Baseball Cougars Win Region; State Playoffs Start Friday

Piedmont Academy’s baseball team has been the most storied in the GISA the past several seasons but Monday’s win was special to the program and coaches.

The Diamond Cougars defeated Brentwood 7-3 to capture a Region 4-AA title Monday and will enter the Class AA state playoffs as a number one seed. Monday’s game was played at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville. The two teams were tied for first in the region and a one-game playoff was used to determine the champion.

“We played an exceptional game of offensive baseball,” said Piedmont coach Wes Tanner. “We faced a tough pitcher. He is someone we have a lot of respect for. We were aggressive at the plate and on the bases.”

Playing in such an important game on a college field did not seem to rattle the Diamond Cougars. Tanner was not surprised by that.

“We have been battle tested as a program for a long time,” the coach said. “There’s no doubt about it that our big game experience was a benefit for us.”

Piedmont will begin the state playoff Friday with a doubleheader against Notre Dame Academy of Duluth. Games will start at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. A third game, if necessary, would be Saturday at noon.

Tanner said Monday night that he does not know a great deal about the opening round opponent. The Cougars will be the heavy favorite in the series.

“We never overlook anyone,” Tanner said. “That’s not something we have ever done. We don’t get caught up a lot in scouting reports on opponents. Rather we concentrate on what we need to do and try to go out and do it.”

Monday’s victory against Brentwood allows the team to do something it was not able to do last season and that is enter state as a top seed.

In the final regular season game of the 2018 season the Cougars traveled to South Georgia to face Class AAA Tiftarea Academy last Friday in Chula.

Piedmont defeated the Panthers 11-4 as both teams used the game as a final tune-up for their respective postseason. The Cougars scored seven runs during the last four innings of the game after the sides were tied after three innings.

Chase Porter played a key role in the win as he connected on a leadoff homer in the second inning. Porter also earned the win as Tanner used multiple pitchers in the contest.

Rob Allgood also drilled a three-run homer in the third. Sam Wright had an two-run double during the fourth inning when Piedmont scored five runs. Allgood and Zach Spivey also drove in runs in the fifth inning.

Allgood had an RBI in the fifth inning and Owen Brady delivered an RBI double in the sixth inning.