Buford baseball’s season came to an end Tuesday night after dropping the decisive quarterfinal contest in a three-game series to traditional GHSA 7A powerhouse Brookwood.
Buford rallied and made every effort to force extra innings. The Wolves scored a seventh-inning run and trailed by one with two runners on base. Buford used Cannon Goldin, who hadn’t played throughout the playoffs due to injury, to pinch hit with two outs and exhaust a final hope.
Goldin, on a 1-2 count, grounded to shortstop and Ethan Murray was out at second base on a fielder’s choice. Buford lost, 5-4, ending its season after a region 8-7A title and its fifth quarterfinal finish.
Kyle Krause started the game for Buford. He allowed 11 hits and five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. He was relieved by Logan Hopper, who threw 1 2/3 innings of hitless baseball with four strikeouts.
Brookwood led by four runs entering the bottom of the fifth inning, which is when Buford’s comeback attempt began. Madden Young singled to right field to score two runners after a wild pitch. Later in the inning, Murray collected an RBI on a groundout. Sophomore Aydin Lockett collected the game’s other RBI.
First baseman Nate Taylor paced Buford offensively with a 3-for-4 performance.
Buford finished the season with a 25-10-1 record. It opened the series with a 3-0 victory, and narrowly lost the second game, 4-3, in a 12-inning thriller. Brookwood will play Grayson in the semifinals.
FEATURED PHOTO: Madden Young batting — Courtesy of Natasha Zagrodnik
