The Veterans Warhawks hosted county and region rival Northside earlier today in a region doubleheader and the result was a Red, White, and Blue sweep.. winning Game One 7-3 and winning Game Two 7-2. Game One started off with the Eagles plating the game’s first two runs in the top of the first and those came from a Jeremiah Rozier sac groundout and a Justin Canceran rbi single.
The Warhawks answered in the last of the first by plating two runs of their own via a Brandon Mercer rbi double to get the host on the board and Brandon Mercer scoring on an error to tie Game One at two a piece. Kason Flowers hit a go-ahead rbi single to drive in Joshua Chavous to make the score 3-2 Veterans after two innings of play.
The Red, White, and Blue would end Game One on a 4-1 run to win 7-3 to win the region series. Kason Flowers, Brandon Mercer, and Steven Hafeychuck were each responsible for Veterans’ three rbis in game one while Jeremiah Rozier, Justin Canceran, and Kyle Baker were responsible for the Blue, White, and Orange’s three rbis.
Veterans SP Brandon Mercer pitched a complete game on the mound surrendering three earned runs on six hits, walking none, and striking out six in the process while Northside SP Emerson Rugama also pitched a complete game and surrendered seven runs (three earned) on six hits, walking one, and striking out five.
Game Two would see the host pounce on the visitors early by jumping out to a 4-0 lead which was highlighted by JT Turner’s two rbi single in the last of the second to drive in Bryce Dryden and Ethan Scott to give the Red, White, and Blue a 4-0 lead which they would take into inning five.
The Eagles would plate two runs in the first of the fifth via two Veterans’ errors to cut the lead in half but the host would end the game on a 3-0 run that would be scored via a Jackson Eaton rbi single, a Kason Flowers rbi triple, and a JT Turner rbi single to give the Warhawks a 7-2 victory in Game Two to clean sweep the region series against Northside.
JT Turner led the Red, White, and Blue in rbis with three followed by Kason Flowers with two and Jackson Eaton with one. Veterans SP Tyler Knight pitched for five innings and surrendered two unearned runs on two hits, walking none, and striking out three while reliever Brooks Masters relief pitched the final two innings and surrendered no runs on two hits, walking none, and striking out six in the process.
The Eagles’ three pitchers in Game Two… SP Marty Dietrich and relievers’ Taylor Hall and Kyle Baker combined to allow seven runs (six earned) on six hits, walking nine, and striking out six in the process. The Warhawks improve to 9-11 overall; 5-7 in region play and with Lee Co’s clean sweep of Thomas Co Central.. the Red, White, and Blue have clinched a berth into the State Playoffs for the first time since 2022.
TCC is now 2-10 in region play and Veterans took two of three from TCC three weeks ago to hold the tiebreaker. Northside falls to 4-16 overall; 0-12 in region play and will host Sumter Co in a doubleheader next Tuesday while the Warhawks will host ACE Charter next Thursday.
