BUFORD — The Buford Wolves remain undefeated as they knocked off their first-round opponent Alexander on Thursday at Gerald McQuaig Field. Buford took game one with a score of 10-0 and then game two 7-2 to advance to the second round of the GHSA Class AAAAAA State Championship playoffs.
The Wolves had remained the No. 1 team in the nation for the past six weeks in several polls including Perfect Game USA and MaxPreps. Buford took over the No. 1 spot on March 17 and have held onto it since. Their overall season record now stands at 31-0.
Dylan Lesko was on the mound for Buford during the first game against Alexander. He struck out five batters and allowed two hits in five innings of work to win game one 10-0.
The Wolves had a strong offensive showing during this series. During game one, Brant Baughcum was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Nate Smith was 2-for-3 earning four RBIs which included a three-run home run. Other offensive notables include Lesko (2-for-3, triple, double), Treyton Rank (2-for-4, one RBI), Stan Zagrodnik (2-for-3, two RBIs), Brett Rogers (double, one RBI) and Riley Stanford (one RBI).
In game two, senior Jax Brockett recorded the win pitching for six innings where he struck out 11 batters and allowed three hits.
Offensive standouts for Buford during game two were Baughcum (triple, three RBIs), Jackson Gaspard (2-for-2, one RBI), Ayden DiGiacomo (double, one RBI) and Smith (one hit, one RBI).
Buford will host the winner of the Pope/Riverwood series May 5-6. Pope and Riverwood each won a game in their series forcing a third game to be played on Friday.
Featured photo above: Senior Treyton Rank and his teammates celebrate as he scores a run in Buford’s series against Alexander in the first round of the state playoffs. Photo by Jason Rank.
