CANEY BAY — Fifthranked Worth County completed a doubleheader and Region 1-A series sweep here Friday of Brantley County with a two-run fourth inning being the difference in a 64 victory.
The Rams (18-3 overall, 11-1 region), winners in 13 of their last 14 games, have won five consecutive games. BCHS (9-11, 4-5) have lost three straight games and two of three region series. The Herons hosted second-place Thomasville in the threegame series opener Tuesday, March 31. The two teams will play a doubleheader Friday, April 3 in Thomasville.
Bacon County visits Tuesday, April 7 for Game 1 at 6 p.m. The series shifts Thursday, April 9 to Alma for a 6 p.m. first pitch. The series finale is Friday, April 10 at Brantley County High School.
Worth County plated a run in the first and three in the second in building a 4-0 lead against Cain Roberson (3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 K, 2 BB, 1 WP). The Rams used a leadoff single, sacrifice bunt and one-out, run-scoring single for 1-0 lead in the top half of the first.
A leadoff double, single and one-out walk loaded the bases in the second. A two-out, run-scoring single was followed two pitches later by a two-run single increasing the margin to 4-0.
The Herons got their first base runner and base hit on Roberson's (1-for-3) first-pitch double leading off the third inning. After Roberson was replaced by courtesy runner Parker Rentz, Dennis Raulerson was hit by a pitch.
A sacrifice bunt by Eli Nielson moving the runners up was followed by Gaven Grafford's two-run triple slicing the deficit to 4-2. Eli Thomas beat out a sacrifice bunt with Clark Carter (1-for-2) following with a walk to load the bases. A second straight walk, this one to Kaden Hendrix, forced home Grafford. Thomas scored on the ensuing wild pitch tying the game at 4-all.
Worth County struck for two runs in the top of the fourth breaking the tie on a two-out, two-run single that followed a two-out double to keep the inning alive, a walk and passed ball. Rylee Young silenced the Rams' bats over the final 3.1 innings allowing just two hits He fanned five and walked one.
The Herons put together a two-out threat in the bottom of the fifth with an infield single by Carter and a walk to Hendrix. They went down in order in both the sixth and seventh innings.
