Worth County sweeps Banks County to advance to Elite Eight

SYLVESTER — The scoreboard will tell you the Worth County High School Rams can hit.

Anyone who has watched them this season already knew that.

What Thursday proved — emphatically — is that they can win another way, too.

Pitch it. Catch it. Defend it.

And when it mattered most, that’s exactly how Worth County punched its ticket to the Elite Eight.

In front of its largest crowd of the season, the Rams (26-8) swept Banks County in the Class A Division I Sweet 16, winning 3-1 and 10-3 at their new home field in Sylvester, advancing to the quarterfinal round where they will host Social Circle High School next week.

“Avery pitched well in Game 1 and DJ pitched great in Game 2,” head coach Will Smith said. “Brady Weaver back there — they didn’t try to run on us. Great defense, especially from the left side. Everybody wants to talk about the offense, and it’s great, but in Game 1 especially it was our defense that kept us out of jams.”

That first game told the story.

Banks County scratched across a run in the second inning, and for a while, it felt like the kind of tight, low-scoring postseason game where one mistake decides everything.

Worth County didn’t make one.

Avery Kilcrease settled in on the mound, working through traffic and striking out seven over a complete-game effort. Behind him, the Rams were flawless — not a single error — and occasionally spectacular.

Garrett Brooks made a diving catch in left field that took away extra bases. Lyndon Worthy ranged to his left at third, spun 360 degrees and fired across the diamond for an out that felt bigger than one play.

And behind it all, catcher Brady Weaver controlled the game from behind the plate.

Then Kilcrease did what stars tend to do this time of year.

With one swing in the fifth inning, he turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead, launching a three-run homer to center field — the only offense Worth County would need.

Game 2 looked different.

For five innings, it was still within reach. By the sixth, it was over.

The Rams broke it open with six runs in the sixth inning, turning a tight game into a runaway. Brodey Hancock started the surge with an RBI single. Kilcrease struck again with a three-run homer to right. Hayden Short added an RBI double, and Weaver drove in another run with a groundout.

Just like that, the pressure was gone.

DJ Easom handled the rest.

The right-hander worked into the seventh inning, striking out seven and allowing three runs before turning it over to Colby Griffis, who closed the door.

Offensively, Worth County piled up 11 hits, with Griffis going 3-for-4 to lead the way. Hancock and Luke Rogers added multiple hits, and the lineup once again showed its depth — production from top to bottom.

But even in a 10-run performance, Smith circled back to the same thing.

Defense. Pitching. Execution.

The things that travel.

Now, the Rams are one step away from the Final Four.

They will host Social Circle, which swept Jeff Davis — a familiar region opponent — to reach the Elite Eight. A doubleheader is scheduled for Wednesday in Sylvester, with a potential Game 3 set for Thursday.

At this point in the season, nothing comes easy.

But Worth County has shown it can win when it is.

And when it isn’t.

Which is why, as the bracket tightens and the margin shrinks, the Rams are still playing — and still looking like a team built for more.