The East Coweta Indians and Northgate Vikings were on the opposite ends of one-run games in their season openers this week.

Seth Newton hit a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead East Coweta to a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory Monday over Hardaway.

Northgate lost to Sandy Creek 7-6.

East Coweta’s seventh-inning rally began with a Kenny Reeves single to center field and a walk by Sean Johnson with one out.

Then Newton sealed the victory for East Coweta with his game-winning hit to left-center.

Hardaway jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, taking advantage of a litany of East Coweta mishaps: two errors, a wild pitch, a passed ball and a balk.

Caleb Pulliam slashed Hardaway’s lead to one with a single swing of the bat in the bottom half of the inning, hitting a two-run single.

Cam Bedrosian started on the mound for East Coweta. He pitched until he was lifted in the fifth in favor of K.C. Lorow, who earned the victory thanks to Newton’s game-winning hit.

Lorow struck out three and allowed one hit, one walk and no runs in three innings.

Bedrosian struck out six and gave up three hits, three walks and two runs in four innings.

Sandy Creek’s Duncan Midkiff put Northgate in an early hole, swatting a first-pitch solo home run over the center field fence in the first inning.

Northgate’s Derek Hooper hit a one-out triple to right field and later scored on a grounder by Kyle LaChance to tie the game for Northgate in the bottom half of the inning.

A single, an error and two walks enabled Creek to come back and retake the lead in the top of the second inning.

Creek added to its lead in the third, scoring four runs, including three on a homer by Avery Anderson that sailed over the center field fence and put the Patriots in front 6-1.

Northgate rallied with an RBI single by Danny Cain, an RBI single by LaChance, an error by Creek and a sacrifice fly by Cory Scott.

The Vikings tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on a double by pinch hitter Casey Wilson.
Creek’s Russell Bonner brought home the winning run on a grounder to second in the bottom of the sixth.

Northgate had a chance to pull out the victory in the bottom of the seventh, with runners on the corners, but Creek picked off a runner in a rundown, struck out a batter and ended the game by inducing a groundout.

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