The HoCo Bears hosted Oconee Co in a doubleheader earlier today and the result was a split with the Bears winning Game One 9-0 and the Warriors winning Game Two 3-1 in eight innings. The Black, Silver, and White jumped on Oconee Co quickly in Game One by plating five runs in the last of the first which occurred via an Isaiah Galason rbi double, an Ethan Buffone rbi single, a Vick Gann score on a wild pitch, an Ethan Buffone score on a wild pitch, and a Noah Odom score on an error.
HoCo plated two more runs in the last of the fourth via a Kendall Jackson score on a wild pitch and an Ethan Buffone rbi single to make the score 7-0 in favor of the host. Ethan Kenney hit the Bears’ first jack of 2025, a solo home run in the last of the fifth to make the score 8-0 and Raymond Byrd hit a sac fly to drive in Tyson Ganas to make the score 9-0 and that would ultimately be the final score of Game One.
The Bears were led in rbis by Ethan Buffone and Ethan Kenney with two a piece followed by Isaiah Galason and Raymond Byrd with one a piece. HoCo SP Will Allen pitched for five innings surrendering no runs on one hit, walking none, and striking out six in the process. Reliever Tyson Ganas pitched for two innings and surrendered no runs on no hits, walking one, and striking out two in the process.
Oconee Co’s four pitchers combined to allow nine earned runs on seven hits, walking four, and striking out two in the process. Game two would be a completely different game as it would be a low-scoring contest as the first three innings went scoreless. The visitors struck first in the top of the fourth with an rbi single to lead 1-0 and give the host it’s first deficit of the season
The Black, Silver and White would tie the game in the last of the fifth when Kendall Jackson hit an rbi single to drive in Logan Elbe. HoCo had runners on at second and third with one out on the board and failed to drive in those runners and the fifth inning ended with the game knotted at 1 a piece.
The Bears had runners at first and second with one out on the board in the last of the seventh but could not get the walk-off run through as they had consecutive fly outs to send the game to extras. The Warriors would get an rbi single to retake the lead and would push it’s lead to 3-1 with a bases rounding hit by pitch.
The host once again would have runners on at first and second but would have back-to-back strikeouts to end the game and fall 3-1 in eight innings. HoCo’s three pitchers combined to allow three earned runs on four hits, walking four, and striking out six in the process. Oconee Co’s two pitchers combined to allow one earned run on 12 hits, walking two, and striking out seven in the process.
The Bears currently sit at 5-1 on the season and will prepare to head to Hoover, AL to play in the Perfect Game Showdown against the Cullman Bearcats next Thursday.
