By HARVEY SIMPSON

Dispatch Sports Editor

COLUMBUS — Like most teams that faced Columbus High before them, Crisp County High’s Cougars were no match at all for the Blue Devils in Wednesday’s second round of the Class AAA state playoffs.

Held to just one hit in a 13-0 first-game loss and to only two safeties in a 10-1 second-game setback, the Cougars saw a still good 20-11 season brought to a screeching halt by the perennial power Blue Devils.

“Columbus High has a lot of tradition and experience and it really showed,” Crisp coach Bill Pate said after watching the Region 2-AAA champs collect 21 hits while improving their record to a glittering 27-3.

“They’re clearly the best team we went up against all year as they’re a well-coached, well-prepared bunch that capitalizes on every mistake you make be it mental or physical.

“All four pitchers they used against us were able to consistently throw at least three pitches for strikes; their hitters made us pay when we throw to a spot we didn’t want to throw, and their fielders pretty much caught everything we hit to them.

“Despite all that, I don’t think our kids were intimidated. They were, however, well aware of Columbus’ tradition and its ability through Muscogee County’s open-enrollment policy to get the cream of the crop.

“Good players tend to flock to good programs and with Columbus having won 11 state championships over the years and with a renowned coach like Bobby Howard who has five full-time assistants they’re going to be strong year after year.

“From our standpoint, probably the best thing to came out of today was that our kids got to see firsthand what we have to do if we’re going to get on par with a program like theirs.”

Blue Devils 13, Cougars 0

Scoring at least once in all but one inning of the opener and in the process getting homers from Tony Singer, Zach Laughlin and Will Howard, the Blue Devils easily cruised to victory.

Singer and Laughlin also had a single to go with their round-trippers. Ethan Brubaker belted a double and two singles, drove in four runs and scored three. Logan Dollar added three more hits to the Blue Devils’ cause.

Winning pitcher Taylor Wolfe allowed just one hit — a fourth inning single by Marc Overstreet — in improving his personal mound record to 9-0. Ben Massey absorbed the mound loss.