West Laurens Clinches Region 4-AAA Title with Sweep of Harlem

Raiders celebrate championship moment they had envisioned and rehearsed for months

Apr. 3, 2026 at 6:34pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A fractured, geometric painting in vibrant navy, green, and orange hues, depicting the dynamic motion and emotion of a baseball game through overlapping angular shapes and planes.The celebratory energy of West Laurens' region championship victory is captured in a cubist-inspired illustration that deconstructs the action on the field.Washington Today

The West Laurens Raiders baseball team clinched the Region 4-AAA championship with a pair of wins over the Harlem Bulldogs this week. After a 6-1 victory on Tuesday, the Raiders secured the title with a 2-1 win on Thursday, sparking a joyous on-field celebration that the team had meticulously planned and practiced for months.

Why it matters

West Laurens' region title victory represents the culmination of a yearlong quest for redemption after a heartbreaking loss to Harlem ended their championship hopes last season. The win guarantees the Raiders a spot in the upcoming state playoffs, where they will look to make a deep run.

The details

In Thursday's clinching game, West Laurens got a strong pitching performance from sophomore Duggan Malone, who took over in the fifth inning and shut down the Bulldogs' offense. The Raiders scored the go-ahead run in the fifth on a sacrifice bunt by Nathan Hester and an RBI single from Grant Baker. Kolby Clark sealed the victory with a heads-up play at first base for the final out.

  • On July 4, the Raiders began their preseason preparations, with head coach Parker Gordon leading a visualization exercise where players imagined celebrating a region title-clinching win.
  • On Tuesday, West Laurens defeated Harlem 6-1 in the first game of the series, setting the stage for Thursday's championship-clinching victory.

The players

Parker Gordon

The head coach of the West Laurens Raiders, who guided his team to the region championship and has them poised for a deep playoff run.

Kolby Clark

The West Laurens pitcher who threw a complete game with six strikeouts in Tuesday's 6-1 win over Harlem.

Duggan Malone

The West Laurens sophomore pitcher who took over in the fifth inning of Thursday's game and shut down the Harlem offense to secure the region title.

Jimmie Lewis

The 50-year head coach of the Harlem Bulldogs, who has led the team to multiple region championships in recent years.

Brycen Milton

The West Laurens freshman starting pitcher who flashed a sharp curveball and picked off seven baserunners before giving way to Malone in Thursday's game.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We're gonna walk 'em off, and I want us to lose our ever-loving minds. You've got 15 seconds to do that, we're gonna have fun doing that and you're gonna picture that.”

— Parker Gordon, West Laurens Head Coach

“Seeing the boys do it the way they did, I couldn't even write the script on that.”

— Parker Gordon, West Laurens Head Coach

“We've worked nonstop. When we left Harlem last year with that taste in our mouth, we never could forget it.”

— Cason Pollock, West Laurens Senior

“Nathan had two opportunities last year vs Jefferson in game 3 of the playoffs two get bunts down and move runners over and didn't execute, but he has worked all summer and has improved, and watching him execute the drill there in big moment is huge.”

— Parker Gordon, West Laurens Head Coach

“We've been working hard (at our defense) at practice.”

— Nathan Hester, West Laurens Player

What’s next

The West Laurens Raiders will play two more regular-season games during spring break week, traveling to face LaGrange on Monday and hosting Washington County on Wednesday.

The takeaway

This region championship victory for West Laurens is the culmination of months of hard work and preparation, as the team visualized and rehearsed this moment repeatedly. Their ability to execute the fundamentals of the game - from pitching and defense to small-ball offense - proved to be the difference in clinching the title.