THOMASVILLE — Thomasville’s baseball team flexed its offensive muscle to begin the state playoffs, handing visiting East Laurens 16-6 and 8-2 losses Friday night at Bryant-Garner Athletic Complex.

The Bulldogs will host Dade County in the second round of the playoffs on May 4.

“In the first game we executed really well at the plate,” Thomasville baseball coach Erik McDougald said. “Game 2 was just a matter of hanging in there against a pitcher we had a hard time with.” 

GAME 1

The Falcons jumped on Bulldog starter JT Rice in the first inning, with Gavin Donaldson scoring Seth Newsome with a base hit to take a 1-0 lead. The Falcons’ Colby Owens scored later in the inning after a wild third strike for the early 2-0 advantage headed into the bottom half.

From there, the Bulldogs’ bats came alive. With two outs, Parker Zolt started the first of many Thomasville scoring opportunities with a triple to right. Buck Bennett brought him in with a base hit, and came in to score himself after a knock from Jimmy Cipriani.

With the score knotted up at two in the second, the Bulldogs began its first of three big rallies that secured the game for them. Thomasville batters drew three walks and notched two hits in the inning. Bennett added the crucial one — a bases-loaded double to drive the Bulldog lead to 6-2.

The fireworks continued in the third, as RBI singles from Hayden Donalson and Zolt helped Thomasville bat around its order for the first of two times — and breaking the game open with a 12-2 lead heading into the fourth.

Meanwhile, Rice settled in on the mound after his shaky first, allowing no hits in the second and third. However, the Falcons began to show some signs of life in the fourth, with Ty Flanders and Seth Newsome each bringing in runs with RBI doubles. After a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from Owens, Thomasville’s lead had been cut to 12-6.

Despite the Falcons’ surge, the Bulldogs did their part to close out their first game of the doubleheader early. They scratched across four runs in the fifth, aided in part by a two-run home run from Zolt. A bases-loaded walk to Rice put Thomasville at the 10-run threshold, sealing the win after five innings.

Bennett ended the game 4-for-4 with five RBIs. Rice earned the win, striking out two over four innings.

GAME 2

Thomasville struck first in Game 2, with a Maylon Cochran hit bringing Cipriani in to score for the 1-0 lead in the second. However, East Laurens quickly jumped ahead in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs to make it 2-1.

Falcons starting pitcher Gavin Donaldson kept the Bulldogs at bay for the next two innings. Thomasville finally broke through in the fifth with four runs — three coming from a bases-clearing RBI triple from Harrison Stewart — to take a 5-2 lead.

East Laurens threatened to jump right back in it in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs. Harrison Vance came in to relieve Bennett, who started Game 2 for Thomasville. One pitch was all Vance needed to get his team out of a potentially scary situation, inducing a key groundout.

Thomasville tacked on four more as the game came to a close, securing the sweep. Bennett, who had contributed well with his bat in Game 1, played a big role from the hill in the second game. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and two hits, striking out four.

“Buck had a real good day all the way around,” McDougald said. “Obviously, that’s what we’ll need him to continue to do.”