Saturday's Central Georgia Daily News 'n Notes: Bacon win; Henley playing well; prep scoreboard; Braves, Falcons, Peach State football reports (GSU-Boro's Werts talks) and more
Saturday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
Macon rolls, evens series with Morehead City
Macon snagged the momentum with a three-run second and put it away with a five-run fourth en route to an 11-4 win over Morehead City to even the Coastal Plain League championship series at 1.
The finale is at 7:05 p.m. Sunday in Morehead City.
Macon led 3-2 after one, and put the first three batters – including Cory Bivins from GMC and Logan Fink from Tattnall - on in the second. One out later, Jared Miller drove in a run with a single, Calvin Estrada following with a two-run single to right.
Then came the clinching fifth.
Colton Yeager reached on an a one-out error and scored on Miller’s double. A single and a walk later, Alex Canty went yard for a game-changing grand slam.
Macon outhit Morehead City 10-6, and the hosts had four errors leading to four unearned runs.
The Bacon went with a staff pitching strategy, and it worked. Braxton Kelly went 1.1 innings, Walker Barlow 2.2, and Mercer’s Josh Farmer five to get the win. He fanned five with two walks and a run.
Henley having a solid Northern Trust
Russell Henley is having a consistent Northern Trust tournament, shooting a second straight 70 after a first-round 69.
The 209 has Henley tied for 42nds and 10 strokes off the lead, which is held by Patrick Reed at 199, 14 under.
Abraham Ancer pulled into the lead on the back nine late in the afternoon is second, one back. Nine players are within five shots of the lead.
Henley was 1 under for the day despite a double bogey 10 a day after a birdie on the hole.
That countered a little that it was his only above-par hole of the day, after two bogeys Friday and four on Thursday.
It all but matched Friday’s round of two bogeys and three birdies.
Henley has made three straight cuts – normal scoring – with 13 under-par rounds in his last 15.
He entered the tournament 81st in the FedEx Cup standings. The top 70 advance.
Has Georgia football become too big financially?
Some fans see a program too focused on a money grab.
Scoreboard
Saturday
High School
Softball
Crawford County 11, Peach County 3
Jackson 12, Stratford 2
Jackson 6, Howard 1
John Milledge 11, Fellowship Christian 2
Mary Persons 8, Stratford 5
Peach County 9, Warner Robins 3
Perry 8, Glynn Academy 4
Rutland 9, FPD 2; Rutland 17, FPD 0
Wayne County 5, Perry 0
Westfield 11, Southwest Georgia 0
Westfield 15, Southland 0
Volleyball
Veterans 2, Jackson 0
Braves Report
Contrary to dreams and expectations, the Braves bullpen problems are nowhere near solved.
It gave up six runs in the final two innings, four from a new reliever and the proclaimed closer, and a botched pickoff from another reliever in the 10th led to Miami beating Atlanta 7-6.
Mike Soroka’s quality start became memory in the bottom of the eighth, after Atlanta scored three in the top half and Miami countered with two. The Braves added three in the top of the ninth, and the Marlins stormed back.
Only a perfect throw on a game-tying two-run double from Adam Duvall to Charlie Culberson to Brian McCann kept it from being a one-out game-winning hit from Starlin Castro, McCann tagging Isan Diaz.
A walk followed, but Shane Greene, who gave up two hits that led to runs charged to Chris Melancon, got out with an easy grounder.
Atlanta went down in order in the 10th.
Harold Ramirez led off the bottom with a single, and then Sean Newcomb was wild on a pickoff, and Ramirez went to third. Former Brave Martin Prado won it with a fly ball to left that fairly easily scored Ramirez.
Soroka’s seven-inning, three hit, six-strikeout, one-walk shutout on 82 pitches was lost in the collapse.
Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman, and Culberson had two hits each for Atlanta.
Next: Sunday, at Miami, 1:10 p.m., FSSO; Tuesday, vs. NY Mets, 7:20 p.m., MLB/FSSE; Wednesday, vs. NY Mets, 7:20 p.m., FSSE; Thursday, vs. NY Mets, 7:20 p.m.; Friday, vs. LA Dodgers, 7:20 p.m., MLBN/FSSO; Saturday, vs. LA Dodgers, 7:20 p.m., FSSO; Sunday, vs. LA Dodgers, 1:20 p.m., FSSO/TBS
Albies and Acuna are taking over
New closer Melancon on new job
Oh, to figure out the rotation
Falcons Report
State college football report
UGA: First scrimmage was a first scrimmage
UGA: Zamir White’s quasi-debut
UGA: His first scrimmage contact
UGA: Cox to Florida? No biggie
Georgia Southern: First scrimmage in the books
Georgia Southern: King has a quality scrimmage
Georgia Southern: Shai Werts talks
Georgia State: Good effort in scrimmage
Around/About Georgia
Tech BKB wins in Spain debut
Dream losing streak up to nine