The first ever Georgia-Florida Invitational was a huge success, showcasing outstanding talent from both states and setting the tone for an exciting season ahead. The tournament took place at Coffee High’s Charles Wilson Field. With competitive matchups across the board, both Grove coaches – Coffee head coach Scott Grove and Dakoda Grove, his son and head coach of Foundation Academy, captured their respective brackets, making the inaugural event even more special.
On the Georgia side, host school Coffee High School led the way, finishing 2-0. The Trojans opened with a 12-4 win over Foundation Academy. Foundation jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the second inning, but a momentum-shifting grand slam off the bat of Eli Wood in the fourth put Coffee ahead 6-4. Wood’s home run, his first of the season, scored Jimmy Timothy, Gavin McElroy, and Barrett Harrell. The Trojans added six more runs to secure the victory.
Harrell and Taeven Harden each had two hits for Coffee. Wood drove in four while Timothy, McElroy, Harrell, and T. Harden also drove in two. Wood, the second Trojan pitcher of the night, also picked up the win with two innings of work. He struck out three and walked one.
They followed that up with a gritty 3-2 pitching duel win over Timber Creek High School on Friday. Harrell, Wood, and T. Harden each had hits. McElroy scored twice while T. Harden drove in two. T. Harden (triple) and Wood (double) had extra base hits for the Trojans. McElroy picked up the win with an 80-pitch complete game. He struck out 10 and walked one.
The Trojans’ third matchup against University Christian School was unfortunately canceled due to rain Saturday night.
Finishing second on the Georgia side was Peachtree Ridge High School, which went 2-1 on the weekend. They defeated University Christian 15-8 in game one and Timber Creek 8-3 in game two before falling to Foundation Academy 11-4. Mountain View High School finished 0-2, dropping games to Timber Creek (12-8) and Foundation Academy (15-5). Their final game against University Christian was also canceled due to rain.
On the Florida side of the bracket, Foundation Academy, led by head coach Dakoda Grove, claimed first place. After falling to Coffee High 12-4 in their opener coached by his father, Scott Grove, Foundation rebounded with strong wins over Peachtree Ridge (11-4) and Mountain View (15-5). Timber Creek finished second at 1-2, while University Christian placed third at 0-1 after weather impacted their schedule.
Coffee’s Coach Grove looks forward to building this event into a nationally recognized tournament to kick off the season. The first ever Georgia-Florida Invitational delivered high-level competition and unforgettable moments, and the future of this event looks bright. Best of luck to all teams as they enter regional play.
The Trojans are 4-2 on the season and wrap up the non-region schedule this week with games against Fitzgerald on Wednesday at 6 p.m., at Savannah Christian Friday at 6 p.m., and at Richmond Hill Saturday at 1 p.m. Region play begins Tuesday, March 3 at Lee County.
