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No. 2 Parkview walks it off in extras over rivals No. 12 Brookwood

April 18, 2019
By Kyle Colletta
Georgia Staff

Lilburn, GA – The top two teams in Region 7 put their perfect 10-0 region records on the line Wednesday night in a high-scoring performance at Parkview High School. The defending national champions and 7A GHSA State Champions, Parkview Panthers (25-4), looked to fend off a long-standing rival, the Brookwood Broncos (21-8).

This week’s home-and-home series has set up a crowning of the region champion and No. 1 seed in the 7A GHSA playoffs. Surrounded by incredible atmosphere, game one of the series did not disappoint.

Getting the start on the mound for the Panthers was Vanderbilt commit Miles Garett, who is No. 26-ranked prospect on the PBR Georgia 2020 state rankings. Armed with a fastball that got up to 92 mph, Garrett looked to set the tone in this highly-anticipated matchup.

Brookwood had other ideas, when they put up a two-spot in the first inning. After an error on the Panthers that allowed the first run of the game, junior catcher Jack Spyke roped an opposite-field double to put the Broncos ahead 2-0 heading to the bottom of the first inning.

Brookwood looked to uncommitted senior Alex Flood to tame a potent Parkview offense. Flood battled throughout the duration of his start, relying primarily on a two-pitch mix with an 86 mph fastball and a curveball that ranged from 65 to 68 mph.

The Panthers came out looking for an answer in their first frame, and they did just that. Jonathan French, the No. 1-ranked senior catcher in Georgia, showed why he has had significant draft interest this season with his performance on Wednesday. The Clemson recruit banged an opposite-field double off the wall to plate the first run for the Panthers.

After a walk and a flyout by Parkview, sophomore outfielder Daylon Carleton came to the plate with two outs in the inning, and ignited what would be a great night for Carleton. The solid-framed left-handed hitter went opposite field for an RBI double of his own.

Following Carleton, Max Pate came through with an additional run on a hard line drive up the middle for the Panthers. This gave the hometown team a 4-2 lead going into the second inning.

In the third, Brookwood added a run on a bases-loaded walk. And after a scoreless frame for Parkview, Brookwood looked to tie the game up in the third inning. Senior outfielder Aaron Ashburn (LaGrange recruit) slapped an RBI single to right field to bring the came to a 4-4 deadlock.

The tie did not last long as Carleton matched his first at-bat with another RBI double down the right field line. Hitting in the eight spot, uncommitted senior Kobe Ayala put the Panthers ahead by three runs with a two-RBI double.

Georgia State recruit Will Mize had a big night at the plate for Brookwood. Down 7-4, the senior third baseman cut the deficit to two in the top of the foruth inning with an RBI double. After the Broncos knocked in another run in the inning, that set the stage for Mize to come through again in his next at-bat. With the Broncos trailing 7-6 in the top of the sixth, Mize launched a ball into the Lilburn night that put his team ahead 9-7.

A scoreless next two frames gave the Panthers three outs to work with down 9-7. Coastal Carolina-bound Makenzie Pate got things rolling for Parkview, when he went the other way for a lead-off home run to cut his team's deficit to one.

Carleton, again, had his third hit of the night, and none were bigger than this. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Carleton barreled a ball up the middle to send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, senior second baseman Noah Brown made a huge play on a line drive to his left that prevented a Broncos leadoff hitter from getting on base. Brown led the bottom half of the inning off with a huge double to set the scene for Parkview to put the game to rest.

After a sac bunt and two intentional walks, senior Stephen Hrustisch came to be the plate. Hrustisch popped a ball up to shallow left field and the Panthers forced the Brookwood shortstop to make a play. Brown tagged up and slid safely, just ahead of the tag to take the first game of the series, 10-9.

After an incredibly exciting game on Wednesday, it is hard to believe that both teams get to do this all over again tonight at Brookwood. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the Region 7  title on the line.

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