Houston County made the long trip to southwest Georgia and came away with a crucial 3–1 victory over Thomas County Central in game one of an important three-game region series.
The matchup lived up to expectations as a pitcher’s duel early on, with both teams struggling to generate offense through the first several innings. Houston County struck first in the top of the first inning when Ethan Kenney delivered an RBI single to bring home Kaiden Harvey, giving the Bears a 1–0 lead.
That score held steady through five innings as Houston County’s Tyson Ganas and Thomas County Central’s Reid Gainous battled on the mound. Both pitchers were dominant, keeping hitters off balance and limiting scoring opportunities.
Houston County added to its lead in the top of the sixth inning. Kenney came through again with another RBI single, this time driving in Isaiah Galason to make it 2–0. The Bears extended their advantage in the seventh when Raymond Byrd singled home Noah Odom, pushing the lead to 3–0.
Thomas County Central attempted a late rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring one run to cut the deficit to 3–1 and putting runners on base. However, Houston County held firm defensively and closed out the game to secure the win.
Tyson Ganas earned the victory for Houston County, pitching 6⅓ innings while allowing just one earned run, walking five, and striking out five. On the other side, Georgia Tech commit Reid Gainous turned in an impressive complete-game performance, striking out 10 while allowing three runs, two of them earned.
With the win, Houston County takes sole possession of first place in Region 2-5A. The Bears will look to carry that momentum into a pivotal doubleheader against Thomas County Central on Friday at home, with first pitch scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
