The HoCo Bears made the trip to Leesburg to take on the Lee Co Trojans in Game One of the region championship series and the result was a 7-4 Black, Silver, and White victory over a gritty Trojans team. Logan Elble plated the game’s first run with a solo jack to left to lead off the top of inning two. The visitors plated another run to lead 2-0 after Kendall Jackson was walked to carousel the bases and score Will Allen.
Up 3-1 in the top of the fourth and a runner on base, Kendall Jackson would hit a no-doubter two-run jack to left that would hit a tree trunk to give the Bears a 5-1 lead which would be the score going into the last of the fourth. Lee Co’s Josh Barnes would hit a two out two-rbi double to cut the lead down to 5-3 HoCo.
The Black, Silver, and White would end the game on a 2-1 run to win 7-4 and take a 1-0 lead in the region championship series. Kendall Jackson led HoCo in rbis with four followed by Ethan Buffone with two, and Logan Elble with one. Bears’ SP Tyson Ganas pitched for 3 2/3rds innings and surrendered three earned runs on six hits, walking four, and striking out four.
Reliever Tucker Hale relief-pitched the next inning and a third and surrendered one earned run on one hit, walking two, and striking out none and closer Ethan Buffone pitched the final two innings and surrendered no runs on three hits, walking none, and striking out one in the process.
The Trojans’ pitchers.. SP Graysen Spears and reliever Landon Price combined to allow seven runs (six earned) on seven hits, walking two, and striking out two in the process. HoCo improves to 21-5 overall; 12-1 in region play and will host Lee Co in a region doubleheader on Friday and the Black, Silver, and White needs to win one of the two games to win the region championship.
