Bears win region title after Appling loses series to Crisp Co.
Pierce County ran into some outstanding pitching performances during a three-game slate of action losing a pair of 1-0 decisions — both at home.
Despite the setbacks, PCHS clinched the Region 3-AA title when Crisp County took two of three games from Appling County. The Bears finished region play with a 10-2 record. The Pirates are 8-3 with a makeup game (Tuesday, April 15) with Cook in the season finale in Adel.
The Bears (19-7), ranked fourth by MaxPreps and third by the GHSA power rankings among public schools, had their six-game winning streak snapped Tuesday, April 8 against visiting Long County (1410), ranked 18th in Class 3A by both MaxPreps and the power rankings, falling 1-0.
PCHS rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh Wednesday in Ludowici to hand the Blue Tide a 2-1 loss for a split in the series.
Washington County (206), ranked 13th in the power rankings and 18th by MaxPreps, bounced back a day after having its 11-game winning streak snapped posting a 1-0 decision Thursday, April 10. The Hawks reached the Class 2A quarterfinals last year going 27-7.
Pierce County closes out the regular season with a home-and-home series against Class 5A Coffee. (16-11) The Bears hosted the Trojans Tuesday, April 15. PCHS travels to Douglas Thursday, April 17 for the regular season finale.
Long County..............1 No. 6 Bears ...............0
BEARVILLE — A oneout, run-scoring single in the top of the seventh provided the lone run of the game lifting the Blue Tide past PCHS.
Long County’s run came after Emmitt Hall was lifted following six shutout innings of four-hit ball. Hall fanned five and walked one.
A leadoff walk to Isaiah Miller by reliever Brantley Willis (1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 2 BB) set up the gamewinning run. Miller was sacrificed to second by Luke Poppell (1-for-2) and raced home on a single Braedon Chambless (1-for-1).
A second walk and sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third. Willis got the final out on a called third strike.
PCHS put the tying run on in the bottom of the inning against Kenny Pickens, who worked three innings in relief of Peyton Batt. Jonathan Stone (2for-3) lined a two-out single after fouling off two 1-2 pitches followed by a fielder’s choice groundout.
The Bears failed to capitalize with runners on base stranding 12 including nine between the second and fifth innings and finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
They loaded the bases in both the second and third innings against Batt. A one-out fly ball in the second was turned into a double play. An infield pop for the third out ended the third.
Runners were stranded at first and second in both the fourth and fifth innings. Two-out errors by Long County in the first and sixth innings were left standing as well as Stone, who had half of PCHS’s hits, with his two-out single in the seventh. His other base knock came in the fifth.
Mark Sweet and Jack McClellan each went 1-for-3. Sweet singled in the second with McClellan lining a hit in the fourth.
No. 6 Bears ...............2 Long County..............1
LUDOWICI — Braxton McCook’s one-out, sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning plated Christian Osbourne with the go-ahead and eventual winning run to beat Long County.
The Blue Tide’s Nick Sizemore took a two-hit shutout and a 1-0 lead into the seventh in a pitching duel with PCHS’s Jones Herrin (7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 K, 2 BB).
The Bears only had two base runners reach second through six innings and five base runners while Long County had three touch second base and seven total base runners.
Dylan Figueroa (1-for-3) led off the inning with a double. Osbourne, inserted as a pinch-hitter, executed a sacrifice bunt and turned into a two-base error allowing Figueroa to race home with the tying run.
Beck Hodges’ ensuing sacrifice bunt moved Osbourne over to third base. McCook came through lifting an 0-2 pitch to center with Osbourne tagging and scoring what proved to be the game-winning run.
Herrin retired the Blue Tide in order in the bottom of the inning sandwiching two groundouts to McCook and a strikeout.
PCHS stranded two runners in the first with Hall drawing a two-out walk and Stone (2-for-4) following with a single. Sizemore retired 10 of the next 11 batters with Stone reaching with a one-out, infield single in the fourth.
McCook advanced to second on a two-out, two base throwing error in the fifth with Dylan Johnson (1-for-3) following with a walk.
Long County stranded a runner at third base in the first, had one thrown out trying to steal third in the second and left one on in the third.
Kenny Pickens (1-for-3) led off the home fourth with a solo homer to left off a 1-1 offering from Jones. An ensuing error and a one-out single in the fifth were the last two Blue Tide base runners with Jones setting down the final eight batters.
Washington Co..........1 No. 6 Bears ...............0
BEARVILLE — Washington County junior righthander Ty Mobley pitched a complete game, six-hit shutout making a fifth inning run stand.
The 6-foot-4 Mobley fanned seven during his 100-pitch outing in front of a major league scout taking in the action. He lit up the radar gun with a mid-90s fastball.
The only run of the game came in the fifth with three consecutive batters reaching following a caught stealing for the first out. A one-out walk ended the afternoon for Jaxton Harris (4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 K, 4 BB, 1 HBP).
Stone (2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 2 BB) was greeted by a run-single off an 0-2 pitch to the first batter he faced. The base runner scored from first sliding under the tag of Osbourne at the plate. Another single followed with Stone getting the next two batters to end the inning.
PCHS loaded the bases in the second with nobody out. Herrin (1-for-3) led off with a single with Stone (2for-3) following with a infield hit after fouling off four consecutive pitches. McClellan legged out a sacrifice bunt loading the bases.
A strikeout, caught stealing of home and groundout got Mobley out of the jam.
Williams (1-for-3) was left stranded in the third inning following his oneout double into the left field corner. Stone ripped a one-out double in the fourth with courtesy runner, Garrett Stevenson, left standing.
Dylan Johnson (1-for-2) led off the fifth with a hit and reached second on Hodges ensuing sacrifice bunt. A groundout and strikeout ended the inning. Hall (1-for-3) led off the sixth with a single and eventually reached second before the inning ended.
Figueroa was hit by a pitch to start the seventh and moved into scoring position on Johnson’s ensuring sacrifice bunt. Mobley retired the next two batters to protect the shutout.
