Carter’s homer in 7th lifts Herons to Game 1 victory
NASHVILLE — Clark Carter’s solo blast leading off the seventh inning broke a 3-all tie and Brantley County added an insurance run en route to beating Berrien here in the Region 1-A opener Tuesday.
Carter drove a 2-1 pitch into the March 17 night sky to left giving the Herons (7-8 overall, 2-2 region) a 4-3 lead over the Rebels (6-10, 16), who lost their sixth consecutive game, in the first matchup of the three-game series.
Kaden Hendrix (2-for-3) followed with a walk and Jackson Rowell (1-for-2) reached when his sacrifice bunt was booted. A two-out walk to Carson Coger loaded the bases with Parker Rentz’s (1-for-2) bloop single scoring Hendrix for a 5-3 lead.
Gaven Grafford (7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 K, 0 BB, 3 HBP) retired Berrien in order in the bottom of the seventh to complete the route-going performance.
Brantley County struck for two runs in the first inning after two outs and nobody on base. Carter (2-for-4) blasted his first homer of the game to left off an 0-2 pitch for a 1-0 advantage.
Hendrix’s ensuing grounder was bobbled. A first-pitch, infield hit by Rowell was followed by Cain Roberson’s (1-for-4) run-scoring single upping the margin to 2-0.
The Rebels got one run back in the bottom of the inning on a two-out, run-scoring double, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Berrien got a leadoff double and a single to start the inning.
Grafford escaped trouble in the second after hitting consecutive batters following a double play popup on a sacrifice bunt wiping out a leadoff single. Grafford induced an inning-ending grounder to get out of the jam.
BCHS stretched the lead to 3-1 in the third inning. Dennis Raulerson led off reaching on an error. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Hendrix double to left.
Berrien scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to knot the score at 3-apiece. A leadoff double scored on a one-out fielder’s choice in the fourth closing the gap to 3-2. A solo home run leading off the fifth evened the score.
Both teams would leave a runner stranded in the sixth. Grafford (2-for-5) singled with two outs and surrendered a two-out single in the home half of the inning.
