BASEBALL: Baker’s RBI walks off another crazy eighth for West Laurens in Appling County series

The past three seasons, there’s just been something about the recent baseball rivalry between West Laurens and Appling County that’s consistently created exciting games, and led to extra innings. 

The teams, going back to a 2024 matchup in Baxley decided on an infamous walk-off infield fly, have needed an eighth to decide a winner in four of their last five meetings. 

Thursday’s in Dexter, to open another home-and-home here in 2026, became a third-straight following the two that exceeded regulation in last year’s split. The Raiders once again evened their extra-inning record in the series, this time at two games apiece, as Grant Baker poked one through a hole at short in the bottom of eight to win the latest thriller 5-4.

The teams are scheduled play again at Baxley’s “Graveyard” on April 13. 

Cason Pollock sliced a single right up the middle to lead off the inning, and J.J. Giles – in some redemption after popping out on a sac bunt attempt earlier – got one to slide all the way up the first base line to move him to second. 

Luke Shepard took over as courtesy runner before back-to-back intentional walks loaded the bases for Baker with one out, and the senior went the other way for his first hit of the ballgame to push him home. 

West Laurens was out-hit 8-7, but drew 11 walks that stretched out several key innings for Appling County pitchers Kaden Walls, who went four in the start, and Landon Anderson, who took the loss. 

The visitors held the earliest lead, but the Raiders scored a run per the first three innings to tie and take two turns on top. Appling County answered Raider runs with ones of its own in both the fourth and fifth to tie with hits, followed by fielders choice RBIs. 

But West Laurens starting pitcher Kolby Clark continued his solid work from recent starts, striking out seven with a nasty curveball before being relieved by Brycen Milton with one out in the seventh. 

The progressively more impressive freshman southpaw inherited Appling’s fastest baserunner in Braye Brown at first, and before throwing a pitch, picked him into a rundown. Walls squibbed a two-strike single to keep the inning going, but it ended quickly enough on a ground ball. Milton came back to get all three swinging in the Pirates’ eighth inning side. 

Cohen Cardwell and Cason Pollock singled twice each, the former singling through the same gap at short for a potential RBI to end regulation, but Appling County’s Bryce Nail threw out Chase Devaney at the plate to end the seventh inning.

Clark and Nathan Hester also added hits, with J.D. Hogan picking up an RBI via sacrifice fly. 

The exciting victory, the Raiders’ third in a row, took their record to 11-1 overall, after a makeup game in Augusta Wednesday got their region mark to 6-0. 

Last week’s pair of games followed three – two wins and a loss against some top statewide competition – the previous weekend at Emerson’s Lakepoint Complex at the Georgia Dugout Club tournament. 

West Laurens 4, Franklin Co. 3

Clark’s 11 strikeouts, more courtesy of a fastball-breaking ball combo that caught some eyes around the facility, were the headline of a massive first win to open up the Friday, Feb. 27 portion of the GDC event. 

He also walked four, but held Franklin County to only three hits in a complete-game effort, nailing down the win after a tying and go-ahead run hit the board for the Raiders on the RBIs of Pollock and Cardwell in the bottom of the sixth. 

Clark walked the leadoff man, but came back to get the next looking on strikes, then popped out and grounded out the next two for the final outs. 

The teams traded two runs each in the fourth, with the Raiders’ runs being driven in by Baker and Clark, and Franklin County scored once to take a 3-2 lead in the fifth. 

Clark and Pollock led the lineup with two hits each. 

Alexander 11, West Laurens 4 

The Douglasville-based Cougars hit up a storm… piling up 17 knocks against two different West Laurens hurlers on the morning side of Saturday’s twin bill. 

The Raiders had a healthy 10 themselves, and scored the game’s first three runs, but just couldn’t keep up after the floodgates opened in the third inning. They countered with only one as Alexander rattled off its entire total (five runs unearned) in the last five, with Matthew Westbrook and Ethan Williams coming up with three hits apiece. 

Cardwell went four innings in the start, walked one and struck out three. Gunner Coleman pitched three in relief, walking and striking out one each. 

Clark finished with three hits and an RBI. Baker had two hits and one. Cardwell and Pollock chalked up another two each. 

West Laurens 9, Heard Co. 6

The Raiders out-hit the Braves 9-5 in their Saturday-afternoon rebound, with Cardwell’s two for a pair of RBIs leading the way. 

Hogan, Hester, Clark, Tripp Mascaro, Buck Shepherd and J.J. Giles had one apiece. 

West Laurens scored seven in the first two innings, then two more in response to Heard County’s four-run surge in the fourth, coinciding with a change of pitchers. 

Some insurance put the lead at 9-4 going to the seventh, when the Braves cut the five-run gap to the final three. 

Milton pitched four innings and change of one-hit ball, with four walks and five strikeouts. Boone Smith took care of the rest, allowing four hits, striking out one and walking none. 

Heard’s Cason Holtzclaw two hits and one RBI. 

West Laurens 7, Richmond Academy 0 

The Raiders scored three in their half of the first, then didn’t put up any more until adding one in the fifth. Three more finished it off in the seventh. 

ARC, though in it the whole way, wasn’t going anywhere on just four hits against Coleman, who pitched the complete game, struck out 11 and walked only two. 

The Muskies’ Sam Roberts and Wynn Prosser only gave up eight combined, walking nine and striking out seven. 

Hogan and Mascaro, each with two hits and an RBI, led the way at the plate. 

Next…

This week, West Laurens will play Westside of Augusta in a region series starting Tuesday on the road, and finishing Friday at home. Thursday, the Raiders will battle top-ranked AA powerhouse Morgan County.