Ware County’s junior varsity baseball team was stung with three losses in three games last week against opponents nicknamed Yellow Jackets to fall to 7-4 on the season.
Two of the losses came in a home-and-home series with Wayne County while the other was against Jeff Davis.
Wayne topped the Gators 7-4 in 10 innings March 9 in Waycross and claimed the return game 10-9 March 12 in Jesup. In between, visiting Jeff Davis blasted the Gators 10-3 on March 11.
Wayne County .....................7 Gators .................................4
The visitors pushed across three runs in the top of the 10th inning to pull out the victory.
The Yellow Jackets had two hits, a walk, sacrifice bunt and a pair of sacrifice flies in the winning frame. Ware County (7-2) got the leadoff runner on in its half of the 10th, but the threat ended on a double play grounder and a strikeout against the last of three Wayne pitchers.
Ware County led 2-0 after the first inning 4-3 after five. The Jackets got even with a run in the sixth — the fourth straight frame scoring a single run — and it stayed that way until the 10th.
Chaden Carter suffered the loss for the Gators in relief of starter Reavis Barnes, each pitching five innings.
Carter allowed five hits and four runs — three earned — with three strikeouts and four walks. Barnes gave up six hits and three runs with just one earned along with three walks and four strikeouts.
The Gators collected seven hits — six singles — with leadoff man Lucas Howard going 2-for-5 with two hits. Trace Crosby, Brayden Tanner and Hayes Sweat each had a single and a run batted in while Asher Lee had a double and Ashton Suess the other single.
Jeff Davis ..........................10 Gators .................................3
A seven-run third inning gave the visitors all the runs they needed to secure the win. The Jackets capitalized on 10 hits, seven walks and two Ware errors as only six of their runs were earned.
The Gators, who led 2-0 after the first, managed seven hits against two Jeff Davis pitchers. Ware’s only other run came in the fifth inning.
Bentley McClendon earned the win for the Jackets, going six innings while allowing seven hits, the three runs with a walk and three strikeouts. Brady Stevens closed the last inning with two walks and a strikeout.
Lucas Howard was the starter and loser for Ware, pitching the first three innings and giving up seven runs — only three earned — with five walks and four strikeouts. Ashton Suess finished up, allowing seven hits and three runs with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Howard was the only Gator with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a double out of the leadoff spot. Trace Crosby and Hayes Sweat each had a hit and a run batted in with Crosby’s hit being a double.
Reavis Barnes, Ryder Kinnon, and Bradyen Davis each had singles. Jaccheus Cooper knocked in the other Gators run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth ining.
In the Gators first, Howard opened with a double, and after a groundout, Crosby doubled home courtesy runner Tyden Bradley. After another ground out, Hayes singled home Crosby.
The Jackets’ winning frame began with three straight walks and later included two singles, two more walks and two errors. Jeff Davis added another run in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Wayne County ...................10 Gators .................................9
JESUP — The Yellow Jackets gained the win with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning without the benefit of a hit. Wayne had drawn even at 9-9 with four runs in the sixth inning.
Ware trailed 5-0 after three innings before scoring three runs in each of the next three frames to go up 9-5. The Gators collected 13 hits, but suffered five errors in the loss leading to seven unearned runs for the Jackets.
Sawyer Pye, the last of four Wayne pitchers got the win, hurling the seventh inning with three strikeouts. Jaccheus Cooper took the loss for Ware, going 1.2 innings with a hit, two runs — one earned — two walks and two strikeouts.
Brayden Davis pitched the first three frames, allowing six hits, five runs — just one earned — no walks and three whiffs. Asher Lee followed with two innings in which he allowed a hit and three runs — one earned — with four walks and three strikeouts.
Brayden Turner, Brodie Burchett, Hayes Sweat and Chaden Carter each had multiple hits for Ware. Reavis Barnes, Ashton Suess and Cooper had the Gators other hits.
Turner was 3-for-4 with three RBI while Burchett was 3-4 with a double and two knocked in. Sweat was 2-for-3 while Carter was 2-for-5 with a double.
Barnes knocked in two runs while Davis and Kinnon each added an RBI.
