The HoCo Bears hosted the Thomas Co Central Yellowjackets earlier this evening and the result was a Bears’ victory 14-5 to open the region series. TCC plated the game’s first two runs in the top of the first to give the Black, Silver, and White it’s first deficit in a region game this season.
In the last of the first; the Bears would plate three runs to take a 3-2 lead and later in the first, Noah Odom hit a ground ball that the first baseman for TCC would not be able to corral and the error would send Odom to second and drive in Ethan Buffone, Tyson Ganas, and Peyton Nauss to give the host a 6-2 lead. HoCo would plate three more runs in the first to lead 9-2 going into inning two.
The Bears would slowly push it’s lead to 11-2 which would be the score after five innings. The Black, Silver, and White went to their bullpen and would struggle to get outs as the Jackets loaded the bases with nobody out and would plate three runs to cut the gap down to 11-5 with one out on the board. HoCo would be able to turn a huge double play to get out of the top half of the sixth.
The Black, Silver, and White would get those three runs back in the last of the sixth via an Isaiah Galason score on a wild pitch and an Ethan Kenney two-rbi single to push the lead to 14-5 Bears which would be the final score of the contest as the host would shut TCC down in the top of the seventh.
Isaiah Galson and Ethan Kenney led HoCo in rbis with three a piece followed by Kendall Jackson, Vick Gann, Logan Elble, and Raymond Byrd with one a piece. SP Will Allen was shaky in the first inning, surrendering two earned runs but would settle down and would not surrender another run his next four innings on the mound. Allen allowed five hits, walked one, and struck out four in five innings of work.
Weston Ard and Ethan Kenney pitched the remaining two innings and combined to allow three earned runs on three hits, walking two, and striking out one in the process. HoCo improves to 14-3 overall; 7-0 in region play while the Yellowjackets fall to 6-9 overall; 2-5 in region play. These two will face off for a big region doubleheader down in Thomasville on Friday.
