ACE splits first-round playoff tilts, set for winner-take-all Game 3

The No. 7 ACE Gryphons split the first two games of their GHSA Class A-Division I tournament series with No. 26 Berrien County in two thrilling contests Wednesday night, winning Game 1 on a walk-off but losing Game 2 after allowing a six-run comeback.

The Gryphon bats were working in full force, as ACE scored 21 runs across the two contests. Reese Thames dominated at the plate, driving in 10 runs across the two games with six hits including two home runs. Thames also laced the walk-off double in Game 1 that gave the Gryphons a 10-9 victory to start the playoffs.

Other Gryphons contributed as well, with Avery Stone going 5-for-5 out of the leadoff spot in Game 1 and Sophie Denney knocking one over the fence. ACE tallied 28 hits in the two games combined.

It was pitching and fielding that bit the host team. ACE outhit Berrien 15 to 12 in the second game and even got the benefit of five Rebels errors, but the Gryphons walked six batters and made three errors of their own that gave the Berrien County offense the steam it needed.

ACE led the Rebels 8-2 at one point in Game 2, but the resilient Berrien County offense roared back and won 12-11 to excite the decent crowd that travelled up with them from about two hours south of Macon.

The Gryphons had a notable home crowd as well, as fans got on their feet for the Game 1 walk-off but were silenced by the Game 2 win by Berrien County.

ACE and its fans will be out in full force for Game 3, which is slated for 5 p.m. Thursday. The winner will move on to face No. 10 Banks County in the second round, which swept No. 23 Chattooga with ringing 5-0 and 18-0 wins on the other side of the bracket Wednesday night.

Game recaps

Game 1 featured plenty of fireworks. Both teams got off to hot starts, with Thames smacking a two-run homer in the bottom of the first for ACE before Berrien struck back with a trio of runs to go up 3-2 in the second.

The Gryphons then took control, going up 6-3 in the bottom of the second and holding that lead for a few frames. Giselle Giles pitched well, escaping jams and deftly working around some control issues. The Gryphons added a run in the fourth to make it 7-3 and looked to be firmly in the driver’s seat.

Things started to go awry for ACE in the fifth inning, though. Berrien plated two runs with a two-out rally capped by a double from Lathan Tucker. The Rebels completed the comeback and took a 9-7 lead in the sixth thanks to some fielding miscues by the Gryphons and some timely hitting by Berrien.

ACE bounced right back with a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 9-8, and Ella Allen tossed a clean frame in the top of the seventh to set up the drama in the bottom half of the inning.

The Gryphons seemed inevitable in that frame, with a single and sac bunt setting the table. Thames eventually got to the plate with the bases juiced and cemented herself as the player of the game, lacing a shot into right field that went over the outfielder’s glove to walk it off for ACE, 10-9.

Game 2 was just as action-packed, though it did not appear like it would be a thriller at first. The Gryphons — technically the away team in Game 2 under best-of-three rules — leapt out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to some singles and with the help of errors from the Rebels.

While Chason Warren smashed a two-run homer to left field for Berrien in the bottom of the frame to make it 3-2, ACE kept chugging on offense and piled on in the next few innings to build up an imposing 8-2 lead by the time the third inning rolled around.

With its season on the line, Berrien stayed gritty and chipped away. The Rebels plated two in the third, three in the fourth and — down 9-7 after ACE tacked on one more run — stunned the Gryphons with a five-run sixth inning. Berrien turned the tables, now having ACE down to its last three outs with a 12-9 lead going to the top of the seventh.

The Gryphons did not go quietly. Thames continued her world-class day at the dish, launching a two-run shot to left field to cut the deficit to just one run, but ACE could not finish the job as Hale shut the door on a 12-11 win for the Rebels to force a Game 3.