North Paulding High School’s baseball team won both of their games on April 25 to sweep Campbell High School and advance to the Sweet 16 of the GHSA 7A Playoffs.
North Paulding played a complete series, holding Campbell to two total runs and scoring 25 themselves. Head Coach Matthew Richardson said he felt it was the first time this season his team played to their full potential.
“They did everything well, which is not something we’ve done so far this year,” he said. “Usually the offense will click, or the defense will or the pitching will. Today, everything came together and it reflects in the scoreboard.”
Throughout both games, the Wolfpack answered in the next half-inning each time Campbell scored. Richardson emphasized the importance of keeping momentum during a playoff game.
“Answering back, that’s one we always preach about,” he said. “As soon as we get punched in the mouth we want to punch back. That keeps the momentum on our side. It paid off today.”
Game One – North Paulding wins 11-1
After going down 1-0 in the top of the third inning, North Paulding responded with three runs in the bottom half. After a string of singles that scored one, Cayden Sheffield laced an RBI double down the left-field line to score two.
Colin Loeffler started game one for the Wolfpack, tossing four and one-third innings with one run allowed. He was removed in the fifth inning after giving up back-to-back singles. Caden Hewitt was tasked with pitching out of the jam, which he did with a pair of strikeouts.
“It’s huge having someone come in and shut-down an offense like that,” Colin Loeffler said of his teammate Hewitt. “Just to know that I don’t have to pitch a complete game because he’s going to come in and close the door is huge for my confidence.”
After scoring another run off a Yenli Nolasco single in the 5th, the Wolfpack would break open the game in the bottom of the 6th. The team batted around and scored seven runs, forcing a mercy rule to make the final score 11-1.
“Getting game one is huge,” assistant coach Nick Colina said after the first game. “Winning the first one, especially with a mercy rule has you feeling good going into game two. They’re not going to give up though, it’s the playoffs, so we just have to keep it going into the next one.”
Game Two – North Paulding wins 14-3
North Paulding indeed kept it going, as they scored first to open the game in the first inning off of a Matthew Bright RBI single. After a shutdown inning by starter Landon Estes, the Wolfpack would add another run in both the second and third innings.
Estes followed up Loeffler’s start with a gem of his own, tossing 4 1/3 innings with no earned runs, giving his team a chance to take a commanding lead.
“It takes some stress of us to know our pitchers have our backs,” senior Bryce Tibbitts said. “We know if we don’t have it then they’ll have it, and when we both play well like today, it’s hard to beat.”
After Campbell scored a run off an error, North Paulding responded in the fourth inning, where they strung together six runs on five hits. Four of their runs came with two outs.
“The big thing was our hits with two outs,” Richardson said. “They got on base and delivered even with two outs which really frustrates a pitcher and makes them have long innings.
North Paulding scored six more runs in the 5th inning, forcing their second mercy-rule of the day, for a final score of 14-3.
Sweet Sixteen
After their sweep of Campbell, the Wolfpack are slated to face Parkview High School on the road. Parkview is 27-5 on the season, and is ranked number one in the state of Georgia according to MaxPreps.
“Obviously they’re a really good team,” Senior Cayden Sheffield said. “But, we’re not afraid of anyone. If we play our game we can beat anyone in the state, so we’ll just have to play our game.”
Visiting the Panthers is a daunting task for any team, especially in the playoffs. Parkview is 16-1 this season when playing at home. However, Richardson said he believes in his team’s chemistry and brand of baseball they play.
“Going into Parkview next week, it’s called the ‘Orange Jungle’ for a reason,” Richardson said. “But, I know all 40 of us are going to have each other’s back. These guys really gel as a team and I can’t wait to watch them play next week.”
North Paulding and Parkview’s first two games are scheduled for May 1. If needed, game three will take place May 2. The winner will advance to the state quarterfinals and play the winner of North Gwinnett High School and Cherokee High School.
