The Houston County Bears and Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets battled in a high-stakes region doubleheader at the Garden, splitting the games but with Houston County ultimately securing the series victory.
Game 1: Thomas County Central 7, Houston County 1
Thomas County Central came out strong in the opener, scoring two runs in the first inning and pulling away with a decisive four-run second inning. Houston County managed just one run early, but couldn’t keep pace as TCC cruised to a 7–1 win.
TCC pitcher Dallas Pitts delivered a dominant complete-game performance, striking out eight, allowing eight hits, and surrendering only one unearned run without issuing a walk.
The win evened the region series at one game apiece heading into the nightcap.
Game 2: Houston County 4, Thomas County Central 3
The second game — and rubber match of the series — turned into a pitcher’s duel early, with both teams locked in a scoreless tie through four innings.
TCC broke through first in the top of the fifth to take a 1–0 lead, but Houston County responded immediately. The Bears tied the game on a balk before Isaiah Galason delivered an RBI hit to drive in Davien Blasingame to give Houston County a 2–1 advantage. The Bears added another run in the inning to extend the lead to 3–1.
In the sixth, TCC’s Hudson Williams launched a solo home run to cut the deficit to one, but Houston County answered again when Noah Odom drove in a run with an RBI double, pushing the lead to 4–2.
The Yellow Jackets mounted a final rally in the seventh, scoring a run and loading the bases with two outs. With the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on second, Galason took the mound and delivered a clutch strikeout to seal a 4–3 victory for the Bears. HoCo’s pitchers combined to allow three runs while striking out 10. Ethan Kenney got the win for the host while Isaiah Galason got the save
What It Means
With the win, Houston County improves to 14–4 overall and sits atop the region standings at 7–2. Thomas County Central falls to 6–3 in region play.
Houston County will look to maintain its momentum next week as it travels to face the Coffee Trojans in another key region series beginning Tuesday.
