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GHSA Playoff Round-Up: Wednesday, May 6th

May 7, 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. 

Kell @ East Forsyth (DH)

Score: Kell sweep, 10-0 & 2-1.

Standouts:

Evan Brand, SS/RHP, 2027, Kell

Drew Collis, SS, 2026, East Forsyth

Ashton Murphy, 2B, 2027, Kell

Dom Consolino, LHP, 2027, Kell

Benny McDonald, 1B, 2026, East Forsyth

Brock Burrus, OF, 2027, Kell

Sam Castleberry, 3B, 2026, Kell

Preston Bottoms, OF, 2027, Kell

Key Moments:

GM1: The Longhorns got on the board in the first after an Evan Brand double followed by a Brock Burrus RBI single. Kell took advantage of a couple of errors in the 3rd inning; a sacrifice fly from Preston Bottoms and an RBI single from Ashton Murphy tacked on 3 more runs to make it a 4-0 ballgame. Evan Brand singled to kickstart a rally in the 4th inning as Preston Bottoms added on with a 2 RBI double followed by a 2-run homerun from Sam Castleberry as it was 8-0 after 4 innings played. Brock Burrus and Preston Bottoms both added RBI base-hits to cap off a 10-0 run-rule victory. Dom Consolino was fantastic on the mound and only allowed one base runner across 5.0 shutout innings pitched.

GM2: More of the same continued for Kell in the second game as they took an early lead after Brock Burrus came through with an RBI double. Preston Bottoms added another run in the 3rd via a solo homerun to make it 2-0. Drew Collis added a solo homerun of his own for the Broncos to cut into the deficit as East Forsyth now trailed 2-1 in the 4th inning. The score would remain the same throughout the rest of the game as Kell completes the sweep to punch their ticket to the Final Four.

Avery’s Takeaway: The Longhorns stayed hot as they completed the series sweep to win the upper left quadrant and advance to the Final Four as the 4-seed. Multi-hit performances from a quartet of juniors including Evan Brand, Brock Burrus, Preston Bottoms, and Ashton Murphy. Dom Consolino and Evan Brand held the Broncos offense in check as they only let up 1-run across the series. Kell is firing on all cylinders right now and will look to continue to ride an explosive lineup with hopes of advancing to the state championship.

Mt. Paran @ Holy Innocents (DH)

Score:

GM1: 7-6, HIES W (9 in.)

GM2: 12-3, HIES W & Sweep

Standouts:

Taylor Fuller, OF, 2026, Holy Innocents

Gavin Evans, C, 2026, Holy Innocents

Sam Chasteen, OF, 2027, Holy Innocents

Xavier Wilson, 3B, 2026, Holy Innocents

Amaree Griffin, LHP, 2027, Holy Innocents

Grant Bradley, 1B, 2027, Holy Innocents

Bryce Floyd, RHP, 2028, Holy Innocents

RJ Westbrook, LHP, 2029, Mt. Paran

Brody Conner, 2B, 2028, Mt. Paran

Rylan Long, 1B, 2029, Mt. Paran

Jackson Gore, C/3B, 2027, Mt. Paran

Andrew Akopov, OF, 2028, Mt. Paran

Key Moments:

GM1: It was a grind on both ends of the ball for each squad as this one needed extras to decide a winner. Mt. Paran had a loud first inning as Cash Cauley started it with a 2B, followed by a Brody Conner 1B, Jackson Gore 2RBI 2B, and Andrew Akopov RBI 2B to make it 3-0 early. The Golden Bears responded with a Xavier Wilson 1B who then worked around the bases, scoring on a Gavin Evans 1B to make it 3-1. The next inning was loud contact by Taylor Fuller as he tied it with a backside bomb. Holy Innocents took their first lead B5 with Fuller’s second long ball of the game, this time on a line out of dead center. Mt. Paran’s Akopov hit a homer of his own to tie it once again and the 4-4 tie held until the 9th. T9, 8 Eagles were sent to the plate and James Hankins and Ethan Wearing score to make it 6-4. The Bear’s bats put together pesky ABs B9 and worked 5 free passes and a 1B to plate 3 and take back the W.

GM2: After a late comeback in G1, HIES rode the momentum to a dominating G2 W as they sweep and find themselves in the F4 for the second time in 3 seasons. After Cash Cauley scored B1, the Golden Bears punched back and did not look back. T2, Xavier Wilson continued to mash as he led off with a 2B and scored on a Ryan Dunham RBI 1B. Inning 3 started with a HBP by Amaree Griffin, then Wilson ripped another XBH for a RBI, making it 2-1. T5 is when HIES put the foot down as they sent 10 to the plate and scored 5, making it 7-1; Grant Bradley started the inning with a long HR, Griffin, Sam Chasteen, Brody Fernandez, Dunham, and Cole Hatfield all reached via HBP or BB and Dawson Radaszewski picked up a knock in the frame. B5, Mt. Paran showed some life as Rylan Long smoked a long 2R HR, but that was all that was left from the Eagles. T6, the Bears picked up more runs via BBs and 2 2Bs by Chasteen and Fernandez, extending the lead to 10-3. Holy Innocents went to get more runs T7 as Bradley sent out his 2nd HR of the day for 2 more, making it 12-3. B7 2 batters came up and were sat down before play was called due to weather.

