This week’s GIAA Class A state championship series is set. It took a couple of days and some creativity – including using a helicopter to dry the field for the David Emanuel-Vidalia Heritage series in Stillmore – to get the final series in.
Beginning Thursday, the #1-ranked CCA Patriots will face the #2-ranked David Emanuel Eagles at Georgia Southern for the GIAA Class A state championship series. The two teams will play a best-of-three format, with game one taking place on Thursday, game two on Friday, and game three – if necessary – on Saturday. Games will be played at 10 a.m.
David Emanuel is 21-11 overall and 9-0 in region play.
The Eagles punched their ticket to the championship series by defeating John Hancock 5-1 and 14-2. They followed that with a sweep of Vidalia Heritage, 5-3 and 4-2. The semifinal series is notable because of multiple weather delays. The teams were supposed to play Friday and, if necessary, on Saturday. However, due to significant rainfall, they didn’t finish the series until Sunday afternoon.
CCA has been ranked #1 all season long. The Patriots are 28-2 overall and, like David Emanuel, a perfect 9-0 in region competition.
CCA swept First Preparatory Academy 19-0 and 16-0. The Patriots followed that with two more wins over Thomas Jefferson Academy, 10-0 and 7-0.
The Patriots and the Eagles haven’t played each other in baseball this year. However, the two teams have a history with championships on the line. In October, the Patriots and Eagles played each other in the state softball championship in Columbus. The Eagles defeated the Patriots 12-0 with a berth in the title game on the line. CCA dropped into the loser’s bracket and beat Thomas Jefferson 4-0 to make it into the championship game. There, CCA beat David Emanuel twice (8-1, 6-5) to win their second consecutive state softball title.
And once again, the Eagles stand in the way of the second state championship for the Patriots. The quest for the championship begins Thursday morning.
