The Houston County Bears opened a key region series on the road with a 4–1 victory over the Coffee Trojans in Southeast Georgia.
After a quiet start, with both teams held scoreless through the first two innings, Houston County broke through in the top of the third. The Bears capitalized on patience at the plate, pushing across two runs via two bases loaded walks to take an early 2–0 lead.
Coffee had a chance to shift momentum in the sixth inning. After cutting the deficit to 2–1 on an RBI single by Jimmy Timothy, the Trojans threatened with runners in scoring position. However, Houston County pitcher Tyson Ganas delivered under pressure, recording back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning and preserve the lead.
The Bears created separation in the top of the seventh. With two outs and a runner on, Raymond Byrd delivered the decisive blow, launching a two-run home run to left field to extend the lead to 4–1.
That cushion was more than enough for Ganas, who closed out the game in dominant fashion. The right-hander tossed a complete game, striking out nine while allowing just one earned run on four hits. He walked two and threw 103 pitches, 70 of them for strikes.
With the win, Houston County improves to 15–4 overall and 8–2 in region play, maintaining its position atop the standings. The Bears now return home for a doubleheader against Coffee. HoCo can clinch a playoff berth and a first round home playoff game with a win in game two over Coffee and a Lee Co loss OR sweep the doubleheader OR split the doubleheader on Friday.
