The Houston County Bears took on county rival Perry earlier tonight in a matchup that turned into a dramatic, weather-shortened contest.
Perry struck first in the top of the third inning when Seth Harper delivered an RBI to put the Panthers up 1-0, snapping Houston County’s streak of 18 consecutive shutout innings.
After four innings of play, the score remained 1-0 as both pitching staffs stayed sharp in a tightly contested defensive battle.
In the top of the fifth with two outs, Perry catcher Tyson Peters came through with a clutch three-RBI double. A misplay in the outfield allowed three runs to score, extending Perry’s lead to 4-0. Peters attempted to stretch the hit into a triple but was thrown out at third to end the inning.
Houston County responded in a big way in the bottom of the fifth. The Bears erupted offensively, highlighted by George Bassett’s game-tying single that evened the score at 4-4. Later in the inning, Jett Waller drew a bases-loaded walk to give Houston County a 5-4 lead. The Bears continued to pile on runs and carried an 8-4 advantage into the sixth inning.
After five and a half innings of play, lightning in the area forced a delay, and the game was ultimately called official.
Houston County secured the 8-4 victory to improve to 5-1 on the season. The Bears will travel to LaGrange for the LaGrange Invitational, where they are set to face the LaGrange Grangers on Thursday, February 26.
Perry has now dropped four straight after opening the season with two wins. The Panthers fall to 2-4 and will travel to Fort Valley next Tuesday to take on the Peach County Trojans.
