Rams plate two in ninth to win opener
SYLVESTER — Consecutive two-out, run-scoring singles in the bottom of the ninth inning rallied fifth-ranked Worth County to a 2-1 Region 1-A victory here Tuesday night over visiting Brantley County.
The Herons’ (9-9 overall 4-3 region) Gaven Grafford and the Rams’ (16-3, 9-1) Avery Kilcrease matched goose eggs for seven innings in the March 24 pitching duel.
Grafford went on to pitch 8.2 innings scattering three hits. He fanned 12, walked one and hit a batter. Kilcrease hurled seven innings of three-hit shutout finishing with 10 strikeouts.
Brantley County, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, stranded four runners against Kilcrease and a stretch of 11 consecutive batters retired from the last out of the first through one out in the fifth.
Worth County, winners of three in a row and 11 in the last 12 games, stranded five runners through the first eight innings against Grafford. The right-hander retired 10 consecutive batters after a leadoff double in the second through one out in the fifth.
The Herons finally broke the scoreless tie on a two-out, RBI single by Carson Coger (1-for-4) in the top of the ninth.
Clark Carter worked a leadoff walk to start the inning. Kaden Hendrix (1for-4) followed with a double into the right-center field gap. After the next two batters were retired, Coger laced a 2-2 pitch to left scoring Carter for a 10 lead.
The Rams came right back with a leadoff error setting up the inning. A one-out hit batter was followed by Grafford’s 12th strikeout on his 113th and final pitch.
Worth County greeted Hendrix with consecutive run-scoring singles plating the tying and winning runs on back-to-back pitches.
Brantley County never left more than one runner on base through the first eight innings. Carter had a two-out single in the first. Cain Roberson’s (1-for-4) one-out single in the fifth ended a streak of 11 consecutive Herons retired.
Eli Thomas (1-for-4) ripped a two-out single in the sixth. BCHS left Jackson Rowell, who reached on a fielder’s choice, in the seventh. Dennis Raulerson opened the eighth reaching on a dropped third strike.
The Rams left a leadoff double on in the second, a one-out double in the fifth, a two-out single in the sixth, a two-out walk in the seventh, and a one-out error in the eighth.
