Third-ranked Pierce County opened the first week of the 2025 season winning two of three with a split at home.
The Bears (2-1) won a wild 9-8 scrimmage Thursday, February 6 against Class 5A Glynn Academy. The two teams combined for nine hits and committed seven errors. The pitching staffs combined for 22 strikeouts, 17 walks and four hit batters.
PCHS dropped its home season opener 4-2 in eight innings Monday, February 10 to Class 4A Wayne County (3-0). The Bears rallied to beat visiting Vidalia (2-1) 11-4 Tuesday, February 11.
Pierce County beat ACE Charter (2-1) 4-1 Saturday, February 15 in Brunswick at Adam Wainwright Field in the Beach at the Baseball at the Beach Invitational.
The Bears traveled Tuesday, February 18 to Class A Division I secondranked Brantley County. The series shifts Thursday, February 20 to Bearville with a 6 p.m. first pitch. PCHS visits Bacon County Friday, February 21 at 6 p.m. to wrap up a busy second week.
Wayne County ..........4 No. 3 Bears....2, 8 Inn.
BEARVILLE — A runscoring double and a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning lifted Wayne County over the Bears in the season opener for both teams.
Tied at 2-apiece, the Yellow Jackets got a leadoff single, a hit batter and a run-scoring double to start the extra frame in taking a 3-2 lead. An ensuing sacrifice fly pushed the margin to two runs.
Pierce County’s Dylan Figueroa drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth and was left stranded following a strikeout, fly out and pop out.
PCHS broke through in the third inning after missing a scoring opportunity in the first when Chance Williams (1-for-3) drew a leadoff walk and Jones Herrin (1-for-2) followed with a single.
Jack McClellan (1-for-3) singled with one out in the bottom of the third with Williams following with a base hit putting runners on the corners. Herrin’s ensuing fly to ball to left was booted allowing McClellan to score for a 1-0 lead.
The Yellow Jackets pushed home two runs in the sixth after being blanked by Herrin (4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, o ER, 4 K, 1 BB) and Jaxton Harris (1.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 K, 5 BB, balk) through five innings.
Herrin stranded a Wayne County runner in the third after surrendering a two-out hit and two runners in the fourths. The southpaw was pulled after 62 pitches in the fifth and Yellow Jacket runner on second with two outs.
Harris hit the leadoff batter with the first pitch of the sixth. After consecutive walks loaded the bases with nobody out, a second first-pitch offering to hit a batter forced home the tying run. A balk two pitches later gave Wayne County a 2-1 lead with Harris wiggling his way out of the jam.
PCHS evened the score at 2-apiece in the bottom half of the inning. Figueroa reached on a one-out, twobase error. After moving to third on a passed ball, he scored on a Beck Hodges’ (1-for-4) infield hit.
Both teams stranded a runner in the seventh inning sending the game to the eighth.
Jonathan Stone and Braxton McCook added a hit apiece going 1-for-4.
No. 3 Bears .............11 Vidalia .....................4
BEARVILLE — The Bears struck for eight runs in the third inning overcoming a 3-2 deficit to knock off Vidalia.
PCHS scored single runs in each of the first two frames. Williams drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a passed ball and moved to third on a groundout. He slid underneath the tag at the plate on Stone’s grounder to third for a 1-0 lead.
Emmitt Hall (1-for-2) was hit to start the second inning and lifted for courtesy runner Mark Sweet, who advanced around to third on a pair of passed balls. Sweet scored on a third passed ball with one out for a 2-0 lead.
The Indians solved Hall (4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 K 1 BB) in the third inning after the right-hander retired seven straight batters. A one-out single was followed two batters later by a two-out, runscoring double. A 2-1 offering to the next batter was launched for a tworun homer giving the visitors a 3-2 lead.
PCHS responded sending 13 batters to the plate in the bottom half of the inning. The first eight reached base.
Herrin’s (1-for-4) single was sandwiched between four-pitch walks to Williams and Stone (lifted for courtesy runner Bryson Smith) loading the bases. An ensuing error allowed all three runners to score for a 5-3 lead.
Following a walk to Figueroa, Hall ripped a first-pitch triple to right driving home two for a 73 lead. After Kolton Brogdon (1-for-2) drew a walk putting runners on the corners, his theft of second and an error on the play allowed Sweet (courtesy running for Hall) to trot home from third McCook was hit by a 21 pitch putting two runners on. Brogdon raced home from second when Hodges executed a sacrifice bunt. After Williams was hit by a pitch, Hodges scored from second on Herrin’s fielder’s choice groundout extending the margin to 10-3.
The Indians plated a run in the top of the fourth on a one-out single following a walk and stolen base for a 10-4 deficit.
PCHS got the run right back in the bottom of the inning. Hall was hit by a one-out pitch with Sweet (courtesy runner) swiping second. An infield hit by Brogdon and McCook being hit loaded the bases. Following a fielder’s choice play at the plate, Brogdon scored the final run on a passed ball.
Brantley Willis worked three hitless innings in relief of Hall striking out seven and hitting a batter.
No. 3 Bears ...............4 ACE Charter ..............1
BRUNSWICK — McCook’s two-out, runscoring single in the bottom of the second inning proved to be the gamewinning hit as the Bears knocked off ACE Charter.
PCHS plated a first inning run taking advantage of a leadoff walk to Williams (1-for-2). He stole second, moved to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch.
ACE Charter evened the score at 1-all in the second inning on a two-out, bases loaded walk from Harris (3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 K,, 4 BB).
Christian Osbourne (2for-2) led off the Bears’ second inning with a bloop single to center. Courtesy runner Bryson Smith stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Sweet. Smith scored on McCook’s single to left for a 2-1 lead.
PCHS added a run in the third. Herrin (1-for-3) was hit by a one-out pitch, stole second ahead of a walk to Figueroa and scored on Osbourne’s two-out single to right on a 1-2 offering for a 3-1 advantage.
Pierce County’s final run came in the fifth. Herrin lined a first-pitch leadoff double. McClellan was hit two pitches later with Figueroa drawing a four-pitch walk to load the bases.
Stone was hit by a 2-1 pitch forcing home Herrin for a 4-1 lead. A 5-2-3 double play and a pop out ended the inning.
Hall relieved Harris tossing the final four innings allowing one hit. He fanned four and walked one.
