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GHSA Playoff Round-Up: Wednesday, April 22nd

April 23, 2026
Prep Baseball Georgia
Staff

It is playoff time in the state of Georgia, the best time of the year. As we nearly hit the 300 game mark in the regular season, we have 400 games in site with a full slate of playoffs the next month.

We will be recapping each day of games, so be sure to check back daily to see how the games went. If you missed it we did playoffs the last 3 days with 5A and 6A dropping today. You can check those out below:

1A-I
Private
2A
3A
4A

Wednesday

Kell @ Locust Grove (DH)

Score: GM1: Kell win, 12-4. GM2: Locust Grove win, 16-6.

Standouts:

Jayden Bibby, 1B, 2028, Kell

Landen Lunsford, 1B/3B, 2026, Locust Grove

Evan Brand, SS, 2027, Kell

Jamir Johnson, OF, 2026, Locust Grove

Brock Burrus, OF, 2027, Kell


Ayden Elliott, OF, 2026, Locust Grove


Ashton Murphy, 2B, 2027, Kell

Elliott Arant, C, 2026, Locust Grove

Kaleb Narcisse, OF/RHP, 2026, Kell

Key Moments:

GM1: The Longhorns jumped out to an early lead thanks to an RBI single from Jayden Bibby to make it 1-0 in the 1st. The Wildcats would answer back though as Landen Lunsford came through with a 2-out 2 RBI double as it put Locust Grove up 2-1. Kell took advantage of walks in the 2nd inning as Evan Brand delivered with a 2 RBI single and Jayden Bibby stayed hot with a 2 RBI 2B as the Longhorns jumped out to a 6-2 lead. Locust Grove tacked on another in the bottom half of the 2nd as Christian Colon tripled and came around to score as it was 6-3 after 2-innings. Landen Lunsford would double again in the 4th as he ended up coming around to score as the Longhorns remained on top 6-4. Evan Brand added an RBI single in the 5th to make it 7-4. A pair of runs came across to score in the 6th behind an Ashton Murphy RBI knock and Kaleb Narcisse added to the total with a solo HR to extend the lead to 10-4. The Longhorns would continue the offensive breakout with a pair of runs in the 7th after taking advantage of a couple of walks as the game resulted in a 12-4 final.

GM2: Locust Grove came out of the gate hot in a must win game as they tacked on 6 runs to make it 6-0 early behind hits from Ayden Elliot, AJ Davis, Jamir Johnson, Landen Lunsford, and Elliott Arant. The Wildcats tacked on another pair of runs in the 3rd to make it 8-0 behind hits from Christian Colon and Elliott Arant. Things would stay quiet until the 5th innings where Kell rallied as they put up 5-runs after taking advantage of walks and a couple of hits from Evan Brand, Brock Burrus, Ashton Murphy, and Sam Castleberry. Kell scratched across another in the bottom half of the 6th to cut into the deficit as Jayden Bibby came through with an RBI single to make it 8-6. The Wildcats erupted in the top half of the 7th as the offense tacked on 8-runs all with 2-outs with base-hits from Elliot Arant, Corbin Baird, Ayden Elliott, AJ Davis, Jamir Johnson, Liam Collier, Landen Lunsford, and Trey Tetreault. Resulting in a final score of 16-6 and a series split.

Avery’s Takeaway: This was a back-and-forth series and game three is shaping up to be yet another strong matchup with quality pitching remaining on both sides. The difference makers on both sides of the ball so far have been Evan Brand, Brock Burrus, and Jayden Bibby for the Longhorns and all will have to stay hot in order to take game 3 on the road. The Wildcats offense really erupted in game 2 led by strong performances from Jamir Johnson, Elliott Arant, Landen Lunsford, and Ayden Elliott who pace the lineup and will look to do so again. These are two battle tested squads where anything could happen in game 3 as both offenses are rolling at the right time.

