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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

VINCENT – After clinching the area title with a doubleheader sweep of Cornerstone Schools on Tuesday, April 8, the Vincent Yellow Jackets had unfinished business with two games in front of them–a rematch of one of their only losses to Georgia’s Bowdon Red Devils and a matchup with Class 5A St. Clair County.

Vincent secured victories in both games, defeating Bowdon 6-4 on Friday, April 11 and St. Clair County 5-4 on Saturday, April 12 in two games at Vincent Middle High School in less than 24 hours.

In the first game against Bowdon, Casen Fields got the Jackets off to a flying start with a home run on the first pitch that the team saw, sending a line drive to left for a 1-0 lead.

From there, an Aiden Gasaway walk and Aiden Poe single put two on ahead of Vincent’s first out of the game. Both runners would steal bases during the ensuing at-bat, and Gasaway came home on an error at home plate to double up the lead.

Ethan McElrath followed that up with an RBI double to cap off the rally and give the Jackets a 3-0 lead.

That lead held through a scoreless second inning into the bottom of the third. Grayson Gulde got hit by a pitch to start the inning and reached second on a sacrifice bunt. While the next batter popped out, Keller Finn doubled on the first pitch he saw to make it a 4-0 game.

However, Bowdon came roaring back in the top of the fourth.

After a one-out double, the Red Devils secured an RBI single to get on the board. A single and a walk loaded up the bases ahead of a bases-loaded walk that scored a second run. Bowdon then secured a two-run double to tie the game up at 4-4.

Poe recovered to get a strikeout and a ground out to get out of the inning. The game remained tied and in the balance until the top of the seventh when the Red Devils tried to make their mark with two outs.

A walk prompted a pitching change for Vincent, but Bowdon tacked on a double to put two in scoring position. Gulde intentionally walked the next batter to try and get the force-out at second, but it wouldn’t matter as the Red Devils popped out to end the inning.

After flying out on their first at-bat, Vincent quickly loaded up the bases with a Gulde double and walks by Landon Archer and McElrath. Finn then stepped up to the plate and was the walk-off hero with an RBI ground-rule double to left, plating two runs and securing the 6-4 win.

Gulde was 2-for-3 with two runs and Finn went 2-for-2 with two walks and three RBI.

Poe finished with a no decision after striking out nine batters in 6.2 innings, giving up four runs off eight hits and a rare three walks. Gulde was credited with the win for getting the final out in the seventh with the game tied.

The next day against St. Clair County, four of the first five Vincent batters singled. One of those was Gulde, who came up with two on and one out in the bottom of the first to plate two runs and take a 2-0 lead.

After a scoreless second, the Jackets got two walks to start the bottom of the third before Gulde brought Gasaway home for the RBI double, making it a 3-0 advantage. While the next two batters struck out, an error off a Finn grounder put the hosts in front 4-0.

The Saints started to claw back in the top of the fourth, following up a one-out single with a two-run home run to halve the deficit to 4-2.

The next two batters reached freely off a hit by pitch and a walk, and while the Jackets recovered with a strikeout, St. Clair County made it a one-run game with an RBI single.

The Saints nearly tied the game on another single on the ensuing at-bat, but Lane Mims made the throw to home plate and Archer got the tag at home to preserve the 4-3 lead.

Vincent couldn’t capitalize with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, but a Gasaway triple to start the bottom of the sixth got the Jackets going. After a pop out on the ensuing at-bat, Gulde singled to bring him home and extend the lead to 5-3.

That run proved crucial as St. Clair County went on a one-out rally in the top of the seventh, loading up the bases off a single and two walks. The Jackets battled back with a strikeout, but a bases-loaded walk made it a one-run game once again.

On the very next pitch though, Archer worked a ground out back to the mound to get the out at first and end the game.

Gulde was 3-for-4 with four RBI while Poe finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs.

Calvin Johnson took the win with seven strikeouts in four innings, allowing three runs off seven hits and a walk. Archer came in and got the three-inning save with five strikeouts against one run, two hits and five walks.

Vincent finished the regular season 23-5 and with a nine-game win streak as a result of the wins. The Jackets will host the first round of the Class 2A playoffs on Friday, April 18 against the West End Patriots, with games one and two set for 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., respectively.

If needed, game three will be Saturday, April 19 at noon at Vincent Middle High School.