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Sports

Play Ball: Panthers, Stars Enter Playoffs

Parkview, Providence Christian play first-round doubleheaders Friday.

Parkview and Providence Christian baseball teams clinched region championships, but neither will be completely satisfied without a state championship.

That mission begins Friday with opening doubleheaders in best-of-three playoff series against Centennial and Glascock County, respectively. Third games, if necessary, are Saturday.

"The most important thing in playoffs is winning the first game," Parkview coach Chan Brown said. "That puts the pressure on [opponents]."

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The Panthers, state champions in 1996, 2001 and '02, are coming off a 16th region title and their second consecutive. The Stars, who've been no farther than the semifinals in 2008, just earned their region championship. Berkmar, Lilburn's other team, struggled to 4-21 and missed the playoffs.

The Region 5-A Stars (18-8) didn't match their region championship of 2009 until the final game of the regular season, when they beat Mount Pisgah 9-4. Christin Stewart sparked the win with his county-leading 18th home run and a stolen base, while Steven Slaughter and Erich Stahl both added key hits. Alan Skinner pitched the win, allowing six hits and three runs in five innings.

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Stars coach Adam Cantrell liked his team's play in its fourth consecutive win and 14th in its last 16 games.

"We've played well down the stretch," he said. "The last two weeks, it was us, Wesleyan and King's Ridge Christian [contending for the region championship], and we played well enough to hold on."

Stewart has led the way not only with home runs, but also with Gwinnett highs of 47 RBIs and 43 runs scored. He's also one of six batters whose .500 average is second most in the county, behind Danny Lockhart's .605 for Hebron Christian. Josh Carter, who pitched two relief innings against Mount Pisgah, leads the county with three saves.

Cantrell likes his Stars' hitting, pitching and defense.

"If we keep that balance," he said of aiming beyond last season's second-round elimination by Aquinas, "we'll be in pretty good shape."

Cantrell said the Stars' region schedule has prepared them for the playoffs.

"Up and down the line ... even teams at the bottom were forcing us to play well," he said.

Parkview (19-7) has been led by Matt Olson, whose 10 homers and 33 RBIs both rank fifth in the county and whose .471 average is third best on the team, behind Josh Hart's .494 and Edwin Arias' .486. Hart's 37 runs scored puts him among Gwinnett's top five, as are his 16 steals.

Remarkably, 11 Panthers are batting over .300 and every starter has at least one home run.

The Panthers won 11 straight in the season's middle third and enter Friday's 4 p.m. doubleheader having won five of six and having outscored opponents by 10 runs a game in that span.

Junior pitcher Jesse Foster said this year's Parkview players are closer than in previous years.

"This is a different type of team, a different kind of chemistry," he said. "Last year we were close, but we're even closer this year, like a big family."

Brown hinted patience will be key to eclipsing last season's second-round showing against Lassiter.

"All we talk about is taking it one game at a time, one pitch at a time, one inning at a time," he said. "We just try to win each inning."

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