Wayne County @ East Forsyth 

Score:

G1: 6-3; East Forsyth W

G2: 4-0; Wayne Co. W

Standouts:
Adiel Gibson, 1B/3B, 2026, East Forsyth

Kannon Weber, C, 2027, East Forsyth

Grant Barden, RHP, 2027, East Forsyth

Maddux Wilkerson, 1B, 2026, Wayne Co.

Dekan Yeomans, SS, 2026, Wayne Co.

Bryce Wilkerson, RHP, 2027, Wayne Co.

Key Moments:

GM1: The game was off to a good start both pitching and defensively for East as they quickly took advantage of an Error, and good small ball scored a run 1-0 B1. Inning 2 was more fundamental and scrappy baseball as East pushed across another run via a RBI 1B by Kannon Weber. The East bats put together consistent QABs as they had multiple runners on each inning except the 3rd. In the 4th, it was more small ball with BBs, singles, and bunts as 2 came across to extend the lead 4-0. T5 was when Wayne Co. answered with a couple of timely hits, specifically Maddux Wilkerson’s backside 2B which brought home 2, and Cohen Tyre’s SF8 made it 4-3. East hit right back with a 2R HR by Adiel Gibson that was hammered to dead central. This would be enough as Grant Barden, Trey Burnette, and Drew Collis pitched well for the 6-3 G1 W.

GM2: It was a game told by two players on the Wayne County squad as they steal G2 to force a win or go home tomorrow. A quick start as an leadoff hitter Dekan Yeomans launched a HR after a good battle B1 for the early 1-0 lead. A threat in the second was shut down by Wayne Co. as they held East off for no response in the second. B3 was more action for Wayne Co. as they scrapped via 1Bs and FCs to plate another run, making it 2-0. It was another quality AB for Yeomans as he barreled a LD into the OF for a RBI 1B, pulling away from East. Finally, a RBI 1B by Cam Lynn ended the scoring, as 4-0 was enough for the Jackets to hold on. Bryce Wilkerson was in control of East hitters all game as he went all 7 without giving up a run in what was a magnificent response by himself and the team. The East bats were just shut down as Wayne Co. rebounded greatly in G2.

Takeaway:

These two teams are very gritty and play ball the right way. Game 1 was a good back and forth battle that East won as the bats were able to keep up, as they have most season. East looked to take two quickly, but Wayne County rallied in G2 in order to force a deciding G3 tomorrow night. When East is right, they have a sort of “push the envelope” game plan/mentality as they are very active on the bases, are not afraid to sacrifice ABs, and look to take advantage of any miscues by opponents. Similarly, in Game 2 Wayne Co. worked such hard ABs, seemingly 6+ pitches to each batter as they produced BBs often. Plus, the Jackets showed ability to play small ball, too, by moving guys over and driving them in. It was a fight for 14 innings between these two as they both had a winning mentality by hunkering down and clutching up when needed most. Despite being shut down, the East offense will look to continue grinding ABs and producing difficult outs. Wayne Co. has a very sound group of seniors and upperclassmen that rallied around one another as they look to take another and move on.

OLA @ Cambridge (DH)

Score: GM1: Ola win, 10-7. GM2: Cambridge win, 9-7

Standouts:

Patrick Spencer, OF/LHP, 2026, Cambridge

William Degenhard, C/RHP, 2026 Cambridge

Rece Leathers, 2B/SS, 2026 OLA

Gavin Gebhardt, SS/RHP 2028 Cambridge
​​

Bryson Long, LHP/1B, 2026, OLA

Avery Lamb, 1B/3B, 2029, OLA

Daniel Mendez, SS/3B, 2026, OLA

Key moments:

GM1: The Mustangs came out firing in the first inning, putting up two runs on big swings from Daniel Mendez and Bryson Long, who had back-to-back RBI hits. Cambridge answered in the bottom half with a deep sac fly from Gavin Gebhardt to tie the game at two after one inning. The game settled in after that, with Bryson Long attacking the zone for the Mustangs and Charlie Paulus doing the same for the Bears. The sun was an issue for both teams, as a few pop-ups fell and resulted in runs. The game was tied 5–5 with two outs and two runners on when freshman Avery Lamb worked a quality at-bat, then sent a rocket to left field for a go-ahead three-run home run. Bryson Long added insurance in the top of the seventh with a no-doubter to right field for a two-run homer. Ola went on to take Game 1 on a few massive swings.

