Cougars Are State Champs for the Fourth Year in a Row

After Piedmont Academy earned a tough win in game one of the state baseball championship series against Terrell Academy, the Diamond Cougars left little doubt in the second contest of the GISA AA finals as they earned an unprecedented fourth consecutive title.

Piedmont held off the Eagles 4-1 in game one Friday night and then took an 11-1 win in six innings Saturday afternoon in the hot Middle Georgia sun to spark another state championship celebration. The title series capped another memorable season for the Cougars, who finished the 2017 campaign 23-6 overall.

This year’s state championship series was hosted by Mercer University in Macon.

“It’s still sinking in somewhat,” said coach Wes Tanner. “I guess what’s most surprising is how dominant we were in the second game against an opponent who was supposed to be the biggest threat in stopping us from winning it again.”

Terrell entered the championship series with only one loss and that came in the opening game of the Eagles’ semifinal series against Windsor. After losing that semifinal game Terrell rebounded to win the next two to advance to the state championship series.

In the end, the Piedmont Cougars, as in the past three seasons, simply were not going to be denied.

“A lot of these kids were playing for something bigger than themselves,” Tanner said. “They wanted to be there for each other. They were motivated by some off-the-field issues. To have a bunch of teenagers know there are things out there bigger than a game says a lot about them.”

This season’s state title was the fourth for seniors Mack Brady, Michael Edwards, Wyatt Galloway and Tyler Mills. Senior Brock Carter was part of three state championships and senior Jay Sheets was a member of two state title teams.

This year’s Piedmont team overcame some injuries to once again win the ultimate goal and that aspect made their coach extremely proud.

“They weren’t going to be denied,” said Tanner, who earned his first state title as the Diamond Cougars head coach while previously being an assistant for others. “It was a great group of players who all worked toward the same goal.”

In game one of the championship series, Piedmont fought back for a 4-1 win. Sam Wright was the winning pitcher working another strong outing. Wright also helped lead the Cougar offense along with Sheets and Brady.

Caleb Faircloth and J.T. Webb both scored runs for Piedmont in game one.

Terrell Academy’s Jared Donalson, one of 10 seniors on the Eagles roster, pitched well in the game loss.

In game two, Terrell also took a lead after loading the bases with no outs in the first inning. However, the Eagles were only able to push one run across as Piedmont starter Tate Marks worked out the jam.

Terrell loaded the bases on a leadoff single, a walk and a hit batter. A sacrifice fly brought in a run but Piedmont then had a fly out to short stop and a ground out to short to end the inning with no further damage.

The Cougars scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Edwards had a one-out single and Chase Porter reached on an error. Rob Allgood then tied the score on an RBI single. Galloway then drew a walk before Carter drove in two more runs with a single.

Piedmont then scored six runs in the bottom of the third inning to effectively put the game out of reach. Brady had a leadoff single followed by a single from Sheets. Webb was called on as a courtesy runner for Sheets.

Porter then drilled a two-run double for a 5-1 advantage and Galloway added an RBI single. Another run scored when Wright reached on an error and Mills then had a two-run single for a 9-1 run.

While the Cougars scored six runs in the third inning, Tanner said he thought the three runs scored in the second inning actually proved to be the turning point in the game.

“Terrell was used to winning all year,” Tanner said. “It’s not easy playing from behind when you’ve never had to do it. It’s easy to say we’ll just flip the switch.”

After a shaky first inning, Marks settled in for Piedmont and allowed just four hits for the game while striking out six batters.

“For two years in a row Tate has pitched game three of the semifinals for us,” Tanner said. “However, this was game two of the state championship and that makes a difference. He’s still just 14 years old. Once he was able to calm down he was fine.”

Terrell made five errors in game two but Piedmont also had a big day offensively.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Edwards had a one-out single and Allgood reached on an error. Galloway walked to load the bases and when Wright reached on an error two runs crossed home to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule. The celebration then started for the fourth consecutive season for Piedmont.

The team’s six seniors each celebrated the state championship and were congratulated after Saturday’s game in the area near right field.

“It took everybody doing their part,” said Carter. “It took good pitching to good offense to good base running. Winning like this never gets old.”

Galloway echoed Carter’s sentiments.

“It feels good,” said Galloway. “It’s good to see everything come together at the end and for us to finish the season with another championship.”

Brady said all of the state titles have been memorable but this one seems maybe a little more so.

“It’s probably the sweetest one,” Brady said. “I know I had to help with leading the team and I think that’s something I will remember about this championship.”

Despite battling a strong opponent in the championship series, Sheets, the team’s catcher, said everyone had confidence in what the outcome would be.

“We had faith the whole time,” Sheets said. “We just had to go out and prove it. We couldn’t leave the field without fulfilling our legacy.”

Mills described the 2017 championship as “the best feeling in the world.”

Edwards said it was a “great way to out” as a senior.

“Since our freshman year this group has been special,” Edwards said. “I never imagined we would win four in a row. It’s something I will definitely always remember.”

The coach of the seniors said the experience from playing in the state championship throughout their high school careers played in Piedmont’s favor.

“It makes a difference when you’ve been there before,” Tanner said. “For the players to know what to expect is really important. It’s not something you can coach them on.”

While Terrell had several seniors on its team this spring Tanner said he expects the Eagles to be a factor next season. In addition, despite the loss of a talented group of seniors for Piedmont, Tanner said the Cougars should also remain strong in 2018 with several key contributors returning and several moving up from the B-team and Middle School squads.