Walks, errors, a lack of offense. You could look at either as a reason Veterans was unable to get past Ware County Tuesday in the two teams’ first Region 1-AAAAA meeting at Veterans.
Walks. Starting pitcher Tanner O’Neal gave up six in three innings of work. (He was relieved by Evan Bussell, who gave up three hits and two runs.) Two came to start the second but the Warhawks worked around them. They weren’t as luck in the fourth. A lead-off walk to Landon Dean, followed by a fielder’s choice and a player being hit by a pitch, lead to Jett Justice’s sacrifice fly.
Errors. Veterans was charged with five. The one on Jordan Aspinwall’s ground ball to open the sixth led to two more runs, although back-to-back singles by Courtland Sirmons and Justice did the damage.
Lack of offense. The Warhawks managed only one hit. That was by Al Lorenzo. It came to lead off the bottom of the fourth but, after being sacrificed to second, he was left stranded. Mark Lauritsen also walked. His free pass came in the first but he was left on third following Lorenzo’s fielder’s choice. Jamie McDaniel and Clifford Pless were also hit by a pitch. Both of those came in the fifth – McDaniel to lead off and Pless with two outs. Both were left stranded.
The Warhawks went in order the two innings following.
They fell to 4-8, 0-1. Ware County improved to 6-6, 1-0. The two are scheduled to meet again Friday in a doubleheader; first pitch 4:30 p.m.
Also, Monday, Perry hosted Spalding in a Region 4-AAAA matchup and won 7-1.
It was tight early, as neither scored in the first or third.
The Panthers managed one in the bottom of the second, but Spalding tied it with one in the top of the fourth. Perry pulled away from there. It scored two in the bottom of the fourth and then scored two each in the fifth and sixth. It out-hit its visitor 12-7.
Garrett Davis helped lead the offense. He was 3-4 with two runs driven in and one scored. Brayden Long also collected an RBI while going 2-4 and Carson Bryant was 1-2 with a walk and one driven in and Tyler Newhouse 1-4 with one driven in and one scored.
Ben McDow earned the win with five innings of work. He scattered five hit, gave up one run while striking out two and walking one. Bryant relieved him. He gave up the other two hit, struck out four and walked one.
With the win, Perry improved to 13-2 overall, 4-0 in the division. Spalding fell to 4-7, 2-2.
