The HoCo Bears hosted county and region rival Veterans earlier today in the Battle for Highway 96 and the result was a Black, Silver, and White sweep.. winning Game One 10-0 in six and winning Game Two 4-0 in a double shutout. The host got the scoring started in Game One in the last of the first when Ethan Buffone hit a two-rbi single to drive in Isaiah Galason and Logan Elble to make the score 2-0 Bears.
The last of the third is when HoCo blew the game open by scoring six runs via an Isaiah Galason two-rbi single, a Logan Elble rbi single, a bases rounding walk, and a Kendall Jackson two-rbi single to make the score 8-0 in favor of the Black, Silver, and White. Ethan Kenney grounded out to drive in Ethan Buffone to make the score 9-0 HoCo in the last of the fourth.
Isaiah Galason would plate the winning run in the last of the sixth when he scored on a wild pitch to give the host the 10-0 shutout victory. Kendall Jackson, Isaiah Galason, and Ethan Buffone led the Bears in rbis with two a piece followed by Logan Elble, Ethan Kenney, and Raymond Byrd with one a piece.
HoCo SP Max Willhide pitched a complete game and surrendered no runs on three hits, walking none, and striking out four in the process. Veterans’ pitchers.. Tyler Knight, Allen Slocum, and Jackson Eaton combined to allow 10 runs (six earned) on nine hits, walking three, and striking out two.
Game Two would be a low-scoring battle throughout most of the contest and the scoring got started for HoCo in the last of the second when Ethan Buffone scored on a wild pitch to make the score 1-0 Bears which would be the score through four and a half innings of play. The Black, Silver, and White opened the game up in the last of the fifth when Will Allen hit an rbi single to drive in Ethan Buffone to make the score 2-0.
Allen would later score on an error to make the score 3-0 and Kendall Jackson would hit an rbi single to drive in Peyton Nauss to make the score 4-0 Bears and that would be the final score of Game Two. HoCo SP Tucker Hale pitched for four innings and surrendered no runs on two hits, walking one, and striking out seven while reliever Tyson Ganas relief-pitched the remaining three innings and surrendered no runs on no hits, walking two, and striking out three.
Warhawks’ SP Brandon Mercer pitched for 5 2/3rds innings and surrendered four runs (two earned) on six hits, walking two, and striking out five while reliever Brooks Masters pitched for a third of one inning and surrendered no runs on one hit, walking none, and striking out none.
HoCo improves to 13-3 overall; 6-0 in region play and will host Thomas Co Central next Tuesday riding a seven-game win streak while Veterans falls to 6-8 overall; 2-4 in region play and will host Lee Co next Tuesday, looking to snap a four-game losing streak.
