NASHVILLE — Clark Carter drove in a season-high five runs with two doubles and a single helping Brantley County complete the three-game Region 1-A sweep of Berrien with a 13-2 victory here Friday.
The Herons (9-8 overall, 4-2 region) stretched their season-best winning streak to four games while the Rebels (6-12, 1-8) suffered an eighth consecutive loss.
BCHS faces fifth-ranked Worth County (15-3, 8-1) this week. The Rams, winners in 10 of their last 11 games, hosted Game 1 in Sylvester Tuesday, March 24. Worth County visits Friday, March 27 for a twinbill with the opener scheduled for a 4 p.m. start. Game 2 is slated for 7 p.m.
Thomasville visits Tuesday, March 31 with the series shifting to the “Rose City” for a doubleheader Friday, April 3.
The Herons threw an early knockout punch in the series finale with a six-run second inning to open up a 7-0 advantage. The big inning was part of Brantley County’s scoring binge over the first four innings in building a 13-1 lead.
Connor Sumner (2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 4 BB), Rylee Young (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 1 BB) and Jackson Rowell (1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 K, 0 BB, 1 WP) combined to keep Berrien’s offense at bay.
Gavin Grafford (3-for-4) singled on the first pitch of the gam, and came home to score the first run on a one-out single by Carter (3-for-4). BCHS would end the inning stranding Carter and Kaden Hendrix (1-for-3), who followed Carter’s base hit with a walk.
The Herons plated six runs in the second, with five scoring after two outs for the seven-run lead. Cain Roberson (1-for-3) and Dennis Raulerson sandwiched full-count walks around the first out. Sumner (1-for-2) followed with a run-scoring single doubling Brantley County’s margin to 2-0.
Five consecutive batters reached after the second out. Eli Thomas kept the inning alive getting hit to load the bases. Carter roped a 2-2 offering with a bases-clearing double extending the margin to 5-0.
Hendrix followed with a run-scoring single growing the lead to 6-0. A Rowell (1-for-3) single was followed two pitches later by Roberson’s run-scoring single, capping the scoring for a 7-0 advantage.
Berrien got one run back in the bottom of the inning with a bases loaded sacrifice fly. A leadoff single and consecutive oneout walks set up the sacrifice fly cutting the deficit to 7-1.
BCHS answered with two runs in the third to open up a 9-1 lead. Raulerson drew a leadoff walk, raced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Grafford’s oneout single. Grafford moved into scoring position on a passed ball and easily scored on Carter’s two-out double to left for an eight-run lead.
Brantley County put the finishing touches on its scoring outburst in the fourth chasing home four runs for a commanding 13-1 advantage. Rowell worked a leadoff walk with Coger and Raulerson drawing consecutive one-out free passes loading the bases.
Young (1-for-1) lined a 3-1 pitch to left driving home two runs with Raulerson reaching third. Raulerson scored on a double steal with Young’s courtesy runner, Garrett Cox, taking second. Grafford’s ensuing single scored Cox with the final run.
The Rebels scored once in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out single that followed a double to keep the inning alive.
