Two-run single with two outs in bottom of 7th lifts BC to 6-5 Game 1 victory
SAVANNAH — Benedictine’s Ike Ross lined a two-out, two-run bases loaded single in the bottom of the seventh inning lifting the second-ranked Cadets to a 6-5 Region 1AAAA victory here Tuesday over 10th-ranked Ware County.
The April 7 Game 1 loss ended the Gators’ (16-8 overall, 9-1 region), ranked 8th by MaxPreps, and making their first appearance in the Class 4A ScoreAtlanta rankings since early in the season, 14-game winning streak. BC (20-5, 9-1), ranked fourth by MaxPreps, won for the second time in four outings after having an 18game winning streak snapped two weeks ago.
Ware County, down 4-2 entering the seventh, scored three times to take a 5-4 lead. Collin Crawford (1-for-3) started the inning with an opposite field base hit, the first of four consecutive hits for the Gators. Seth Suess (2for-3) followed by lacing a 3-2 offering for a double.
Slade Sweat (2-for-4) delivered a two-run double three pitches later knotting the score at 4-all. Landon Smallwood’s (2for-3) ensuing run-scoring single plating Sweat gave Ware County its first lead at 5-4.
Suess (6+ IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 K, 2 BB, 1 HBP) surrendered a leadoff single and issued a walk to begin the Cadets’ half of the seventh.
Sweat, who came on in relief, was greeted by a second-pitch base hit loading the bases. After a strikeout for the first out, a Benedictine sacrifice bunt ended with a force out at the plate setting up Ross for the game-winning hit to center off an 02 offering.
BC plated two runs in its first at bat on a one-out, runscoring double and a sacrifice fly.
The Gators, who had just one batter reach over the first three innings against Noah Harris — that coming when Suess was drilled by a one-out pitch in the first — scored their first run in the fourth.
Suess led off with a single, with Smallwood coming through with a one-out single. Walker Hudson’s (1-for-4) two-out double to left-center scoring Suess pulled Ware County to within 2-1.
The Cadets answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Kai Hernandez-Gambill (2-for-3) deposited the first pitch of the frame over the fence in left, quickly getting the Ware County run right back. A two-out, runscoring single increased the margin to 4-1.
Ware County put together a threat in the visiting half of the fifth only to have two base runners gunned down trying to steal bases.
The Gators were able to slice the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth. A Sweat leadoff single and a walk to Smallwood helped set up the run. Sweat advanced to third on Isaiah White’s fly ball out and scored one pitch later on a passed ball.
