Ware County completed its second consecutive Region 1-AAAA sweep taking down Perry extending the Gators winning streak to 10 games.
The Gators (17-1 overall, 6-0 region), ranked third by MaxPreps, scored twice in the top of the seventh inning breaking a 5all tie en route to a 7-6 win Tuesday, March 18 at 29th-ranked Perry (3-10, 0-6), who was swept by Wayne County in its region opening series, in Game 1.
Ware County swept the Friday, March 21 home doubleheader winning the opener 8-1. The Gators followed with a 4-2 victory in the nightcap over the Panthers.
The Gators hosted Warner Robins (9-4, 4-2), winners of five straight including a sweep of New Hampstead, Tuesday, March 25 in Round 3 of region play. Ware County travels Friday, March 28 for a doubleheader against the Demons.
Ware County follows with a bye week from region play. The Gators travel Wednesday, April 2 to West Laurens for a 5:30 p.m., start against the Raiders. Peach County visits Saturday, April 5 for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Game 1 No. 3 Gators.............7 Perry .......................6
PERRY — Slade Sweat’s one-out, run-scoring double broke a 5-all tie in the seventh lifting the Gators to the series opening win.
Cole Cox (2-for-4) lined a one-out pitch to right and raced home on Sweat’s (1-for-4) double to left-center giving Ware County a 6-5 lead. Sweat scored on a two-out single to left by Walker Hudson (2-for-3) for a two-run advantage.
Perry scored once in the bottom of the seventh against Sweat (2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB) getting a one-out, sacrifice fly.
Ware County built a 5-0 advantage through three innings giving the Gators a 53-0 run over an 18-inning stretch dating back to the March 7 series finale at Appling County and three-game massacre of New Hampstead.
The Gators capitalized on a pair of Perry errors in the top of the second to grab a 2-0 advantage. Hudson led off the inning reaching on an error and was removed for courtesy runner Landon Taylor.
Bryce Dixon (2-for-4) followed two pitches later with a bloop single to right advancing Taylor to third. Following the first out, Taylor scored on a wild pitch with Dixon’s courtesy runner, Zeke Gillis, moving over to second. A two-base error on a ball hit by Landon Smallwood allowed Gillis to score.
Ware County pushed the margin to 5-0 with a three-run third. Cox laced a leadoff single, stole second and third, and scored the first run of the inning on a one-out single by Seth Suess (1-for-4).
A walk to Hudson followed Suess stealing second. After a double steal moved the runners to second and third, Evan Joiner (1-for-4) ripped a 2-1 pitch for a two-out, two-run single.
The Panthers ended Ware County’s 20-inning scoreless streak in the bottom of the fourth plating three runs against Dixon (4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP).
A two-out single drove home the first two runs. A stolen base and a second run-scoring single pulled Perry to within 5-3.
The Panthers tied the score in the bottom of the sixth on a run-scoring single and a sacrifice fly. They left the bases loaded with Sweat getting the final two outs on swinging strikeouts.
Game 2 No. 3 Gators ............8 Perry........................1
Ware County's threerun first inning proved to be more than enough for Joiner, who worked six innings scattering seven Panthers hits.
Cox (1-for-3) got the first frame started when his fly ball to right field was dropped. He moved up on a balk, stole third and scored on a passed ball. Three consecutive one-out walks to Suess, Hudson (2-for-3) and Dixon (2-for-3) loaded the bases. Smallwood (1-for-3) drilled a two-out, tworun single for a 3-0 lead.
The Panthers scored in the fourth inning on three singles, the last with two outs, against Joiner (6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB) to cut the deficit to 3-1 The Gators broke the game open plating five runs to open up an 8-1 advantage. Seven consecutive batters reached after two outs and nobody on base.
Luke Hooks (1-for-3) got the rally started ripping a 3-2 pitch for a double and taking third on an error. He scored on a booted grounder by Cox, who advanced around to third. Sweat's (1-for-4) run-scoring double extended the lead to 5-1.
Sweat moved to third when Suess reached on a dropped third strike to keep the inning alive. After Suess stole second, Hudson lined a two-run single. Courtesy runner Zeke Gillis stole second and scored the final run on Dixon's run-scoring single to center for a seven-run advantage.
Perry made the Gators work for the win stranding runners in every inning. The Panthers left two on in the first with a two-out single and error, one in the second on a two-out error, one in the third on a two-out single, two in the fourth after scoring once, one in the fifth on a twoout double, one in the sixth on a two-out single, and two in the seventh on consecutive one-out singles.
Game 3 No. 3 Gators ............4 Perry .......................2
A one-out, two-run single by Hooks in the bottom of the fifth inning broke a scoreless tie propelling the Gators past Perry in the series finale.
Suess (6+ IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP) and the Panthers' Kameron Vandersee matched pitches for four innings. The Ware County starter allowed three hits through five innings stranding five batters. Perry's starter allowed three hits (two doubles) and two walks over the first four frames.
Smallwood and Evan Pearson were each hit by a Vandersee one-out pitch in the bottom of the fifth. After Keaton Holloway was inserted as a pinchrunner for Smallwood, both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Hooks (1-for-2) followed lining a 3-1 pitch driving home both runners for a 2-0 lead.
Perry left two runners on in the sixth with a twoout hit batter and a walk.
Ware County came right back with a two-run bottom of the inning doubling the margin to 4-0. Suess (2-for-3) singled to start the inning and was removed for Gillis, who stole second and scored on Hudson's (1-for-3) double. Taylor, courtesy running for Hudson, stole third and scored on Joiner's sacrifice fly to right.
The Panthers broke up the shutout bid with two runs in the seventh aided by an error. The first five batters reached before Sweat fanned three straight batters to escape the bases loaded situation.