​​GM2: Cambridge came out of the gate early with the season on the line. Patrick Spencer led off the game with a single to RF and came around to score on an RBI single from Sebastian Peralta to put the Bears up early. Both pitchers settled in and kept their teams in it, and Ola got one back on a wild pitch in the third inning to tie the game at 1–1.In the fifth inning, in a tie game, the Bears answered the call by scoring four runs on extra-base hits. William Degenhard smoked a ball down the LF line to bring in two runs, making it 4–2. Solomon Lee followed with a massive two-out double to extend the lead to 6–2 in the fifth. Ola responded with one run in the bottom half to make it 6–3 heading into the seventh. Junior Future Gamer Carson Clark added some insurance with a rocket to LF for a solo HR. The Bears added a few more on some walks and another quality swing from Spencer and Gebhardt to extend the lead to 10–3. Rece Leathers kicked off the bottom of the seventh with a single to RF, and the Mustangs fought back with some errors and walks to get the tying run to the plate. Cambridge was able to hold on to take Game 2 and force a Game 3.

Takeaway: This was a very intense two-game set between two very similar teams. Both games went back and forth and came down to a few crucial plays. Both lineups show depth and the ability to claw back from a deficit. The difference-makers for the Mustangs are the senior class, led by Bryson Long, Daniel Mendez, Rece Leathers, and Timothy Clark. For Cambridge, the 1–5 hitters in the order are strong and playing with a lot of energy, feeding off the home crowd. Game 3 should be back and forth and will likely come down to which team can get outs on the mound.

Jones County @ Blessed Trinity

Score: Blessed Trinity sweep, 13-4 & 10-0

Standouts:

Gavin Greene, C, 2028, Blessed Trinity

Caden Dawson, OF, 2027, Blessed Trinity

Cooper Rice, 1B/LHP, 2028, Jones County

Quinn Davis, OF, 2026, Blessed Trinity

Carson Florence, SS, 2029, Blessed Trinity

Joseph Contreras, RHP, 2026, Blessed Trinity

Key Moments:

GM1: Greyhounds would come out hot to open the game with Trent Paulk picking up the leadoff 1B before coming around to score shortly after on an error. Nearly repeated that process in the 2nd inning as well with Davis Upshaw scoring on a Paulk base hit and then Cooper Rice would pad the early lead with a loud solo HR to RF that would put Jones County up 3-0 as we headed to the bottom of the third. Titans would find their footing that half as they would come through with a huge Gavin Greene 3-run HR to tie things up with 2 outs and not look back from there. A 4-run 4th inning opened with an Aiden Pack leadoff HR and was capped off with Caden Dawson clearing the bases on a backside 2B off the wall in LCF. Quinn Davis would add another leadoff HR for the Titans in the 5th and another 4-run inning in the 6th that was highlighted by freshman and former junior future gamer Carson Florence hitting his 1st career HR. More than enough run support for their ace as Joseph Contreras would pick up the complete game win with 9 K, 6 H and just 1 earned run.

GM2: The offense would stay hot in game two with four Titans notching multi-hit games in the 10-0 run-rule victory. Cole James would open the scoring with his 2nd RBI 1B in as many at-bats with the first inning score. Gavin Greene and Caden Dawson added back-to-back RBI knocks in the 3rd before an explosive 7-run 5th inning would put the finishing touches on this one. The first 8 batters would reach base in the inning for BT highlighted by RBI 2B from both Gavin Greene and Ryder Register as well as Quinn Davis finishing off his big night with a no-doubt 3-run HR to LF. Strong innings on the mound from both Aiden Pack and Brayden Loquastro combining for just 2 hits and 6 K.

