SPORTS BRIEFS: Baconton Charter advances, Pelham’s season closes

Baconton Charter advances

In a series delayed from last week because of legal issues, the Baconton Charter baseball team swept Jenkins County on Monday in the second round of the GHSA Class 1A-Public playoffs.

Baconton Charter won 5-4 and 12-3. The third-seeded Blazers (20-5) host Telfair County, a 10-0 and 4-3 winner over Lanier County on Monday, in the quarterfinals Friday and Saturday.

The Class 1A-Public playoffs were delayed when Charlton County challenged the GHSA’s power ratings appeals process in court and won an injunction. That injunction was lifted Friday by the Georgia Court of Appeals.

A four-run first inning, with another run added in the third, stood up in Game 1 for Baconton Charter. Smith Pinson pitched five innings for the victory, with Will Bush coming in for a two-inning save. Jackson Bostick went 2-for-2 with a double, while Logan Cain also had a double.

A five-run fourth inning gave Baconton Charter plenty of cushion in Game 2. Pinson and Spencer Culp each went 3-for-5, with Pinson scoring two runs and driving in four. Bush, Pinson, Culp and Logan Cain each had doubles. Culp was the winning pitcher, striking out six.

Pelham’s season closes

The Pelham baseball team was eliminated by top-seeded Schley County on Monday in the second round of the GHSA Class 1A-Public baseball playoffs.

Schley County won 6-5 and 15-0 in Ellaville.

A six-run fourth inning carried Schley County in the first game. Gunner Wisham had two doubles and scored two runs, while Cale Whigham went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Levi Jacobs also doubled. Whigham took a complete-game loss.

Schley County scored in every inning but one of the second game. Pelham ends its season with a 16-10 record.

SGTC’s Simmons signs

South Georgia Tech basketball guard Rico Simmons has signed Mississippi Valley State.

Simmons, a 5-foot-9 sophomore from Wilkinson County, helped lead the Jets to a 20-12 record last season. Simmons was the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Freshman of the Year in 2015-16 before sitting out the 2016-17 season. He returned for the 2017-18 season and led the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game.

“I am very proud of Rico Simmons,” South Georgia Tech head coach Travis Garrett said in a news release. “When Rico came to South Georgia Tech, he had two goals. He wanted to earn his associate degree and also have the opportunity to continue his basketball career at a NCAA Division I school. Both of those dreams came true.”

ABAC to host tennis camp

ABAC will host a tennis camp for middle school and high school students June 18-21 in Tifton.

According to a news release, the camp, directed by ABAC head coach Dale White, will feature drills in the morning and matches in the afternoon.

The camp will run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day and includes lunch and a t-shirt. The cost is $200.

For more information or to register, call (229) 391-4937 or www.abac.edu/athletics/tennis-camp.