The Houston County Bears baseball team made the trip to Leesburg to play the Lee Co Trojans in a region doubleheader and the result was a Bears’ sweep 4-3 and 4-0 to win the series but not enough to win the region title as Tift Co swept Veterans today. HoCo got the scoring started in game one with an Isaiah Galason sac fly to drive in Will Allen to make the score 1-0 in favor of the visitors in the top of the second.
The Black, Silver, and White added to it’s lead in the top half of inning three when Eli Stephens hit an rbi double to drive in Kendall Jackson to make the score 2-0 HoCo and the Bears put a crooked number on the board in the top of the fourth with back-to-back rbi singles by Kendall Jackson to drive in Isaiah Galason and Eli Stephens following suit to drive in Kendall Jackson to make the score 4-0 HoCo going into the last of the fourth.
The score would remain that way until the bottom of the sixth where the Bears’ pitching started to lose steam and the Trojans were able to close the gap down after the visitors walked four consecutive batters that would lead to two bases rounding walks to make the score 4-2 HoCo. The host would hit an rbi single to cut the gap down to 4-3 in favor of the Black, Silver, and White.
Lee Co had the bases loaded with one out trailing by one when Carson Small came in to relieve Logan Elble who relieved starting pitcher Landon Tankersley and he was able to get the Trojans’ batter to ground into a double play, first at home plate to prevent the tying run from scoring and over to first base to end the inning.
The Bears were able to shut the host down in the last of the seventh to win game one 4-3 to pick up their 20th win of the season. Eli Stephens led the Black, Silver, and White in rbis with two followed by Kendall Jackson and Isaiah Galason with one a piece while Graysen Spears, Carter Singletary, and Brent Smith were responsible for the Trojans’ three rbis in the contest.
HoCo SP Landon Tankersley pitched 5 1/3rd innings on the mound and he surrendered three earned runs on four hits, walking seven, and striking out five in the process while his two relievers Logan Elble and Carson Small went the remaining 1 2/3rds innings surrendering no runs on one hit, walking one and striking out two.
Lee Co’s two pitchers they used in game one, Durrah Butler and Carter Singletary combined to allow four earned runs on nine hits, walking three, and striking out four in the process.
Game two would be all HoCo but the first two innings of the game would go scoreless until top half of the third inning when Eli Stephens hit an rbi triple to drive in Vick Gann to make the score 1-0 in favor of the Bears and Ethan Buffone would get in on the action by hitting a two out rbi double to drive in Eli Stephens to make the score 2-0 in favor of the visitors going into the last of the third.
In the top of the fifth, Noah Odom would score on an E2 to make the score 3-0 HoCo and in the top of the sixth, Ty Waters would hit a solo jack to right to make the score 4-0 in favor of the Black, Silver, and White and that was also the Bears’ first homer hit since Friday March 8th at Northside. The visitors would continue to to keep Lee Co off the board to pick up the shut out victory 4-0 to win the region series over the Trojans.
HoCo SP Tucker Hale pitched six innings and surrendered no runs on two hits, walking three, and striking out five while his reliever Max Wilhide pitched one relief inning and he surrendered no runs on no hits, walking one, and striking out none in the process while the Trojans’ two pitchers, Connor Hall and Weston Bryan combined to allow four runs (three earned) on eight hits, walking three, and striking out four in the process.
HoCo improves to 21-7 overall and finishes 12-3 in region play to claim the 2-seed in 1-AAAAAA and will travel to Henry Co to play the Ola Mustangs next Tuesday while Lee Co falls to 16-11 overall and finishes 7-8 in region play to claim the 4-seed in 1-AAAAAA and they will travel to play the Lowndes Vikings next Monday.
Eli Stephens, Ethan Buffone, and Ty Waters were responsible for HoCo’s three rbis in game two and this is the second year in a row that Ty Waters has hit a home run in Leesburg. The Bears recorded a shut out victory in at least one game in all five of their region series in 2024 which is something they did not do last season and with their series win over the Trojans, HoCo extends it’s region series win streak to 21.
Final 2024 Region 1-AAAAAA standings:
1. Tift Co 13-2 region
2. HoCo 12-3 region
3. Thomas Co Central 8-7 region
4. Lee Co 7-8 region
5. Veterans 5-10 region
6. Northside 0-15 region
