FLOWERY BRANCH — Oconee County’s Adam Frazier said the Warriors weren’t nervous for a second gearing up for a playoff series away from home, and they showed it with a first-round sweep of Flowery Branch on Friday at the Hog Mountain Sports Complex in South Hall.
Oconee County (19-6) 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the first inning en route to completing the sweep with a win in Game 2, 11-3. The Warriors won the first game 15-6.
“Our approach was to go up to the plate and swing,” Frazier said. “Once we got over the first inning jitters, we were good to go.”
With the win, the Warriors advance to face the Riverwood/Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe winner in the second round next week. Flowery Branch’s season is now complete.
Oconee County’s lead-off hitter says that playing well in the two games leading into the postseason had a carry-over effect in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs. The Warriors managed to get the lead-off hitter on base in nine of 11 innings against Flowery Branch (20-7).
“They hit everything we threw tonight,” Flowery Branch coach Jimmy Lawler said.
Frazier certainly set the table for Oconee County’s offense in Game 2 with three extra base hits and a pair of RBIs. He finished the first round series 6-for-9 and scored four runs.
“We really worked on hitting the ball after we lost our last region game,” Oconee County coach Stan Fricks said. “We knew we were going to have to hit the ball well against a team like Flowery Branch.”
Warriors’ first baseman Chris Scott also helped complete the sweep with a pair of doubles and two RBIs in the second game. Davis Aiken, Dustin Phillips and Cory Henry also drove in runs for Oconee County in the night cap.
“We came out and saw the ball really well tonight,” Scott said. “We were pitching well, hitting well and the defense played pretty good too.”
Bucky Free had a solo home run and a single for Flowery Branch. Brad Stone had a hit and scored a run for the Falcons.
Oconee County 15, Flowery Branch 6
The Warriors were aggressive at the plate in the first game with 17 hits, a pair of home runs, and managed to get the lead-off hitter on in all seven innings.
Scott (3-for-4, four RBIs) was the main catalyst for Oconee County’s big game at the plate. In the first inning, the Warriors’ first baseman connected on a two-run home run. Then in the sixth, Scott ripped an RBI double.
The Warriors’ No. 9 hitter Robert McGee was 3-for-4 with a solo home run and three RBIs.
Frazier finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Jose Cepeda had a two-run double in the seventh inning and finished the game with two hits. He also earned the win with a complete game performance and seven strikeouts on the mound.
Aiken had three hits for Oconee County, and Hampton Clarke added two hits for the Warriors.
James Wilson (2-for-3) had a three-run inside-the-park home run for the Falcons in the sixth inning, and a double in the third. Free had an RBI single for Flowery Branch in the first.
Stone reached base four times in the game and scored his 40th run on the season.
Flowery Branch left the bases loaded in the fifth inning.