BEARVILLE — Pierce County Middle School split a pair of Southeast Georgia Middle School Athletic Conference home games against Long County Middle School and Ware County Middle School.
The Bears’ (7-2) offense was slowed down by a trio of Long Middle hurlers in a 4-1 victory Monday, March 2. PCMS lost a heartbreaker Thursday, March 5, falling 8-5 to the visiting Gators, for its first conference loss.
Pierce Middle closes out the regular season Thursday, March 12, against visiting Bacon County Middle School at 4 p.m.
The top four seeds will play in the conference semifinals Thursday, March 19, with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds hosting. The championship game is scheduled for Thursday, March 26, at the highest remaining seed.
The PCMS 6th-7th grade team had its Friday, March 6, game with Coffee Middle called in the top of the second inning by lightning with the Trojans leading 3-2. Landon Shabott’s two-run double in the bottom of the first inning tied the game at 2apiece.
Bears ........................4 Long Middle..............1
Pierce Middle made a two-run second inning stand behind the combined pitching of Jack Jameson and Colton O’Berry.
Jameson worked 4.1 innings allowing three hits, an earned run with six strikeouts and three walks. O’Berry worked the last 2.2 innings, allowing a base hit. He recorded six strikeouts and walked one.
PCMS managed a season- low three hits against the three pitchers of Long Middle, who combined for 12 strikeouts and issued three walks. Only one of the four runs were earned.
The Bears took advantage of three consecutive one-out errors in the second inning to score twice. O’Berry reached on a oneout fielding error with Spener Taylor’s ensuing grounder thrown away for a two-base error, putting runners at second and third. Both runners raced home on an errant pickoff attempt at third for the 2-0 lead.
Long Middle scratched out a fourth inning run to get to within 2-1 scoring on a one-out double that followed a leadoff double and a walk.
Pierce Middle got the run back in the home half of the fifth. McCoy Howard drew a leadoff walk with pinch-hitter Drew Stipe (1for-1), blooping a single to right. Jacob Gruver’s (1for-2) one-out, bloop single to right scored Howard for a 3-1 advantage.
The Bears added an insurance run in the sixth. Jameson worked a leadoff walk. He raced around the bags on Taylor’s one-out grounder, forcing an errant throw across the diamond to third to score the final run.
O’Berry fanned all three batters he faced in the seventh extending his streak to five straight strikeouts to end the game.
Ware Middle ............8 Bears ........................5
Harrison Davis’s firstpitch, three-run homer in the top of seventh sparked Ware County Middle School to a come-from-behind win over the Bears.
Trailing 5-3 and with three outs remaining, the Gators plated five runs to get the victory.
Walker Thrift (4-for-4) lined an 0-2 pitch to left off Drew Stipe (2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 K, 0 BB) to start the rally. Holt Roberson’s ensuing grounder two pitches later was bobbled. Davis (1-for-3) followed with a first-pitch homer to left, barely clearing the fence for a three-run clout and a 6-5 lead.
Ware Middle padded the lead with two more runs before the third out was recorded.
Davis (3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 K, 2 BB), the third Gator pitcher of the game, pitched around an error and walk in the bottom of the seventh.
The Gators plated the first run of the game in the third inning against PCMS starter Colton O’Berry (4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 K, 2 BB, 1 HBP) for a 1-0 lead.
Pierce Middle came right back scoring twice in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 lead.
McCoy Howard (2-for-2) legged out a leadoff infield hit. After hitting into a fielder’s choice, Stipe went from first to third on an errant pickoff attempt by Thomas. McCook (2for-2) laced a run-scoring single to left knotting the score at 1-apiece.
McCook stole second and advanced third as Jacob Gruver (1-for-3) drew a walk. Asher Strickland followed with a runscoring groundout giving PCMS a 2-1 lead.
Ware Middle grabbed its second lead of the game in the visiting half of the fifth scoring twice for a 3-2 advantage.
The Bears responded with a three-run rally in the bottom of the inning. McCook led off with a firstpitch, opposite field triple to right. Gruver’s ensuing first-pitch double tied the score at 3-all. He took third on an error.
Strickland followed with a walk. Gruver gave Pierce Middle a 4-3 lead stealing home. Jack Jameson’s triple to right-center scored Gruver for the 5-3 lead.
