Pickens defeated Troup County during the third and final game of the three-game high school baseball championship series in Georgia to claim the Class AAA crown. It came down to a controversial umpiring decision on a bang-bang play at the plate in the second-to-last inning.
The call on the field, an out, negated the tying run.
Right or wrong, the high school baseball umpire did not have the luxury of replay. He could only go off of what he could see with his own eyes and had to make a verdict in real time.
Pickens beat Troup County to win the Georgia state championship.
Pickens High School is located north of Atlanta in Jasper, Georgia. It enrolls approximately 1,300 students in Grades 9-12. Troup County High School is located to the southwest of Atlanta in Lagrange, Georgia on the westernmost border of the state. It also enrolls approximately 1,300 students.
The Dragons and the Tigers both compete on the Class AAA level of high school baseball. The former ranked No. 10 in the state with a regular season record of 26-3 while the latter ranked No. 7 with an identical record of 26-3 during the regular season. Troup County was only ranked higher than Pickens because it did not lose a single game during the regional competition.
These two powerhouse programs met in the three-game state championship series over the Memorial Day weekend. All three games were played at Synovus Park in Columbus.
The reigning state champion Tigers lost game one by a score of 7-2. They flipped the script in Game 2 to defeat the Dragons by a score of 8-1 to force a winner-take-all rubber match on Monday.
Troup County outhit its opponent 5-2 in the deciding Game 3 but it could not find its bats when it mattered most and left runners stranded in scoring position to end the second and fifth innings. Pickens ultimately won its first state title in any sport since 1974 by a final score of 2-1.
However, the Tigers had an opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. The baserunner thought he beat the tag at home. The home plate umpire saw it differently. The runner was called out.
Did the high school baseball umpire make the right call?
Troup County trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs and one runner on third. High school baseball plays only seven innings so the Tigers were running out of opportunities.
Pun intended!
The batter knocked a bouncing ball right back up the middle. Pickens’ pitcher could not field it. Nor could his shortstop, who came sliding in to save the day. Although he could not field the play cleanly, the Dragons’ infielder prevented the ball from reaching the outfield. The run would’ve scored if it did!
That forced Troup County to make a decision. The baserunner was not going to try and score until the ball bounced out of the shortstop’s glove. Only then did his coach decide to send him.
Meanwhile, Pickens’ shortstop hustled back to his feet and threw down to the plate. His catcher caught the ball and turned to his left in one fluid motion to make the sweeping tag on the baserunner.
Out or safe? It could’ve gone either way. The baserunner thought he scored. The umpire called him out.
Here is how it went down in real time and with the slow-motion replay:
The final play of the 6th inning in the GHSA 3A State Championship.
— Drew Pavan (@DrewPavan_TV) May 26, 2026
A bang bang play at home the Umpire called out. Would’ve tied it at 2.
Pickens would go on to win 2-1#GHSA #Pickens #TroupCounty pic.twitter.com/a1KnarkVoR
As you can see in the above video, the baserunner removed the helmet from his head after he got up from his head-first slide. It is unclear as to whether he threw his helmet in disagreement with the decision or if he was celebrating what he thought was the game-tying run. You can make your own conclusion.
At the end of the day, right or wrong, the high school baseball umpire can only make the call based on what he can see. Slow-motion replays and selective still frames don’t matter. He was ruled out. The call on the field is the call on the field. Pickens got out of the inning. Troup County did not score the run and lost.