Northside, Columbus ready for second-round series

The Northside and Columbus baseball teams were both pushed to Game 3s in their respective opening series in the Class 5A state playoffs.

But the motto of postseason sports is always survive and advance. It doesn’t matter if a team sweeps or is pushed to the limit. Winning the series is the only thing that matters.

And that is what both teams did.

Northside beat Starr’s Mill 6-3 in the opener before losing 10-3 in Game 2. Northside rallied from an early deficit in Game 3 to win 3-2.

Meanwhile, Columbus fought back after losing the opener against McIntosh 12-6. The Blue Devils won the next two 5-0 and 10-9. They trailed by six runs in Game 3.

Northside, the Region 1 champion, hosts Loganville in the second round with a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday. If a third game is necessary, it would be at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Loganville is 23-6 and the 3 seed from the always tough Region 8, home to Gainesville and Winder-Barrow.

The Red Devils went on the road last week and swept East Paulding 10-8 and 6-2.

Loganville is no stranger to postseason success. The Red Devils won state baseball championships in 2008 and 2012.

“Anytime you get to this time of the year, everyone is good,” Northside coach Dee Miller told David Mitchell last week. “… I know that they have a storied program.”

Meanwhile, Columbus, the 2 seed from Region 1, will be on the road for its second-round series. The Blue Devils will face Region 5 champion Allatoona.

The Buccaneers swept their first-round series, beating Heritage-Conyers 2-0 and 8-2.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 5:51 PM with the headline "Northside, Columbus ready for second-round series."