Seventh Heaven: Devils win 7th State title

Loganville baseball players all try and get a hand on the GHSA Class AAAAA state championship trophy after sweeping McIntosh High School in the title series at CoolRay Field, home of the Gwinnett Stripers, in Lawrenceville on May 20, 2023. Photo credit: Brett Fowler | Brett Fowler Photography

They say tradition never graduates and that rings especially true for the Loganville High School baseball program after clinching its seventh state title in program history Saturday night with a sweep of McIntosh High School at Coolray Field on Lawrenceville.

The Red Devils won Game 1 by a final of 4-1 before finishing off the Game 2 night cap with a thrilling come from behind 5-4 win to clinch the Class AAAAA title.

Tucker Segars went the distance during Loganville 4-1 win in Game 1. Segars allowed just one earned run and three hits during his seven innings of work.

Offensively it was Dallas Baptist commit Sherman Johnson leading the way for Loganville at the plate. Johnson was 2-for-2 with an RBI during Game 1.

Loganville got on the board first in Game 1 with a double by Johnson. But it was in the second inning where Loganville opened things up with a RBI bunt for a hit by Lane Ayers and a hit by James Beaver that drove in another run.

Segars helped himself out in the fifth with a sacrifice bunt that drove in an insurance run for Loganville.

McIntosh broke up the shutout in the sixth with a RBI hit to left.

However, McIntosh wouldn’t bow down in Game 2. The Chiefs dinged up Red Devil ace Jordan Davis for three runs in the bottom of the first on three hits and a Loganville error.

Davis settled in during the second inning, but Loganville’s bats remained cold until Gage Fullerton got on base with a long drive to left in the top of the third. Fullerton would go on to score later in the inning thanks to a RBI single by Jaylen Jones.

Loganville finally broke things open in the fourth. Sherman Johnson pushed across a run to make it 3-2, but it was a 2 RBI double by Segars that gave the Red Devils their first lead of the game.

Davis gave way to Kaden Freeman after pitching 3 and 2/3 innings. Freeman made quick work of the Chiefs lineup in the fifth.

Freeman was replaced by Sherman Johnson in the sixth, who proceeded to go 1-2-3 to end the inning.

Johnson took the hill again in the bottom of the seven with a 2-run lead looking to close out Game 2. After loading the base, Johnson bucked down and got two outs before a fly ball went to shallow center to end it.