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ECHS, River Ridge split doubleheader; deciding third game today at 4
Will Floyd
Will Floyd comes home with the winning run in the seventh inning as Effingham County gets a 5-4 victory in Game 1 of the Class 5A Elite Eight baseball series with River Ridge on May 7. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald


SPRINGFIELD – A closely contested Elite Eight series between Effingham County and River Ridge in the Class 5A baseball championships will come down to a deciding third game today in Springfield.

ECHS (30-6) won a tense 5-4 clash in Wednesday’s opener on a passed ball that plated Will Floyd with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

In the nightcap, River Ridge’s 6-foot-6 righthander KJ Hart struck out 14 and surrendered just three singles in the Knights’ 2-0 win to even the best-of-three series.

It was the first time the Rebels were shut out this season.  

The winner of today’s 4 p.m. matchup will advance to play the winner of Newnan-Habersham Central (that series is also tied at a game apiece) in the semifinals.

The lead of the first game in Springfield bounced back and forth. Kaleb Pendley gave ECHS a 1-0 advantage with an RBI single in the third inning.

River Ridge (24-13) scored three times in the fourth with a throwing error on a third strike allowing two unearned runs to cross the plate.

The Rebels regained the lead 4-3 in the fifth on Newton Kieffer’s two-out bloop single to left.

The Knights tied the game in the sixth on a two-out, bases-loaded walk to Josh Malucci.

In the seventh, Floyd singled with one out and advanced to third on Pendley’s third hit of the game. With Aiden Garcia at the plate, Floyd scored when a ball eluded the Knights’ catcher.

ECHS reliever AR Roeser picked up the win by getting out of the sixth-inning jam and pitching a scoreless seventh.

Rebel starter Kyle Thomas pitched in and out of trouble but was tough in the clutch and allowed just one earned run in 5.2 innings. River Ridge hitters were just 1-for-8 against Thomas with runners in scoring position.

In the nightcap, Hart dominated and recorded ECHS’ final seven outs with strikeouts.

Caleb Swindle
Effingham County left fielder Caleb Swindle makes a diving catch of a line drive by Adam Lipcsey in the fifth inning of Game 1 on Wednesday. The Rebels won the opener 5-4, but lost the nightcap 2-0 to force a deciding third game in the best-of-three series today at 4 p.m. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)
But ECHS had some chances. In the second inning, with the bases loaded, Karson Thompson’s fly ball down the right-field line landed foul by about two feet.

The Rebels advanced a runner to third in the sixth inning and had runners at second and third with two outs in the seventh before Hart ended the game with a strikeout after throwing 116 pitches. Pitchers are allowed 120 in the postseason.

Fueled by a walk, an error, a sacrifice bunt and Hunter Hollier’s timely two-out double, the Knights broke a scoreless duel with two runs against ECHS’ Luke Edwards in the fourth inning.

Edwards struck out nine, walked six (two intentional) while allowing one earned run in six innings.

The Rebels had a seven-game winning streak snapped and will enter uncharted territory with their first Game 3 of the playoffs. They swept East Paulding and Winder-Barrow during the first two rounds.

River Ridge faced a Game 3 in its last playoff series and defeated highly regarded Dunwoody 7-2.