The HoCo Bears’ baseball team made the trip to Douglas to take on the Coffee Trojans in a region doubleheader and this would be the Black, Silver, and White’s toughest region doubleheader in years as they would lose Game One 4-3 and win Game Two 10-7 in eight innings. Game One started off with the visitors plating the first two runs in inning one coming via a balk and a sac groundout.
The Trojans would plate two runs in the last of the second to tie the game and would take the lead in the last of the third to lead 3-2 which would be the score going into the last of the sixth. In the last of the sixth, HoCo relief pitcher Ethan Kenney would walk Connor Stewart to carousel the bases and extend the Coffee lead to 4-2 going into the seventh inning.
HoCo’s Logan Elble would hit a solo jack to center to make the score 4-3 in favor of the host. Will Allen would be walked with two outs on the board and Peyton Nauss would run for Allen and Raymond Byrd would reach on an error however, Nauss would be tagged out at third base to end the game and Coffee would win Game One 4-3 to even the region series at 1-1 and end the Black, Silver, and White’s 11-game win streak and 12-game region win streak dating back to last season.
Isaiah Galason and Logan Eble were responsible for both of the Bears’ rbis. SP Max Wilhide pitched for five innings surrendering three runs (two earned) on seven hits, walking one, and striking out four while reliever Ethan Kenney relief pitched inning six and surrendered one earned run on no hits, walking four, and striking out none in the process.
Trojans SP Michael Strickland pitched a complete game on the mound surrendering three earned runs on three hits, walking four, and striking out eight.
Game Two of the doubleheader or the rubber match of the whole series would be quite intense and with the score reading 3-2 in favor of the host with two outs on the board in the last of the fourth with the bases loaded, Coffee would score a run via a wild pitch to lead 4-2, and shortly thereafter facing a 2-2 count, Michael Strickland would hit a big two-rbi single to drive in Reid Harden and Ben Fussell to make the score 6-2 Trojans going into inning five.
The visitors would immediately get back to work as Vick Gann would hit a solo jack to right and Isaiah Galason followed suit with a solo jack to left to cut the gap down to 6-4 Coffee. Later in the top of the sixth, the Black, Silver, and White had runners at second and third base with two outs on the board but Vick Gann would strike out looking to end the half inning.
In the top half of the seventh with one out on the board and runners once again at second and third, Ethan Kenney with hit a clutch two-rbi double to drive in Isaiah Galason, and Ethan Buffone to tie the game at 6 all. Noah Odom would come up to bat and would fly out to right to drive in Ethan Kenney on the sacrifice to give the visitors a 7-6 lead with two outs on the board. Kendall Jackson would ground into fielder’s choice to end the top of the seventh.
Coffee would not go down without a fight as Michael Strickland would hit a game-tying leadoff solo jack which would call for a pitching change as Tyson Ganas would go out and Ethan Buffone would come in and get two strikeouts and a groundout to send the game to extras.
In the top of the eighth, the Bears would retake the lead when Vick Gann scored on a wild pitch and Isaiah Galson and Ethan Buffone would each score on a wild pitch to push the HoCo lead to 10-7 which would be the score heading to the last of the eighth. The Trojans would have the bases loaded with two outs on the board for Michael Strickland to try and hit a walk-off grand slam but instead he would fly out to right to give HoCo the huge 10-7 region series victory.
Vick Gann, Ethan Kenney, and Noah Odom led the Bears in rbis with two a piece while Michael Strickland led the Trojans with three rbis. HoCo SP Tucker Hale and reliever Tyson Ganas both struggled on the bump as they combined to surrender seven runs (five earned) on four hits, walking six, and striking out seven.
Ethan Buffone came in and cooled off Coffee as he pitched the seventh and eighth innings and surrendered no runs on one hit, walking none, and striking out four in the process and picked up the win. Trojans’ SP Ben Fussell pitched six innings and surrendered four runs (three earned) on seven hits, walking three, and striking out 10 while throwing 101 pitches.
HoCo improves to 18-4 overall; 11-1 in region play and is tied for the region lead with Lee Co and these two will play for the region title in a couple of weeks but for now, the Black, Silver, and White turns their focus on the LakePoint Tournament.
