Kilcrease Homer, Hancock’s Big Day Lead Worth County Past Swainsboro

SYLVESTER – There are moments in a season when a team’s identity is no longer a talking point — it’s a response.

Worth County’s came in the fourth inning Saturday.

With everything teetering in a winner-take-all Game 3, the Rams (24-8) answered a sudden jolt from Swainsboro with something louder, sharper and far more decisive, riding that surge to a 9-4 victory in Sylvester and a spot in the Sweet Sixteen of the Class A Division I state playoffs.

The Rams will host Banks County Leopards (22-9) later this week, with a doubleheader scheduled for Thursday and an “if” game set for Friday.

But the path there required a response under pressure — and Worth County delivered it all at once.

Swainsboro had just pulled even at 2-2 in the top of the fourth, scoring twice despite managing only one hit — a ball that ricocheted off the foot of starter Colby Griffis — aided by an error and a wild pitch. In a game that had felt controlled, the margin suddenly vanished.

The Rams didn’t linger there.

Lyndon Worthy opened the bottom half with a walk, prompting Swainsboro to turn to DJ Stanford — the same pitcher who escaped a bases-loaded jam in Game 1 by striking out Avery Kilcrease to preserve a 1-0 win.

This time, the sequence unraveled quickly.

Brodey Hancock singled to bring Worthy home. Cully Hendley reached on an error. And then Kilcrease stepped in again, with a chance to rewrite the moment.

On a 3-1 pitch, he did exactly that — launching a high, carrying drive over the right-center field fence for a three-run homer that turned tension into separation and gave Worth County a 6-2 lead.

It wasn’t just a swing. It was a pivot.

Griffis, who had allowed just one hit through 4 1/3 innings, handed the ball to Hancock in the fifth. Moments later, Hancock added the exclamation point.

He lined a ball into left field that skipped past the outfielder and rolled toward the fence. Hancock never hesitated.

“Brodey was digging,” said head coach Will Smith. “He was running and I was sending him.”

Hancock slid headfirst across the plate ahead of the throw, completing a three-run, inside-the-park home run that stretched the lead to 9-2 and effectively decided the game.

There were still a few late ripples. Swainsboro scored twice in the sixth and loaded the bases in the seventh, threatening to make things uneasy.

That’s when DJ Easom stepped in and finished it, stranding all three runners to seal the win and earn the save.

“I was really happy with the way our guys came out and responded in a big game like this,” Smith said. “I just told them after the game that we just have to keep our foot on the gas. Just because we have a lead and two outs, you’ve got to keep pushing. We can’t defend a walk.”

The numbers from the series underscore just how tight it was. Worth County’s pitching staff allowed only eight hits across three games — including just two in a Game 1 loss.

On Saturday, Griffis was as steady as he’s been all season, surrendering just one hit and two unearned runs while striking out six. Hancock drove in four runs and made his presence felt in every phase.

And when the game demanded an answer, Worth County didn’t hesitate.

It responded — decisively, and all at once — the way teams do when they believe they’re not done yet.