Ian’s Takeaway: The defending 4A State Champions drew one of the more difficult 1 vs. 4 matchups in round one and came out firing on all cylinders in the sweep, scoring 19 unanswered runs after going down 3-0 early in GM1. Gavin Greene and Caden Dawson have been the engine that runs the offense all spring long and that proved true on Wednesday as the duo would combine for 8 H, 9 RBI, and 5 R across the DH. 2 HR night from Quinn Davis is massive for the bottom half of this lineup and will give the senior outfielder a ton of confidence as they move into the Sweet 16. Cole James continues to be a run-producing presence in the middle of the lineup and look out for freshman Carson Florence, who looks to have found his stride after getting the late-season call-up from JV. Pitching was one of the Titans strengths heading into the spring led by Joseph Contreras, who showed the SP1 stuff in the CG win in GM1 while both Aiden Pack and Brayden Loquastro would add scoreless innings in game two. Road doesn’t any easier on the path towards repeating but Coach Wagner has this bunch full of confidence and the talent is showing on both sides.

Centennial @ Union Grove

Scores:
GM 1:
Union Grove 9 Centennial 3
GM 2:
Union Grove 0 Centennial 5
Standouts:
Colton Burtch, RHP, 2027, Union Grove

Isaiah Cador, SS, 2028, Union Grove

Daiden James, OF, 2029, Union Grove

Juan Pablo Rivas, 2B, 2026, Centennial

Tilden Reams, LHP, 2027, Centennial

Diego Crespo, RHP, 2026, Centennial

Key Moments:
Game 1:
Colton Burtch got the start on the mound for Union Grove and had some tough luck with a couple errors in the first that would let Centennial get out to the 1-0 lead. They would answer back in the 2nd after a single by Daiden James and RBI single by Isaiah Cador. Centennial capitalized on some free bases in the 3rd and Juan Pablo Rivas delivered a triple down the line to make it 3-1. From there Union Grove would scratch back for one more in the 5th to make it 3-2 then Colton Butch came back out for a big shutdown inning with 2 strikeouts. Union Grove executed a perfect bunt with runners on 1st and 2nd and would tie the game on a bases loaded walk. Braylen Brown came through with a shot down the line to make it 5-3. They would end up adding on a few more to make it 8-3. Colton Burtch went the distance for the complete game performance.

Game 2:
A pivotal game 2 was a pitchers duel between Tilden Reams and DJ Aull for 4 innings. Aull battled some cramps in his leg early, but showed some grit and worked through it when the team needed him. Juan Pablo Rivas would deliver once again with a leadoff double in the 5th. He would score on a ground ball from Jake Hickox that took a tough bounce at 1st to score the first run of the game. They would end up making it 2-0 after the 5th. Kayden Cheng was been the Knights top hitter all spring and came through with the bases loaded to extend the lead in the 6th. They would end up making it 5-0 to force a game 3. Tilden Reams tossed 5.2 innings of shutout ball and Diego Crespo came in and shut it down in relief.

Huddy’s Takeaway:
Union Grove had been on the list to see all spring and ended up not getting down there for a game, so I was excited to get to McDonough to check out a young squad that is going to be a team to follow the next 2-3 years. Colton Burtch and DJ Aull were the 2 arms that were must see and both performed really well. Burtch went 7 innings for a complete game for the game 1 win. The fastball was upper 80’s all game, grabbing 91 multiple times. Burtch is one of the top uncommitted juniors in the state that is going to be a must see arm come summer time. Aull is one of the next up and coming arms in the state and tossed 4 innings of shut out baseball. The fastball was mid to upper 80’s and had great feel for the slider. Isaiah Cador was another on the list to see this spring and he went 3 for 3 in game 1. Daiden James was a freshman for Union Grove that stood out in game 1 with 3 hits as well. This was my first look at Centennial and needless to say they brought the energy. They are an upper class heavy team led by Juan Pablo Rivas in the order that had 4 hits in the DH. I really liked the swings from Drew Chilson, as well as senior David Perkins. Tilden Reams impressed in his game 2 start on the mound and was low 80’s, strike thrower from the left side.

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