Baseball's muscles get work out in playoffs

In round one of the Georgia state playoffs, Columbia County proved its reputation was warranted.

In Class AAA, the Harlem Bulldogs scored 31 runs in dispatching Peach County with a 14-1 win, 4-6 loss and 13-3 win. Harlem will square off with Troup in round two. Troup was only a four seed from Region 2, but upset Region 1 champion Worth County in a two-game sweep 12-1 and 7-4.

In AAAA, all three Columbia County schools earned playoff spots. Lakeside, the fourth seed, took on Region 1 champ Thomas County Central. After losing a heartbreaker 5-3 in nine innings in game one, the Panthers won a 10-9 thriller to even the series at one game apiece. Their upset bid went down the drain, however, when Thomas County Central took care of Lakeside 10-3 in game three.

Evans took on powerful Lee County to open the playoffs. The Knights, a third seed from Region 2, were up for the challenge as Ricky Beale's squad earned a two-game sweep with wins of 2-0 and 5-4. The Knights move on to play Woodward Academy. Woodward was another four seed to knock off a No. 1 seed when they swept Luella in round one (8-5, 9-5).

The top-ranked team in Class AAAA rode the arm of sophomore Nolan Belcher to earn a win in the first game of its series with Bainbridge. The lefty struck out a school-record 18 batters and earned the victory when Cal Morris connected on a two-run homer in the seventh. In game two, Greenbrier picked up an easy 14-7 win. The Pack, now 27-0, will take on Whitewater in round two. Whitewater defeated Henry County 5-4 and 11-3 to capture a round-one sweep.

All-Star event might be pushed back

The first Columbia County Middle School Baseball All-Star Game scheduled for May 27 might be pushed back a few weeks. Organizers plan to decide this week whether to continue with the date.

After a few minor changes in the selection process and a change in how the teams will be divided, a decision must be made whether the May 27 date gives planners enough time to take care of all the details. A decision will be made in the next couple of days, and the details will be in my column Sunday.