Staff Report
Brantley County captured two of the three games in taking the Region 1-A three-game series with Thomasville.
The Herons (5-18 overall, 5-7 region) needed an extra inning Tuesday, April 1 to beat the Bulldogs (6-16, 2-8) 2-1 in Thomasville.
BCHS secured its second three-game region series win capturing the Friday, April 4 opener of the scheduled twinbill 5-4 at home. It marked the first two-game winning streak of the season for the Herons.
Thomasville avoided the sweep in the nightcap posting a 9-0 victory.
BCHS hosted Bacon County Tuesday (April 8) in Game 1 of the next to last region series. The Red Raiders will host a doubleheader Friday, April 11 with the opener slated for 4 p.m.
The Herons close out the regular season against top-ranked Jeff Davis. The Yellow Jackets visit Tuesday, April 15 and Friday April 18 for 6 p.m. starts. The middle game of the series is set for Thursday, April 17 in Hazelhurst at 6 p.m.
Game 1 Herons.....................2 Thomasville ..1, 8 Inn.
THOMASVILLE — Gavin Grafford scored the game-winning run in the top of the eighth inning on Jackson Rowell’s one-out sacrifice fly lifting Brantley County past the Bulldogs.
Thomasville scratched out a twoout, game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh spoiling Grafford’s (6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 K, 2 BB) bid for a complete game shutout.
The Bulldogs got a leadoff single and sacrifice bunt putting the tying run on second. A first-pitch, two-out single to left scored the runner from second to even the score at 1-all.
Grafford led off the eighth with a walk. After Kaden Hendrix (2-for-4) legged out an infield hit, Clark Carter executed a sacrifice bunt moving the runners up.
Rowell lifted a 2-2 pitch to center scoring Grafford for a 2-1 lead. Hendrix was caught in a rundown for the final out as he tried to reach third.
Hendrix (1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB), who relieved Grafford in the seventh after the game-tying single, surrendered a one-out single in the eighth before retiring the next two batters.
Brantley County scored the only run through the first six innings in the third frame after leaving runners at third (Carson Coger, 2-for-3) and first (Hayden Hickox (1-for-3) in the second inning.
Kent Thomas started the third reaching on an error. Colt Thrift’s (2-for-4) single to right advanced Thomas to third. Thomas scored when Grafford hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
The Herons stranded Coger (single) in the fourth, Thrift (single) in the fifth and Carter’s (error) courtesy runner Tallon Collins in the sixth.
Grafford only had one clean inning (second). He left one standing in the first and one in the third through sixth before giving up a run in the seventh.
Game 2 Herons .................................5 Thomasville..........................4
CANEY BAY — Kaden Hendrix raced home on an error after stealing third scoring what proved to be the winning run in the middle game of the series.
Tied at 4-all entering the bottom of the fifth, Hendrix (1-for-2) lined a leadoff single and moved into scoring position on Carter’s (1-for-1) sacrifice bunt. He stole third one pitch later and scored on the miscue.
Thomasville built a 2-0 lead scoring single runs in the first and third innings against Kent Thomas (3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 K, 3 BB, 5 HBP). A one-out four-pitch walk was followed by a hit batter and runscoring single in the first giving the visitors a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Bulldogs got a one-out single, error and a walk loading the bases in the third inning. A two-out hit batter forced home the run for a 2-0 advantage.
BCHS scored twice in the bottom of the third to even the score at 2-all. Thrift (3-for-3) laced a one-out single with Hendrix walking on four pitches with two outs. Carter followed ripping a 3-2 pitch into the gap in left-center for a double scoring both runners.
Thomasville responded with a two-run fourth to take a 4-2 lead. A leadoff triple and ensuring single broke the tie. A second straight single and a one-out hit batter loaded the bases. A four-pitch walk followed forcing the second run of the inning.
The Herons came right back with a two-run answer tying the game at 4-all. Coger (1-for-2) worked a leadoff walk and was sacrificed to second by Eli Nielson.
A single by Cain Roberson (1-for-3) put runners on the corners. Thrift’s two-out, two-run triple off an 0-1 pitch knotted the score.
Brodie Howell pitched 3.2 innings of no-hit ball retiring all 11 batters he faced. He fanned two.
Game 3 Thomasville..........................9 Herons .................................0
CANEY BAY — Thomasville scored all the runs it would need during a two-run first inning en route to a three-hit shutout.
Four consecutive batters reached after two outs and nobody on base against Hendrix (4 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 5 K, 2 BB, 1 HBP) with two scoring for a 2-0 lead. The rally started with a two-out single. The base hit was followed by a double, a two-run single and a walk.
The Bulldogs struck for five runs in the fourth inning. A leadoff double and a two-base error on a sacrifice bunt increased the margin to 3-0.
The first out was followed by three consecutive singles, the last two driving home a run each, and a two-run double extending the lead to 7-0.
Thomasville capped its scoring with a two-run fifth against Howell (3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 K, 2 BB). A leadoff single and run-scoring double plated the first run two batters in. A one-out, run-producing groundout plated the final run.
Brantley County recorded its first hit with Thrift’s (1-for-3) leadoff double in the fourth. Hendrix (1-for-3) had a one-out single in the inning.
The Herons had two base runners in the seventh. Carter reached on a one-out error with Rowell (1for-3) following one pitch later with a single.
