By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

TUNNEL HILL – The LaGrange Grangers pushed Northwest Whitfield to a third and deciding game before falling short in their Class AAAA playoff series.

The teams split a doubleheader on Friday, forcing a winner-take-all game on Saturday.

LaGrange scored first with a run in the top of the first inning, but it was Northwest Whitfield capturing a 5-2 victory to advance to the second round.

It was the final game for a group of LaGrange seniors who accomplished a great deal during their time at the school, highlighted by last year’s trip to the state semifinals.

LaGrange’s seniors are Ben Farrar, Cole Freeman, Ben Stogner, John Morgan, PJ Thompson and Seth Prather.

LaGrange won the series opener against Northwest Whitfield 5-1 before dropping the second game 5-1.

In Saturday’s game, LaGrange put a run on the board in its first at-bat.

After Freeman was hit by a pitch and Will Alford walked, Trent Bailey’s RBI single gave LaGrange a 1-0 lead.

Northwest tied it with a run in the bottom of the first, and it took the lead with three runs in the second inning.

LaGrange got one of those runs back in the top of the third inning.

Freeman led off with a double, and after stealing third, he scored on a groundout by Bailey.

The Grangers had their chances after that, but they were unable to score any more runs.

Northwest capped the scoring with a run in the fourth inning.

Freeman had two of LaGrange’s six hits, and he scored both runs.

Bailey had a hit and two RBIs, and Prather, Brant Williams and Walton Lanier each had a hit.

Stogner was LaGrange’s starting pitcher, and he threw the first three innings.

Morgan pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Charles Crawford didn’t allow a run in 1 2/3 innings.