Pierce County finished off the opening three-game Region 3-AA series with a sweep of Tattnall County capped by a combined nohitter extending its seasonbest winning streak to seven games.
The MaxPreps seventhranked Bears (11-3 overall, 3-0 region) surrendered just one hit over the final two games. They escaped in the Tuesday, March 11 series opener in Bearville 6-5 on a run-scoring walkoff single.
PCHS needed nine innings to captured Game 2 7-2 in Reidsville Thursday, March 13 and secure the series win against the 31stranked Warriors (4-11, 03), losers of seven straight. The Bears scored five times in the ninth to break away from a 2-all tie.
Emmitt Hall and Brantley Willis combined Friday, March 14 to no-hit Tattnall County in a 9-0 decision at home. The Warriors only had five balls leave the infield.
PCHS traveled Tuesday, March 18 to 11th-ranked Appling County for Game 1 of a three-game matchup with the Pirates. The series shifts Thursday, March 20 to Bearville for a 6 p.m. The finale is scheduled for Friday, March 21 in Baxley at 6 p.m.
Game 1 No. 7 Bears ...............6 Tattnall Co................5
BEARVILLE — Chance Williams’ first-pitch RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Bears past visiting Tattnall County.
Tied at 5-all, Mark Sweet drew (1-for-2) a leadoff walk against the Warriors’ third pitcher of the game. Christian Osbourne’s (1-for-3) ensuing sacrifice bunt was mishandled.
Beck Hodges was intentionally walked setting up a force at every base. Williams (2-for-4) spoiled the strategy finding grass in the outfield with a line drive single scoring Sweet with the winning run.
Tattnall County scored a run in the top of the first on the fourth walk issued by Jones Herrin (5.2 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 4 K). The first two walks were on five pitches with the last two coming on 3-2 offerings forcing home a run.
PCHS grabbed its first lead of the game in the second inning scoring twice. Hodges was hit to start the frame, stole second and moved to third on a groundout. Herrin’s sacrifice fly to center evened the score at 1-apiece.
Jonathan Stone kept the inning moving when he was hit by an 0-1 pitch. Courtesy runner James Alonzo raced home from first on Dylan Figueroa’s (1-for-2) two-out double to left-center for a 2-1 advantage.
The Bears extended the margin to 4-1 with a tworun fourth. Jake McClellan (2-for-4) legged out an infield hit, stole second and moved to third on a groundout.
Osbourne followed two pitches later with an infield hit scoring McClellan. Osbourne scored on a Williams ripped a two-out double.
The Warriors pulled to within 4-3 with two runs in the top of the fifth. A walk was followed by a threebase error and a run-producing groundout.
The Warriors pushed across two runs in the top of the sixth in grabbing a 54 lead. An error and oneout single was followed by a two-out walk and tworun double off an 0-2 pitch.
PCHS tied the score at 5all in the bottom half of the inning. Hodges drew a leadoff walk with Williams getting drilled by the next pitch. Herrin’s sacrifice bunt advanced the runners.
Following an intentional walk to Stone loading the bases, Figueroa executed a sacrifice bunt scoring Hodges with the tying run.
Game 2 No. 7 Bears ...............7 Tattnall Co.....2, 9 Inn.
REIDSVILLE — Garrett Stevenson’s RBI single in the ninth inning drove home the go-ahead run breaking a 2-all tie helping PCHS survive against the Warriors.
Tied at 2-apiece after five innings, the two teams each left potential goahead or winning runs on base in the sixth and seventh innings. Both were retired in order in the eighth.
Hodges (1-for-4) led off the ninth reaching on a two-base error. After Williams (1-for-3) was intentionally walked, the runners moved up on a passed ball.
Stevenson (1-for-3) lined a 2-1 pitch to right scoring Hodges to break the tie. Williams scored when the ball was misplayed on the relay for a 42 lead.
Following a theft of second by Stevenson, he moved to third on a groundout. A walk to Mc-Cook was followed by a wild pitch scoring Stevenson. McCook, who moved into scoring position on the play, scored from second on an error extending the lead to 6-2.
McClellan, the beneficiary of the miscue, advanced to second on the play and over to third on a wild pitch. He scored on Osbourne’s (1-for-3) base hit for a 7-2 advantage.
Stone (4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 K, 3 BB, 1 HBP) set Tattnall County down in order in the bottom of the ninth.
The Bears broke through in the third inning with the first run of the game. Herrin reached on a one-out single and stole second ahead of a walk to Stone.
McCook reached on a fielder’s choice loading the bases when Herrin’s courtesy runner, Isaac Chancey, slid safely into third ahead of the throw from short. McClellan followed with a sacrifice fly to center scoring Chancey for a 1-0 lead.
A leadoff error set up Pierce County’s fifth inning run. Stevenson reached on the miscue, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored when McCook’s grounder was booted for a 2-0 lead.
The Warriors scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the inning against Jaxton Harris (5 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 7 K, 2 BB, 1 WP), who stretched his hitless streak to 10.2 innings.
Two walks and a wild pitch put runners at second and third with one out. A two-base error allowed both to race home to even the score at 2-apiece.
PCHS left the potential go-ahead runs on base in the top of the sixth with Hodges and Williams reaching. Stone escaped as one-out, bases loaded situation in the bottom of the inning after a walk, single (first hit of the game) and intentional walk loaded the bases with one out.
The Warriors put the winning run at second in the bottom of the seventh following a one-out walk and a two-out intentional free pass.
Game 3 No. 7 Bears ...............9 Tattnall Co................0
BEARVILLE — The Bears scored all the runs they would need in the first inning, the first of five consecutive run-scoring trips to the plate, in beating Tattnall County.
Hall (5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 K, 0 BB, 1 HBP) and Willis (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 K, 1 BB) silenced the Warriors’ bats. The Warriors had two base runners reach second, both on twobase errors.
Hall faced the minimum of 15 batters through his five innings. Willis stranded two runners in the sixth on an error and dropped third strike. He got out of a one-out, first and third situation in the seventh with a fly ball to left and relay home from Hodges to Stone to finish off the shutout.
Williams (1-for-4), opened the PCHS first inning with a first-pitch single. After stealing second, he moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Osbourne.
Hall (1-for-1) followed Stone getting hit by a pitch with a bases-clearing double scoring Williams and courtesy-runner Dylan Johnson (1-for-1).
McCook opened the second reaching on an error with Sweet (1-for-3) following with a four-pitch walk. After a walk to Hodges (1for-3) loaded the bases, a passed ball scored McCook for a 3-0 lead.
Williams’ ensuing sacrifice fly plated Sweet. Osbourne’s first-pitch groundout scored Hodges for a 5-0 lead.
Figueroa scored the Bears’ run in the third. He was hit by a one-out pitch, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Sweet’s two-out single upping the lead to 6-0.
PCHS pushed across two runs in the fourth inning after two outs. Osbourne drew a one-out walk before the inning unraveled.
Four consecutive twoout walks followed. Free passes to Hall and Mc-Clellan (1-for-3) loaded the bases. Back-to-back walks on 3-2 pitches to Figueroa and McCook pushed home Osbourne and Alonzo, courtesy running for Hall.
Pierce County scored once in the fifth after loading the bases on a two-out, RBI single by McClellan. Hodges led off the inning with a single, Osbourne reached on a fielder’s choice and Hall was hit by a two-out pitch.
