BEARVILLE — Dylan Johnson’s tworun single during a nine-run third inning gave second-ranked Pierce County the lead for good in a 14-4 Region 3-AA victory here Thursday over visiting Appling County.
The come-from-behind victory stretched the Bears’ (14-3 overall, 5-0 region) winning streak to seven games and a two-game lead over the Pirates (6-9, 32) with the series-clinching win.
Trailing 3-1 with one out in the third inning facing right-hander Harrison Hickox, PCHS had seven consecutive batters reach between the first two outs. Four more would reach before the final out was recorded.
Chance Williams (2-for-3) got the rally started with a one-out walk. He stole second and moved to third on a Beck Hodges (2-for-4) infield single. Jack McClellan (3-for-4) followed two pitches later with a run-scoring single recording the first of his four ribbies closing the deficit to 3-2.
After a Jonathan Stone (2-for-3) walk loaded the bases, Johnson (3-for-4) lined a two-run single off a 3-1 Hickox offering into left giving the the Bears the lead for good at 4-3. Christian Osbourne (2-for-3), who started on the mound, helped his own cause hooking a two-run triple off reliever Bryae Brown into the rightfield corner upping the margin to 6-3.
Brantley Willis (2-for-4) laced a runscoring single to center plating Osbourne. Following the second out, Grayson Arington (1-for-3) lined an opposite field triple to right pushing the lead to 8-3.
Williams greeted Bryce Nail, the third Appling County pitcher in the inning, with a single up the middle driving home Arington for a 9-3 advantage. Hodges’ second infield hit of the inning was followed by McClellan’s second run-scoring single of the frame driving home Williams with the final run.
The Pirates scored a run in the first and two in the second against Osbourne (5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP) in opening up a 3-0 lead. Appling County’s first three batters combined for a double and two singles, the last a blistering hit to left, with each depositing the second pitch in the at bat for a base hit.
Three singles loaded the bases with one out in the second inning. A sacrifice fly scored the first run with the second scoring on an error on a pickoff attempt.
PCHS scored a run in the bottom of the second on the third of three consecutive hits. Stone ripped a leadoff double with courtesy runner James Alonso moving to third on a perfectly executed bunt by Johnson, who beat the throw to first.
Osbourne followed with an infield hit up the middle scoring Alonso cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Down 10-3 entering the fifth, Appling County, took advantage of a two-out walk to keep the inning alive. An ensuing error was followed by a single loading the bases. Osbourne hit the next batter forcing home a run.
The Bears ended the game in the bottom of the sixth. After Williams lined the first pitch of the inning for a single, an error on a ball hit by Hodges was followed by McClellan’s two-run double to left-center off an 0-2 pitch stretching the lead to 12-4.
Stone legged out an infield hit with McClellan racing home on an errant throw across the diamond from the Appling County first baseman. A base hit by Johnson and an intentional walk to Osbourne loaded the bases. Willis deposited the next pitch into right scoring Stone’s courtesy runner, Gavin Schreiber, with the game-ending run.
