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From Staff Reports

 

AMERICUS – Southland Academy catcher Will Godwin went 3 for 4 at the plate and drove in six runs to help lead the Raiders to a 14-5 victory over Tiftarea Academy on Tuesday, March 21, at the Southland Academy baseball complex.

Godwin drove in one run in the first inning on a single, three runs in the third on a single and two more in the fifth on an RBI double.

In addition to Godwin’s performance at the plate, his teammate, left fielder Luke Tarrer, also went 3 for 4 at the plate and scored two runs. First baseman Luke Exley also had a strong day at the plate for the Raiders, as he went 2 for 4 and drove in three RBIs. In total, the Raiders scored 14 runs on 12 hits and committed four errors, while the Panthers scored five runs on eight hits and also committed four errors.

By the fourth inning, the Raiders had a comfortable 12-0 lead, but the Panthers responded with two runs on three hits in the top of the fourth to cut their deficit to 10. Then in the fifth inning, TA cut SAR’s lead to 12-5 by scoring three runs on four hits and taking advantage of a hit batsman.

However, the Raiders responded in their half of the fifth by scoring two runs on three hits. The big blow in the inning came off the bat of Godwin, who drilled a two-run double to left field to give SAR a 14-5 lead. That ended up being the final score of the game, as the Raiders got solid pitching from starter Perry Usher the rest of the way. Usher pitched all seven innings and gave up five runs on eight hits while striking out three.

Robert Garner led TA’s offense by going 2 for 3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Eli Hannah also had two hits in the game for the Panthers (5-7, 1-2), as he went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.

The win puts SAR at 5-4 overall and 2-1 in the GIAA Region 3-AAA standings. The Raiders will turn around and play the Panthers again on Thursday, March 23, in Chula, GA. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.