Meet the Panthers, Hillgrove's Final Foe

has powered its way through the Georgia High School Association's AAAAA state baseball playoffs this month, sweeping and at home, coming back to beat in at home, then hitting the road to sweep out of the Final Four on Monday.

Now one team stands between Hillgrove and a state championship: the Parkview Panthers of Lilburn, continuing the eternal Cobb-Gwinnett rivalry.

Parkview defeated , in Game 3 of a Final Four series in Moultrie. Parkview after Colquitt won the first game Monday.

Parkview (27-9), the Region 8-AAAAA champion, will be the home team for a doubleheader Saturday. The Panthers will host a third, winner-take-all game Monday if the teams split Saturday's games.

Besides Colquitt County, Parkview beat Centennial in the first round, 5-2 and 6-5; North Gwinnett in Round 2, winning a third game, 11-4, after splitting the first two games, 12-11 and 5-4; and Luella in the quarterfinals, 3-1 and 5-2.

Here's how Hillgrove (28-7), the Region 4-AAAAA champion, made it through the playoffs:

• Round 1, defeated Westlake, 15-5 and 14-0.
• Round 2, defeated Tift County, 8-5 and 8-4.
• Round 3, lost to Mill Creek in Game 1, 8-5, then won the second game, 6-3, and went to extra innings to take Game 3, 7-6.
• Round 4, beat Newnan, 8-6 and 8-0.