VHA Sweeps Rams, To Play DEA In Final 4
The Vidalia Heritage Academy Eagles baseball team are heading to the GIAA Class A Final 4. #3 ranked VHA secured their spot by sweeping the #6 ranked Heritage Preparatory Rams of Atlanta in a best-of-three Elite 8 series last week at home. Next up is a trip to Stillmore to face a familiar foe: the #2 ranked David Emanuel Academy Eagles.
Game 1
In the series opener, both offenses stayed quiet early before the Rams broke through in the top of the fourth inning with a two-run single. VHA immediately responded in the bottom half of the frame. Bridge Bass delivered an RBI single, and Gray McNeal drove in a run on a fielder's choice to tie the game at 2-2.
The Eagles took control in the fifth when Pearson O'Neal plated the goahead run with a sacrifice fly, followed by an RBI single from Bragg Alford to make it 4-2. VHA put the game out of reach with a four-run sixth inning, highlighted by two more RBIs from Alford and an RBI by Maddyx Herrin. continued from page
The Rams managed a lone run in the seventh, but VHA closed out an 8-3 victory.
Game 2
The second game proved to be a back-andforth battle in the early innings. VHA struck first with a pair of runs in the top of the first, capitalizing on a Rams error and an RBI single from O'Neal. The Rams answered with two runs in the bottom half to tie it.
In the second, Trevor White drove in a run with a single, and another Rams error helped VHA reclaim a 4-2 edge. Heritage Prep knotted it up again at 4-4 in the third. Levi McDade's RBI single in the fourth put VHA back on top, but the Rams matched it in the bottom half to make it 5-5. The tie held until the sixth inning when Bass drove in the crucial go-ahead run.
VHA finally broke the game open in the seventh, erupting for five runs. Jake Adams and Alford each ripped two-run doubles, and McDade added another RBI single to push the lead to 11-5. A single run by the Rams in the bottom of the seventh capped the scoring, giving VHA an 11-6 win and the series sweep.
The Eagles now prepare for DEA. The two teams split their regularseason meetings, with VHA taking the first matchup 11-8 before dropping the second 160. The Final 4 series kicks off this Friday in Stillmore with a doubleheader starting at 4:30 p.m. If necessary, a decisive third game will be played Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
