Bryan County High School’s first trip to the Sweet 16 in the GHSA Class A Public baseball playoffs since 1987 turned into the nightmare of nightmares.

ACE Charter swept the Redskins, 14-0 and 9-1, last Wednesday in Macon to spoil a Bryan County season that saw Coach Justin Covington’s team not only make the state playoffs for the first time since 2016 but go on the road and advance to the second round with a pair of wins over Pataula Charter.

It was a different matter with the Gryphons, however, who sent 15 batters to the plate and scored 11 runs in the first inning of the opener to wind up winning in five innings thanks to the mercy rule.

Redskins starter Konnor Leggett, the Region 3A Public Offensive Player of the Year, came within one strike of getting out of the inning without giving up a run.

With three on, two out and two strikes on the hitter the roof fell in as ACE went on a tear which didn’t end until it was up 11-0. Leggett never got the third out he so desperately needed and wound up being charged with eight runs, all earned, in .2 innings despite giving up only two hits.

The junior lefthander, however, did hit one batter and walked five before Justin Beck relieved him. Beck did not fare much better as he was tagged for six runs while giving up six hits. Beck walked two and hit a batter.

The shell-shocked Redskins managed only a pair of singles by Leggett and Sean Kelly Hill.

The second game started similar to the first as ACE got to Jacob Hughes for five runs in the first, added one in the second and tacked on three in the third to put the game out of reach early.

The Redskins scored their only run of the day in the fourth inning when Aiden Martin singled to drive in Aaron Bailey.

The lone bright spot for Bryan County was sophomore relief pitcher Tanner Ennis who struck out all seven batters he faced in the 2.1 innings he pitched. For the season Ennis had 59 strikeouts in only 27.1 innings. He finished with a 0.66 ERA and a WHIP of 0.9559.