to Thomasville in the second round of the 2018 state playoffs, and those same teams met in the second round once again this year.

After losing to Thomasville last year, Bacon County turned the tables and got the series sweep this season.

In the first game, Bacon County busted it open with five runs in the top of the seventh inning on the way to a 9-4 win.

Bennett Arney hit a home run for the Raiders, Mason Mikell and Wes Livingston each had two hits, and Cooper Brown knocked in a pair of runs.

Brown started and pitched 5 1/3 innings, and Mason Mikell went the rest of the way.

In game two, Wes Livingston pitched six strong innings as Bacon County won 4-3.

The Raiders made the most of their four hits, and Drew Elrod driving in a pair of runs with a hit during a three-run third inning.

Callaway’s task will be to try to slow down a Bacon County squad that has been rolling.

“You scout as hard as you can and try to get as much info as you can, but ultimately it comes down to you,” Hubbard said.