Locals step up in Andrew's win over GPC

COVINGTON, Ga. -- A pair of former area baseball players had a say Tuesday in Andrew College's victory over Georgia Perimeter College.

Former Heritage catcher Chunk Smith and former Alcovy catcher Taylor Jackson each scored a run during two Andrew rallies in a 4-0 victory in GJCAA Region 17 play.

The visitors from Cuthbert jumped out on top in the first inning, thanks to the Jaguars defense. Starter Matt Adams walked Smith and Collins Wold to start the game, and on Brandon Phillips' sacrifice attempt, Adams tried to get Smith at third, but threw the ball away. Smith scored to make it 1-0 and Wold went to third on the error and two batters later, crossed the plate on Ross Howard's sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Adams settled in after that, retiring 12 consecutive batters, including striking out the side in the second, until he walked Cameron Pearson to start the fifth inning.

Adams didn't give up a hit until Phillips' infield single in the sixth, the left-hander's last inning. With runners at first and second and two outs, it looked like Adams would squirm out of trouble when Dusty Davis lifted a seemingly harmless pop to left field, but Alonzo Allen dropped the ball and Phillips and Jackson scored to put the Tigers up 4-0.

That was more than enough for Andrew starter Chance Armour, who was brilliant in tossing a complete-game shutout. Armour allowed just four singles and walked one batter, letting only one runner get past second base in a 95-pitch effort.

"(Armour) pitched a hell of a game; you've got to tip your hat to him," GPC coach Danny Blue said. "We just couldn't do anything with him. That's a ball game, we just didn't swing it. I'd say hitting killed us. We didn't even threaten."

The Tigers' defense helped keep Armour's shutout intact. With two outs in the second, Allen ripped a ground ball to the shortstop that Wold stabbed and threw out Allen for the third out.

GPC got one-out singles from Felton James and Jamie McMillan in the fourth inning, but Kendall Lacey's scorching line drive was stabbed by first baseman Hank Towery, and McMillan was doubled off first to end the frame. In the eighth, Garitt Church drove a ball to deep left field where Howard made a nice running catch against the wall for the third out.

"They got a good defensive baseball team; we knew that coming in," Blue said.

Adams allowed only one hit and struck out eight in six innings, but the four unearned runs made a loser out of the left-hander.

The series continues this weekend when GPC (23-9, 7-2) travels to Cuthbert for a single game at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, with Saturday's doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

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Photo: Former Heritage catcher Chunk Smith scored a run in Andrew College's win over Georgia Perimeter College on Tuesday.