East Forsyth tops Wayne County 9-3, advances to second round

East Forsyth answered a pressure-packed series with its most complete game of the week, rolling past Wayne County 9-3 in Thursday’s deciding Game 3 to move into the second round of the Class 4A playoffs. Jackson Nichols steadied the Broncos on the mound, working 6 2/3 innings, while East Forsyth’s lineup piled up seven runs in the first three innings and never let the Wayne County Yellow Jackets settle in.

The early burst changed the feel of the game immediately. East Forsyth put together seven hits and drew nine walks, turning traffic on the bases into a lead that gave Nichols room to work. That was the difference after Wayne County had already dragged the series into a winner-take-all game by blanking the Broncos 4-0 in Game 2. East Forsyth had opened the series with a 6-3 win, powered by Grant Barden’s victory on the mound and Adiel Gibson’s two-run homer in the fifth inning, but the Broncos had to rebound quickly after Wilkerson’s complete-game two-hitter with five strikeouts forced the decider.

That response reflected the edge Kyle Counts said he wanted from his group when the series was on the line. Counts called it another chance for the Broncos to keep playing together and “go earn something,” and Nichols said the team tends to respond strongly after losses. East Forsyth did exactly that, shaking off the shutout in Game 2 and protecting a lead that was never in serious doubt once the bats got going early Thursday.

The win carried more weight than one playoff result. East Forsyth has now reached the postseason four times in five seasons and advanced to the second round for the second straight year, with a quarterfinal run already on the program’s resume in 2023. The Broncos improved their standing as one of Forsyth County’s steadiest postseason teams and kept alive a path that now runs through Jackson, Atlanta, a matchup that figures to be another strong test. GHSA lists East Forsyth at 19-9 and Jackson, Atlanta at 18-9, with the state finals scheduled for May 22-23 and May 25-27, so the Broncos are still in striking distance of a deep May run if they can keep delivering under pressure.