The HoCo Bears hosted the North Oconee Titans in a doubleheader yesterday afternoon and night and the result was a split with the visitors winning Game One 4-3 and the Black, Silver, and White winning Game Two 9-8. HoCo committed two errors in the top of the first that ultimately led to two Titans runs in the top of the first.
The score would be 3-0 in favor of the visitors through 4 1/2 innings before the host started rallying when Nick Hardee hit a two-rbi single to drive in Davien Blasingame and Braylen Taleb to make the score 3-2. Braylen Taleb would later score on a wild pitch in the same frame to tie the game at 3 all going into the sixth.
North Oconee retook the lead 4-3 in the sixth inning and would ultimately take game one 4-3 to start 2-0 on the season. The Bears’ three pitchers.. Tyson Ganas, Ethan Kenney, and Michael Lyons combined to allow four runs (two earned) on six hits, walking four, and striking out nine.
Game Two would feature the Titans jumping on HoCo quickly when Landyn Dykes hit a two-run jack in the top of the first (the first home run the host as allowed at home since April 9, 2024 against Lee Co). The visitors looked to be in control of game two as they plated four runs in the top of the fifth to go from a 4-1 lead to an 8-1 lead heading into the last of the fifth.
The last of the fifth would featured probably the wackiest comeback in baseball history. The Bears would plate two runs on one wild pitch, a run on a bases carouseling hit by pitch, three runs on consecutive bases carouseling walks, a run on a wild pitch, and a run on a sac rbi by Raymond Byrd that drove in Davian Hammonds to give the Black, Silver, and White a lead 9-8 heading into the sixth inning.
The visitors had the game-tying run at third base with one out on the board in the top of the seventh but Raymond Byrd would get two strikeouts to end the game and give HoCo the 9-8 victory in Game Two to split the doubleheader. The Bears’ five pitchers.. freshman Ja’khai Wilson, Barry Brown, freshman Kaiden Harvey, Ryan Maxwell, and Raymond Byrd combined to allow eight runs, (five earned) on six hits, walking nine, and striking out 10.
Jett Waller led the Bears in rbis with two in Game Two. HoCo improves to 2-1 on the season and will prepare to travel to Gray to take on Central Georgia foe Jones Co next Tuesday while North Oconee falls to 2-1 and will host their county rival Oconee Co next Friday.
