Staff Photo: Benjamin Hager Brookwood shortstop Jordan Erisman (1) is met at home by his teammates, including Cameron Hall (18), Matt Adams (10), Wesley Coberly (19) and Micah Shue (8) after hitting a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning Tuesday during the first game of their state Class AAAAA quarterfinal series against East Coweta in Sharpsburg.
Staff Photo: Benjamin Hager Brookwood second baseman Ross Heffley, right, attempts to turn a double play over East Coweta�s Carson Bedrosian (40).
SHARPSBURG - Heavy weather was the theme of the day in Brookwood's Class AAAAA state quarterfinal baseball series at East Coweta.
The top-ranked Broncos produced plenty of thunder with their bats in Game 1, pounding out 14 hits - including five by Ross Heffley - to roll to a 14-3 victory.
The main thunder in the nightcap came from the sky as storms blew through Sharpsburg after Brookwood looked like it might be on its way to a sweep by taking a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the second inning of Game 2.
The game was called after a lightning and rain delay of just under two hours, which means the two teams will start fresh in Game 2 when the series resumes.
That won't be until Thursday at 4 p.m. as the series had a day off already scheduled to accomodate Brookwood's graduation ceremony today.
"That's just the way it is," Broncos coach Rick Howard said. "Things happen we can't control. The bottom line is, we have to come back out here and play the game."
Before the thunderstorms halted play, the Broncos (29-3) took advantage of a stiff wind blowing out to right-center by hitting four home runs that way in Game 1 - all opposite-field shots by right-handed hitters.
"I think we did a nice job of staying inside the baseball," Howard said. "And we were able to elevate a few pitches, so we were fortunate."
Two of Brookwood's bombs came from Heffley, who finished the game a perfect 5-for-5 against East Coweta starter Cam Bedrosian (6-5), and had a hit in his first at bat of Game 2 that was washed out by the weather.
"Bedrosian had a pretty good fastball and a good breaking ball going," Heffley said. "So we were looking to take the ball the other way. We were definitely working on that all game."
Ryan Lewis got the hit parade started with a two-run shot in the top of the first to put Brookwood up 2-0.
The Broncos then capitalized on two East Coweta (16-15) errors and the first of Heffley's five RBIs for the game on a ground-rule double in the second to extend the lead to 5-0.
Brookwood then strung together five hits in the top of the fifth - led by Jordan Erisman's solo homer, an RBI triple by Lewis and an RBI single by Ronnie Freeman - to stretch the advantage to 8-0.
That was plenty for Chase Hawkins (12-1), though the left-hander encountered his biggest trouble spot in the bottom of the inning.
A bad-hop single by Matt Hill, a bloop hit by Sean Johnson and a hit through the hole between first and second by Josh Shiver got East Coweta on the board at 8-1, and the Indians threatened more with nobody out.
But Hawkins gave up only Felton Jones' RBI groundout to third and an RBI double to Kenny Reeves in the inning and got out of further trouble still leading 8-3.
Heffley got one of those runs back in the top of the sixth with his solo shot, and then keyed a five-run outburst from Brookwood in the top of the seventh with his second homer - and fifth hit - of the game.
The Broncos wasted little time in jumping out in front in Game 2, getting four hits - including Seth Adkins' RBI double and Freeman's two-run homer - to take a 4-0 lead for starter Alex Beebe.
But lightning was spotted just as the Broncos were coming to bat in the bottom of the second, and with the game called, Game 2 will start again from the beginning when the series resumes.
The good news for Brookwood is that Beebe only threw 21 pitches in his first two innings, which gives Howard the option of bringing him back to start Game 2 or perhaps go with Matt Adams.
"We haven't decided yet," Howard said of his pitching plans. "What's frustrating is we were playing well, and now we can't play. But we'll just have to come out and do it again."
Saturday, August 02, 2008 