Takeaway:

Mt. Paran’s good run of late came to an end at the hands of a highly talented ball team. Holy Innocents plays the game with an aggressive mindset and likes to put pressure on at any opportunity. They have a solid group of seniors, two of which are committed to play at the next level, and juniors who are quality leaders and the heart of this team. Behind the upperclassmen are underclassmen who know their roles and get the jobs done when needed. All in all, HIES has been a tight knit group of guys all season and this run is no mistake. After the comeback in G1, it was signed and sealed for the Golden Bears as they dominated in convincing fashion. With the Final 4 coming up and the depth of HIES, they will be a team who can shake it up at the Private level as we enter the final stages of the 2026 season.

Cambridge @ Benedictine

Score:

GM1: Benedictine win, 7-4

GM2: Cambridge win, 3-2

Standouts:

Noah Harris, 2B, 2028, Benedictine

Kai Hernandez-Gambill, 1B, 2027, Benedictine

Omari Burse, SS, 2027, Benedictine

Patrick Spencer, OF, 2026, Cambridge

Mason Diamond, C, 2026, Benedictine

Carson Clark, C, 2029, Cambridge

William Degenhard, C, 2026, Cambridge

Ike Ross, OF, 2026, Benedictine

Gavin Gebhardt, 1B, 2028, Cambridge

Key Moments:

GM1: The Cadets would come out firing early and put 3 runs on the board in a hurry, led by back-to-back HR from Noah Harris and Mason Diamond that would set the tone for a barrel-filled game. Benedictine would add another in the 2nd inning after 4 straight singles would be finished off with an RBI knock from Kai Hernandez-Gambill. Cambridge would get on the board in the 3rd with a loud 2-run HR from Patrick Spencer that traveled a long way to RCF. Ike Ross would get one of those runs back in the bottom half with a pull-side HR of his own and extend the Cadets lead back to 3 runs after 3. William Degenhard would continue the HR barrage in the 4th and get the Bears back to a two run deficit heading into the late innings. Benedictine would not go away though and another back-to-back HR showing from Diamond and Hernandez-Gambill in the 6th would put the finishing touches on the GM1 win.

GM2: Benedictine would open the scoring in the 2nd after Ben Kleinpeter picked up a backside 2B and the Cadets played good station-to-station baseball to bring him around to score on a 6-3 groundout. Another run added in the 5th for Benedictine after the first 3 in the inning reached base and finished off by Omari Burse causing havoc on the base paths to score shortly after. Carson Clark would the game on its head in the 6th after gaining some new life on a dropped foul ball. The freshman would jump all over the next pitch he sees for the game-tying 2-run HR and send the away crowd into a frenzy. The Bears would carry that momentum into the 7th and put pressure on the Cadets early in the inning and eventually bring home the winning run on a walkoff wild pitch to set up an intense game three matchup to reach the final four.

Ian’s Takeaway: The top half of the lineup has been potent for Benedictine all spring and that was on display in a big way in GM1. 10 hits with 4 HR across 1-4 in the order combined and will be looked upon for huge production in GM3 to close things out for the Cadets. Ike Ross provided impact in the bottom half of the order in both games and could be a key piece if the Cadets want to move on. Cambridge continues to get it done in pressure situations, and will feel confident coming into game three. Patrick Spencer and William Degenhard continue to provide senior leadership and production alike with the underclass talent in Gavin Gebhardt and Carson Clark have already become major impact pieces for this team. This will be the third straight playoff GM3 for the Bears and first for Benedictine, so I think it'll be interesting to see if that dynamic will play a role at all in this afternoon’s matchup.

Vidalia @ Bremen

Score: Bremen 7 Vidalia 3
Standouts:
Carter Allen, RHP/OF, 2027, Bremen

Brayden Beckwith, 2B, 2028, Bremen

Carson Bowen, C 2029, Bremen

Cayden Ridge Nance, SS, 2026, Vidalia

Ryan Brantley, OF, 2028, Vidalia


Key Moments:
Cayden Ridge Nance kicked off the action right away with 1st pitch double to open up the game. Clay Mimbs then came through with a single that dropped right in front of the centerfielder to take the early 1-0 lead. Bremen would fight back right away as Braden Beckwith delivered a 2 out backside double to tie at 1-1. Nance would go on to lead off the 3rd innings with a QAB and win it on a single to open things up. Ryan Brantley followed him up with another barrel and they regained the lead on a HBP with the bases loaded. Banks Hopkins then got a SAC fly to make it 3-1. The Blue Devils would get back at in the 5th after a 1 out error and 2 infield singles loaded the bases. Brayden Beckwith came through once again to tie the game at 3-3. They then executed a 1st and 3rd play with 1 out to take the 4-3 lead. They tacked on a couple key insurance runs in the 6th after singles by Jackson Martin and Carson Bowen and a double by Carter Allen that made it 5-3. Beckwith would get his 3rd hit of the night to make it 7-3.

