State-ranked Charlton County captured a homeand- home series with Brantley County with the Indians extending their winning streak to 18 games.
The Indians (22-2), ranked second by Score-Atlanta,
third in the GHSA power rankings and fifth by MaxPreps, captured the Thursday, April 3 series opener 6-1 in Caney Bay against the MaxPreps 44th-ranked Herons (5-18).
Charlton County finished off the two-game sweep with a 9-6 victory Saturday, April 5 in Folkston.
Game 1 No. 2 Charlton Co. ...6 Herons.....................1
CANEY BAY — The Indians scored in back-toback innings twice in beating Brantley County.
Charlton County’s Ethan Crawford (6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 8 K, 3 BB) surrendered consecutive singles to Colt Thrift (2for-4) and Gaven Grafford (2-for-4) in the home half of the first and allowed just two hits over his next five innings of work leaving with a four-hit shutout.
The visitors struck for a run in the second inning capitalizing after Hayden Hickox (6 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 K, 2 BB, 4 HBP, 2 WP) hit three consecutive batters (Jakob Thigpen 2-for-2, Brodie Baker, Chase Rhoden) with two outs loading the bases. A wild pitch scored Thigpen before the final out was recorded.
Charlton County plated two runs in the third inning for a 3-0 lead. Crawford was hit to start the inning. He stole second ahead of a walk to Griffin Thomas (1-for-3).
Eli Hobbs (2-for-4) dropped down a bunt single loading the bases. Thigpen came through with a two-out, two-run double.
Thrift and Grafford went back-to-back with singles to start the third inning.
The Indians increased their advantage to 5-0 in the fifth scoring twice. Crawford drew a leadoff walk with Thomas following with a first-pitch single.
Hobbs hit the next offering for a run-scoring double. Brantley Nettles also jumped on a first pitch lifting a sacrifice fly to left for the final run of the inning.
Charlton County pushed home a final run in the sixth. Thigpen led off with a single, advanced to second on a passed ball, moved over to third and scored on a twoout wild pitch for a 6-0 lead.
Kaden Hendrix led off the BCHS sixth with a walk, stole second and eventually scored on a two-out error cutting the deficit to 6-1.
Game 2 No. 2 Charlton County....................................9 Herons...........................................................6
FOLKSTON — Charlton County scored nine runs over the first three innings and then had to hold off the Herons’ late rally to win.
The Indians scored once in the first and put back-toback four-run rallies together in the second and third innings for a 9-0 lead.
Thrift (2-for-4) and Grafford (3-for-4) started the Brantley County first with consecutive singles for the second straight game. The Indians’ Griffin Thomas (6 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, 1 HBP) was able to retire the next three batters to escape unscathed.
Charlton County struck quickly in the bottom of the inning. David Walters (1-for-2) walked, stole second and scored on a Thomas (3-for-4) single off of Jackson Rowell (1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 K, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 WP) for a 1-0 lead.
The Indians scored four runs in the second after six consecutive batters reached following the first out of the inning. Baker (1-for-2) singled with one out with Rhoden (1-for-2) drawing a walk.
Walters and Thomas followed with consecutive runscoring singles upping the margin to 4-0. After Crawford (1-for-3) was hit by a pitch ending Rowell’s afternoon, Nettles (1-for-3) greeted Clark Carter (4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP) with a first-pitch, RBI single extending the lead to 5-0.
Charlton County scored their final four runs in the third inning. Colton Beard was hit to start the inning, stole second second and moved to third on Rhoden’s one-out single.
Walters lifted a sacrifice fly to center scoring Beard with the first run of the inning. A Thomas double one pitch later was followed by Crawford’s two-run single on the ensuing pitch to open up an 8-0 advantage. An error on a ball hit by Nettles allowed Crawford to score for a nine-run advantage.
Brantley County broke through in the fourth. Carson Coger (2-for-4) opened the inning with a double and moved to third on a single by Eli Nielson (2-for-4). Coger scored on Brody Howell’s (3-for-4) first-pitch single.
The Herons used a four-run fifth to climb to within 9-5. Thrift was hit by a pitch with Grafford following one-pitch later with a run-scoring triple. A Hendrix groundout plated Grafford cutting the deficit to 9-3.
Coger blasted an 0-1 pitch for a solo homer two pitches later. Three consecutive two-out singles by Nielson, Howell and Thomas followed with Nielson’s courtesy runner, Tallon Collins, scoring on the Thomas base hit.
BCHS made things interesting in the seventh. Carter opened the inning with a four-pitch walk and was removed for courtesy runner Dennis Raulerson. Nielson’s ensuing grounder was booted and Howell followed with a single loading the bases.
Kent Thomas (2-for-4) dropped a bloop single to right scoring Raulerson. Back-to-back flyouts and an appeal for failing to tag ended the game.
