AAAAA State Quarterfinals Game 3: Colquitt County 9, Alpharetta 6

The longest postseason run in Alpharetta baseball history came to an end Wednesday when the Raiders dropped a 9-6 game three decision to visiting Colquitt County. The Raiders fought back from an early 6-1 deficit to knot things up at six, but the Packers struck three times in the bottom of the sixth to get the win. Colquitt County was named the home team after winning a pre-game coin toss. 

"I told the guys they had a great season and that they need to hold their heads up because they did something that no one's ever done at Alpharetta," Raider coach Steve Bohn said after the game, alluding to his squad's run to the state quarterfinals. Prior to 2011, no Alpharetta team had ever got ten out of the first round in AAAAA. In 2006, the Raiders advanced to the second round while playing AAAA.

Alpharetta drew first blood in the game thanks to a double by leadoff hitter Evan Troutt. Troutt got to third on a Tyler Agard sacrifice and he eventually scored when No. 3 hitter Kenneth Reynolds hit a sacrifice of his own. 

[Right: Coach Bohn consoles his team after their state quarterfinal loss]

However, Alpharetta's early 1-0 lead was short lived as Colquitt County struck back with six runs in the bottom of the second. "We didn't get any breaks in the second inning," Bohn said of the Packers 6-run frame. "But Colquitt's a good team, they put the bat on the ball, they made us play."

Down 6-1 and with a trip to the state semifinals on the line, the Raiders knew they had to respond. And respond they did. After Troutt struck out to start the third inning, Alpharetta's next three hitters -- Agard (walk), Reynolds (error) and Cody Carpenter (walk)-- all reached base, setting the stage for Dimitri Kourtis. 

Kourtis then did what the almost 1,000 Raider fans in attendance wanted him to do: he jacked a grand slam. The senior's opposite home run electrified the crowd and cut the Packer lead to one.

Kourtis' heroics didn't end there though. The senior also scored in the fifth, a run that tied the game at six. 

Bohn was proud of the way his team came back from the early deficit, "We fought and we came back and these guys have done that all season, we fight and come back and don't quit."

The Raiders made a dramatic comeback to knot the game up, but unfortunately for Alpharetta, the game didn't stay tied for long. Colquitt tacked on three runs in the bottom of the sixth that proved to be the difference in the game. Packer starting pitcher Austin Dykes knocked in what proved to be the game-winning RBI with a double in the inning. 

Trailing 9-6 in the top of the seventh, Alpharetta leadoff man Cameron Stadele was able to reach base with a single. However, the Raiders never threatened to score as their next three hitters went down in order. 

Alpharetta ends their season with 19 wins, a victory total that ties the 2006 team for the school record. 

A State Quarterfinals Game 3: Providence Christian Academy 12, King's Ridge 2 

The King's Ridge (KR) Tigers improbable state championship dream turned into a nightmare at the hands of hot-hitting Providence Christian Academy (PCA). The Stars bombed the Tigers 12-2 in the rubber game of the set, shortening the contest to five innings via the GHSA 10 run mercy rule. The Stars feasted on Tigers pitching, scoring 46 runs in three games, while clobbering eight home runs, including three grand slams. Adding in two games the teams played against each other in the regular season, PCA went 4-1 against KR, while averaging 13.2 runs per game. 

After losing the coin toss and the chance the bat last, the Tigers opened the scoring in the top of the first when starting pitcher Jeff Sneed blasted a Patrick Smith fastball over the left field fence for a 1-0 KR advantage.

But PCA jumped on KR in their half of the first, scoring four runs off Sneed before he could record an out on a towering grand slam by Nick Stidham -- their third grand salami of the series -- to grab a 4-1 lead. The Stars never looked back. 

Sneed took the loss, while PCA'S Smith notched the win with four solid innings, allowing just two runs on seven hits. KR's Luke McCracken knocked in the Tigers only other run with a fifth inning single. 

The Star's Cristin Stewart continued his torrid hitting. The Junior launched another home run, his fourth of the series and 26th of the season. Stewart went an unfathomable 9 for 12 in the three game set with 18 RBI's. 

The Tigers, playing their first season of GHSA ball, did not carry a single senior on the roster. All players, which include seven juniors, are expected to be back next season.