DALTON, Ga. — Junior Garren Palmer began his long evening with a blast and carried the belief into the second game of the Georgia Class AAAA baseball playoff doubleheader.

Palmer propelled Dalton to two victories, 12-6 and 8-1, over Alexander High School and advanced to the second round against either Heritage or North Springs.

“It was a great way to start off the game and take the lead,” Palmer said. “It gave me confidence.”

Palmer was 5-for-7 in the two games with the first-inning homer, two doubles, two singles and six runs scored.

“He was in the zone and he was a bulldog,” Dalton coach Bobby Brotherton said. “It was one big family believing in themselves and not thinking about the seventh-ranked team or a big Atlanta school.”

Dalton jumped on the visitors from Douglasville in the bottom of the first inning and never trailed. The first six Catamounts batters all scored.

Palmer blasted a home run over the center-field fence, and three batters later Harrison Scott copied the feat to right field.

Alexander starting pitcher Dylan Smith threw 32 pitches before recording a single out and faced 11 batters before retiring to the dugout.

The Cougars scratched back to within 8-4 with two runs in the third and fourth innings. But Dalton (16-2) added to its lead in a messy bottom of the fourth.

Alexander (21-7) committed two errors, threw a wild pitch and had a passed ball that helped the Catamounts score four times and go ahead 12-4. The Cougars scored twice in the seventh for the final margin.

Dalton, playing as the visitor in the nightcap, also started it well — but not with six runs, just one. It still helped carry over momentum after the 35-minute break between games.

Palmer doubled to left and came around on another error . At this point, the Cougars had made seven errors in eight innings.

The Catamounts’ catcher came through in the third inning with a two-run double that boosted Dalton’s lead to 3-0.

Alexander scratched for a run in the bottom of the fourth. Dalton responded. Palmer singled to lead off the inning and scored on a double by Sheets, who scored on a double by Carter Crutchfield.

Dalton sophomore pitcher Colton Kinnamon allowed one run and five hits and struck out eight.