On May 7, Bowdon swept Lake Oconee Academy in the Elite Eight, ending the Titans’ hopes of winning a state title.
The Red Devils (27-9) defeated LOA 7-1 and 15-8 to secure a spot in the semifinal round of the state playoffs.
“We played as hard as we could with as much enthusiasm as we could, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to give credit to Bowdon,” Lake Oconee Academy head coach Mark Miller said. “They’re a really good baseball team. They hit the ball well in the series, and I think we may have just gotten beaten by a better team.”
Bowdon’s offense propelled the team in its games against the Titans. The Red Devils accumulated 22 runs in the quarterfinal series and have scored in double-digits in four of six playoff games heading into the next round.
Bowdon jumped on LOA pitcher John Funderburke early in game one by scoring three runs in the second inning.
The Red Devils added another run against the right-hander in the third, leading 4-0 heading into the fourth. They also received a solid outing from starting pitcher Caison Duncan, who allowed only one run in the win.
Miller expressed that his team made some mistakes by committing errors, but credited Bowdon’s bats and Duncan.
“We kicked it around early defensively, and I think it was because our guys were overplaying. They were probably too eager, too excited, probably pressing a little bit,” Miller said. “It definitely wasn’t from a lack of effort, and we just tried to get them to slow the game down a little bit, but it felt like we made some mistakes that we haven’t made during the year, so that hurt us. You’ve also got to give credit to their pitcher.”
Duncan pitched a complete game, allowing only five hits. He also struck out three batters and walked none.
Despite getting rattled, Funderburke was effective for LOA on the mound. He gave up seven runs, with only two being earned, on six hits. Funderburke also struck out four and didn’t give up a walk in the loss.
Game two was quite a different story, as Lake Oconee Academy’s bats came alive in the bottom of the second inning. The score was tied 1-1 until the Titans scored four runs, with Ty Hiter and William King delivering RBI hits. They held a commanding 5-1 lead over Bowdon going into the third, when things changed.
The Red Devils responded by scoring 12 runs in the third, and their lineup batted around twice. They made solid contact off LOA pitcher William King, who gave up 10 runs on six hits with three strikeouts and four walks.
Ike O’Neal replaced King, but didn’t fare much better. He gave up five runs with five strikeouts and six walks.
The Titans fought until the end but could not overcome the Red Devils’ 12-run offensive explosion in the third.
“When they went on that 12-run inning, we were down 13-5 just like that. We looked at each other, and we had William King, who’s one of our top guys, and they were hitting them, and it was deflating,” Miller said. “However, I was proud of our guys, because they continued to fight for the rest of game two, playing hard.”
LOA concluded its season with a 17-10 record, secured a second straight region title, and advanced to the Elite Eight.