No. 9 hitter Zach Lee drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday afternoon to give Lanier County a 4-3 victory over Emanuel County Institute and a sweep of their Class A Division II championship series in Statesboro.
The championship was Lanier County’s third straight.
The South Georgia school outside of Valdosta had won only two state championships in any sport until 2023, but thanks to its bat-and-glove teams, the Bulldogs now have seven — three in baseball and two in fastpitch softball the past three years — and a sweep of those sports in this academic year.
“We’ve been incredibly blessed in Lanier County, and the last three years have been special times for sure,” Lanier County coach Matthew White said. “This town sure does love its baseball and softball.”
The reigning champion baseball team beat ECI 5-2 in the opening game. Stone Carey and Kendrick Noble had RBI singles for a 2-0 first-inning lead, and ECI never got even.
Grant Gano (13-0) allowed three hits and one earned run and struck out 12 in 6 1/3 innings. Gano, a left-hander, has signed with Georgia Southern, where the finals were played. He finished the season with 152 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings.
In Game 2, Alex Contreras (9-2) got the victory, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing eight hits and three runs. He also got the final two outs of the Game 1 victory.
Lanier County took a 2-0 first-inning lead in both games, but ECI rallied in Game 2 to lead 3-2 in the fourth. Jackson Kennedy hit a two-run single, and Bryson Thompson scored him with a double.
Gano’s double in the fourth inning tied the score 3-3.
In the seventh, ECI issued four walks, one intentionally. ECI’s Thompson pitched into the seventh but was replaced after a one-out walk. Two ECI relievers got one out but walked three, one intentionally.
For the series, Cayson Griffin, Lanier County’s catcher, was 3-for-6 with a double and two walks. Noble, an Aquinas College signee who played second base and left field, was 4-for-7 with a walk. Lee, whose walk-off bases on balls won the series, hit well in the first game, going 2-for-3.
ECI finished 26-16.
Lanier County was 33-4 this season, the best record over the three-year title run during which the program is 99-21.
“This (latest) group was hungry to leave a legacy at LCHS,” White said. “This group never wavered, even when our backs were up against the wall at times. What makes this team so special is they just wouldn’t take no for an answer, and they fought and competed all year long.”
As for the school’s baseball-softball dynasty, he said, “This town sure does love its baseball and softball. We’ve been very fortunate and blessed with the kids and collective talent we’ve had in both sports - driven student athletes across the baord that are relentless workers.”
Game 1 boxscore
Credit: West Georgia Sports Information Services
Credit: West Georgia Sports Information Services
Game 2 boxscore
Credit: West Georgia Sports Information Services
Credit: West Georgia Sports Information Services
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