THOMASVILLE — Thomas County Central defeated Calhoun in an offensive show that saw the Yellow Jackets secure a 9-1 win. The Yellow Jackets opened up the scoring in the bottom of the second when Brayden Payne sent a hard hit ground ball through the infield and scored Lee McCorkle from third. Calhoun came back in the third and tied the game on a Cohen Chadwick single.

Central’s defense would hold strong. Led by pitcher Griffin Taylor, the Yellow Jackets gave up only two hits to Calhoun batters and Taylor finished his four inning outing with six strikeouts.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Yellow Jackets extended their lead when JJ Potts scored on a single by Reid Harvey.

Harvey then stole second and third and in the next at bat, Payne recorded another RBI as his line drive single cleared a path for Harvey to score.

The fifth inning saw Central’s Branson Gates take over on the mound for the second straight game. Gates pitched well in his three innings on the bump, allowing zero hits and recording a pair of strikeouts.

The Yellow Jackets had a great day at the plate with ten hits on the day. McCorkle led the way with three hits. Payne also recorded multiple hits in the game.

Though the Yellow Jacket bats were hot, they really got going in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and runners on first and second, Lawson Odom smashed a line drive to left field, scoring Potts.

After Calhoun pitcher Andrew Purdy loaded the bases, Taylor hit a double to center allowing Odom and Zach Williams to touch home. Taylor didn’t stay on base for long, as a single by McCorkle sent him home.

“It’s nice to be able to play for that,” said Coach Ryan Strickland about his teams big offensive inning. “But it’s the little things that win games.”

The little things certainly helped in the top of the ninth. The Yellow Jackets executed a perfect three up three down inning to secure their 9-1 victory over Calhoun.

The Yellow Jackets will begin their last regional series against Northside today as the team travels to Warner Robins to take on the Eagles. The Yellow Jackets will complete the series with a double header against Northside on Friday.

“We’re just trying to get better everyday,” said Strickland. “Right now we are playing for the playoffs.”