Deerfield-Windsor falls in the first game of semifinals

ALBANY — After coasting through the first two rounds of the Georgia Independent Schools Association baseball playoffs, Deerfield-Windsor hit a speed bump in the semifinals.

The Knights fell 8-5 to The Heritage School of Newnan in the opening game of the series Friday on Friday.

The second game of the series, which was originally scheduled for Friday, was moved to Saturday at noon due to weather concerns. If needed, a third game and deciding game would be played after completion of Game 2.

Before Friday, Deerfield-Windsor had won all four of its postseason games by the mercy run-rule.

“The little things got us,” Deerfield-Windsor coach Jonathan Davis said. “Too many three ball counts turn into too many walks. We got under too many balls and chased too many balls.”

Deerfield opened the scoring with a run in the first inning before Heritage tied it in the top of the third.

Howell Logan gave Deerfield a 2-1 lead when he led off the third with a solo homer. Steven Williams followed Logan’s home run with a solo shot of his own.

Entering the fifth, Deerfield was up 4-1 before the Hawks offense exploded. Matt Burns led the inning off with a solo home run to dead center. Heritage tied it at four before making an out. The biggest blow came when Jake Smith ripped a ball off the foul pole in left field for a three-run homer. Smith’s home run gave Heritage a 7-4 lead.

“We’ve prepared all year for a three-game series and that is what we have now,” Davis said. “That is why we have practiced and thrown a lot of guys. Baseball is a series sport. It is not a one-game roller coaster.”

Deerfield trailed 8-4 going into the final inning, but was only able to get one run back.

Heritage’s Logan Bettis earned the victory after throwing a complete game. Baylin Moore took the loss for Deerfield-Windsor after pitching five innings and giving up seven runs.

This is the first game in the GISA tournament that the Knights have failed to score 10 or more runs.

“When you play good teams, you aren’t going to score 16 runs every game,” Davis said. “It is not rocket science, we just have to get back to doing those little things to give ourselves a better chance to win.”

Williams went 4 for 4 with three runs scored while Logan went 2 for 4.