After getting off to a relatively slow start (for them) on Monday, the CCA Patriots righted the ship and defeated the Vidalia Heritage Academy Eagles by a combined score of 37-0 over two games this week. The Patriots won 18-0 Tuesday then 19-0 on Thursday. Both games were played in Vidalia and neither went the full seven innings.
On Tuesday, freshman Clay Phillips threw a one-hit shutout, striking out nine and walking one. Phillips was also 2-4 with a walk and an RBI.
Gray McLean (2-4, two runs, one RBI), Skyler Woods (2-3, four RBI, HR), Jonah Hall (2-3, two runs, one RBI) led the way offensively for CCA.
The Patriots scored in every inning but the first and put the game away for good with a nine-run sixth inning.
Thursday, three Patriots – Jackson Knight, Landon Williams, and McLean – homered while Mason Spivey and Thomas Gentry doubled. Gentry, Spivey, Hall and Williams each had two hits. Knight drove in five while Woods and McLean drove in three.
Blake Bryant took the hill for CCA and you know what happened there. Nothing – at least for the Eagles. Bryant threw a one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and a walk. He threw 52 pitches in four innings before the game ended via run rule.
The Patriots are 17-1 on the season and are flirting with breaking into the state’s all-classification top 10. In the latest Max Preps rankings, CCA is #12 among all teams in Georgia. South Georgia teams ranked ahead of the Patriots are Thomas County Central (#5) and Lowndes (#8). Houston County, which plays in Region 2-5A with several South Georgia teams, is #7. Max Preps has CCA ranked #1 in the Albany region, #1 in GIAA Class A, and #4 in the Valdosta region.
The Patriots face Covenant Academy in a non-region doubleheader Saturday in Macon. They return to region play next week with a game against Robert Toombs on the road then a doubleheader at home against Robert Toombs on Thursday beginning at 4 p.m.
