The HoCo Bears baseball team played the Smith’s Station Panthers out of Alabama earlier this afternoon in Day 2 at the PG Showdown in Hoover and the Bears absolutely destroyed the Panthers by winning 16-1 in three innings. HoCo got the scoring started in the top of the first when Eli Stephens hit a two-run jack to drive in himself and Kendall Jackson to makes the score 2-0 Bears going into the bottom of the first.
The Panthers got on the board in the last of the first when Bryson Sheppard scored on an error by Vick Gann to make the score 2-1 HoCo. The Black, Silver, and White got the lead back up to two when Isaia Galason grounded into fielder’s choice to drive in Will Allen to make the score 3-1 Bears going into the last of the second.
With one out on the board in the top of the third, HoCo would put the game to bed as they started racking up runs like there was no tomorrow, and that started with Ethan Buffone hitting a two-rbi single to drive in Kendall Jackson and Noah Odom to make the score 5-1 Bears.
Hudson Sherman would hit a two-rbi single to drive in Troy Carpenter and Ethan Buffone to make the score 7-1 HoCo and then, Isaia Galason hit a two rbi single to drive in Will Allen and Hudson Sherman to bring the score to 9-1 Bears. Kendall Jackson got in on the fun by hitting a three-rbi double to drive in Christian Wahiwe, Isaia Galason, and Vick Gann to make the score 12-1 HoCo.
Troy Carpenter would hit an rbi single to drive in Kendall Jackson to make the score 13-1 and then, Ethan Buffone would hit an rbi single to drive in Noah Odom to make the score 14-1 and Hudson Sherman would hit a two-rbi single to drive in Troy Carpenter and Ethan Buffone and Will Allen would be thrown out at third in the process to record the second out of the frame and the score was 16-1 Bears.
The Black, Silver, and White would keep the Panthers off the board in the last of the third inning to preserve the 16-1 victory in three. HoCo was led in rbis by Hudson Sherman with four followed by Kendall Jackson, Ethan Buffone, and Isaia Galason with three a piece, Eli Stephens with two, and Troy Carpenter with one.
Bears’ SP Landon Tankersley surrendered one run (unearned) on two hits, walking two, and striking out four in three innings of work while Smith’s Station’s pitchers combined to allow 16 runs (all earned) on 12 hits, walking four, and striking out two in the process. HoCo had 12 hits and committed one error while the Panthers had two hits and committed no errors.
HoCo improves to 7-1 overall and will take on the #5 nationally ranked Lewisburg Patriots out of Mississippi tomorrow morning at 11:30am eastern/10:30am central for the right to go to the championship game in the white bracket. Smith’s Station falls to 3-3 on the season
