Brantley County’s junior varsity Herons battled Wayne County to a tie and lost Game 2 of Thursday’s doubleheader.
The Herons (7-4-1) scored a run in the bottom of the fifth tying the opener at 2-all. A rally in the fiveinning nightcap came up short with the Yellow Jackets hanging on for a 5-3 victory.
Brantley County hosted Toombs County Monday, March 31 in a doubleheader. Charlton County visits Thursday, April 3 for a 4 p.m. first pitch in a jayvee/varsity doubleheader.
BCHS visits Folkston Saturday, April 5 in the opener of a jayvee/varsity doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. The Herons close out the season Monday, April 7 in Douglas playing a twinbill against Coffee starting at 1 p.m.
Game 1 Herons ....................................................2 Wayne County .........................................2
CANEY BAY — Eli Thomas lifted a one-out sacrifice fly to left in the bottom of the fifth inning scoring Parker Rentz with the tying run in the opener against Wayne County.
Brantley County took a 1-0 lead in the third inning scoring on a one-out error by the Yellow Jackets. Eli Thomas was hit by a one-out pitch with Dalton Bennett (2-for-3) following with a base hit.
Clark Carter’s ensuing grounder was booted allowing Thomas to score for the 1-0 advantage.
Rylee Young (4+ IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 K, 0 BB) took a two-hit shutout into the fifth inning. Cain Roberston (1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB) relieved Young after Wayne County opened the inning with consecutive base hits.
The Yellow Jackets scored on a one-out single and a two-out single in taking a 2-1 lead.
Rentz opened the bottom of the fifth with a fourpitch walk. He stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch during a one-out walk to Ethan Sherrod. Thomas followed hitting a 1-1 pitch to left with Rentz tagging and scoring.
Game 2 Wayne County .........................................5 Herons....................................................3
CANEY BAY — Wayne County jumped out to a 40 lead in the first inning and had to withstand the Herons’ comeback attempt to take the nightcap.
The Yellow Jackets batted around in the first inning scoring twice on bases loaded walks and a two-out, two-run single against Bennett (.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 K, 4 BB, 2 WP).
Ellis Westover (3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 K, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 2 WP) quieted the Wayne County bats in his three innings of relief including working out of a bases loaded jam in the third inning.
After Conner Sumner (.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 K, 4 BB, 1 WP) left two Yellow Jackets in the fourth, Brantley County struck for its first run in the bottom of the inning.
Thomas (1-for-2) began the fourth with Brantley County’s first hit. Bennett (1-for-3) followed with a single to right advancing Thomas to third. Roberson hit the next pitch for a sacrifice fly cutting the deficit to 4-1.
Wayne County added an insurance run in the fifth inning scoring on the fourth walk of the inning to force home a run for a 5-1 lead.
The Herons pushed home two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Westover (1-for-2) singled with one out with Tallan Collins getting hit with a 2-2 offering.
Following a fielder’s choice groundout, Westover’s pinch-runner, G. Cox. Jr., scored on a twoout throwing error. Cullen Bass, who reached on the fielder’s choice, eventually came around to score on a theft of home as BCHS pulled to within 5-3.
