Diamond Canes Begin State Playoffs at Home

The Monticello Hurricanes will host the first round of the state baseball tournament Friday, May 1, after clinching the Region 4AA Championship last week.

The Hurricanes will host Harlem High School in a best out of three with a double header on Friday beginning at 4 p.m. If the teams split wins Friday evening, they will face off again Saturday at 4 p.m.

The Hurricanes finished out the regular season last Wednesday and Thursday with wins over Bleckley County and Social Circle. The 4-2 win over Bleckley gave the Hurricanes a 12-0 record in the region. Following that game, the Hurricanes were presented the Region 4AA Championship trophy.

In Wednesday’s game, “we did not play bad, but we seemed to be a little sluggish, especially offensively,” head coach Chris Jenkins said. “But we did what we had to do to win, which was throwing strikes, playing good defense and manufacturing runs.”

Chad Cain, Braden Lynch and Walt McMichael all had runs batted in (RBIs). Lynch threw four innings and allowed two runs and three hits while striking out five. Tony Shumate pitched the final three innings, allowing no runs and only one hit.

In Thursday’s 8-2 win over Social Circle, Josh Disharoon went 3-4 at the plate, Shumate had a double and three RBIs, Stephen Arena had a double and two RBIs, and Quinton Standifer had a hit and an RBI.

Chad Cain pitched three innings, giving up three hits and one run. Cain Gonzales pitched two and two/thirds innings, allowing one run and striking out three. Walt McMichael pitched the final inning and a third, allowing no runs while striking out one.

“This was a good win for us, against a good team, to finish the regular season,” Coach Jenkins said. “And it was nice to see our bats wake up a little bit.”

Coach Jenkins and all the Hurricanes were excited about the opportunity to host the first round of the state playoffs.

Admission to the playoff games will be $7 per person with no local passes being allowed. Only Georgia High School Association passes will be allowed. A full concession stand will be available so Hurricane fans are encouraged to come support the local team in what promises to be some good baseball.