Huddy’s Takeaway
We got a chance to see both of these teams early in the year at Georgia Dugout Club and they both started in the top 10 of 1A-I and stayed there pretty much all year. The Bremen club is upperclass heavy led 2 big arms in Carter Allen and Cooper Mincey. Carson Bowen and Brayden Beckwith were 2 underclassmen that had really strong says. As for Vidalia they are littered with underclass talent with 2 seniors leading the way in Cayden Ridge Nance and Veer Patel. They are going to be a fun club to follow the next few years with a chance to get the series even.

Rockmart @ Morgan County

Score:

GM1- Morgan County wins 5-3

GM2- Morgan County wins 1-0

Standouts:

Ty Tillery, RHP, 2026, Morgan

Hudson Reed, 2B/3B, 2026, Morgan

Eli Whitlow, 3B/2B, 2026, Morgan

Caylem Richardson, LHP/OF, 2026, Morgan

Trey Luke, LHP/OF, 2026, Rockmart

Gage Campbell, 1B/RHP, 2026, Rockmart

Key Moments:

GM1: Rockmart came out of the gates firing in a highly anticipated Elite 8 matchup. Landon Patterson worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a single from Neyland Hulsey. Trey Luke did his job and laid down a sac bunt to get runners into scoring position for Gage Campbell, who worked a deep count and won it with a single that ended up in CF after deflecting off the SS. Rockmart took a 2-0 lead headed to the bottom of the 1st. Morgan County responded with a leadoff walk from Ty Tillery and a no-doubt HR from Hudson Reed to knot the game back up at 2-2. Both pitchers settled in after that and threw up zeros for the next three innings, with Gage Campbell on the bump for Rockmart and Ty Tillery for Morgan County. Colby Fuqua got things going for Rockmart with a leadoff single and later came around to score on some miscues from Morgan County to make it a 3-2 game headed to the bottom of the 5th. Campbell responded by throwing up a zero and escaping a tough jam. Tillery was in cruise control after the first inning and set Rockmart down 1-2-3 in the top of the 6th. Morgan County entered the bottom of the 6th trailing 3-2. Drew Ainslie worked a deep count and won it with a single to RF. Morgan County then worked another walk and had runners on first and second with two outs when Eli Whitlow came through with a massive 3-run HR to give Morgan County a 5-3 lead. Tillery finished it off by sitting Rockmart down 1-2-3 in the 7th to secure the win for Morgan County.

GM2: Trey Luke got the start for Rockmart and was ready to go from the first pitch. Morgan County was the away team in Game 2 and got on the board early with a double from starting pitcher Caylem Richardson to take a 1-0 lead. Richardson was on the mound for Morgan County and consistently worked ahead in counts, forcing weak contact throughout his outing. The defense behind him made several great plays to keep Rockmart off the board. It was a pitcher’s duel from the first inning to the final out. Morgan County loaded the bases with one out in the 5th inning, but Trey Luke escaped the jam by striking out the next two batters to keep it a one-run game. The left-hander competed every pitch, going 6 IP with 11 K’s while allowing just one run. Richardson remained in cruise control for Morgan County, attacking the zone and never letting Rockmart settle in offensively. He finished with a complete-game shutout, going 7 IP while allowing just one hit and zero runs to send Morgan County to the Final 4.

Takeaway: This was a highly competitive series between two very good ball clubs that battled from the first pitch to the final out. The pitching stood out throughout the series, as both teams consistently attacked the zone, trusted their defense, and competed in big moments. Every inning felt important, and both teams showed toughness and composure in high-pressure situations. Morgan County is a veteran-led squad that never believes they are out of a game, and that confidence showed throughout the series. The difference ended up being the long ball in both games, as Morgan County came through with several massive swings in key situations. Offensively, they show a deep lineup with hitters capable of grinding out quality at-bats and changing the game with one swing. On the mound, Morgan County showed why they are one of the tougher teams remaining, rolling out a true ace in Game 1 and a dependable left-hander in Game 2 who filled up the zone and kept hitters off balance. Defensively, they made several winning plays behind their pitchers and did a good job limiting extra opportunities. Expect Morgan County to continue playing with confidence and momentum as they head into the Final 4 looking to stay hot.

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