BEARVILLE — Christian Osbourne helped his own pitching outing with a one-out, two-run single in the bottom of the fourth inning breaking up a scoreless tie sparking Pierce County to a 7-0 victory here Thursday over Lanier County in a marquee matchup of state-ranked teams.
PCHS (24-3), ranked second in the latest ScoreAtlanta Class 2A Top 10 poll, stretched its winning streak to 17 games. The Bears’ victory snapped Class A DII defending champion and top-ranked Lanier County’s (22-4) 14-game winning streak.
The Bulldogs entered with nine shutouts during the winning streak, including four consecutive, and carrying a 29inning scoreless streak. Foes had managed just nine runs in the last 14 games while the Lanier County offense averaged nearly 10 runs a game during the span.
Osbourne (4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 K, 4 BB) silenced the Bulldogs’ bats, hurling four innings of no-hit ball. Kolton Brogdon (3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 K, 3 BB) finished up allowing a two-out double in the fifth spoiling the combined no-hit bid and a leadoff single to start the seventh.
Both teams stranded a runner in scoring position in the opening frame. Osbourne issued free passes to two of the first three Lanier County batters before settling down.
Chance Williams, who saw 13 total pitches in his four at bats, was drilled by the second pitch in the bottom of the inning, the first of his four at bats ending with a hit batter. He was drilled three times March 10 in Tattnall County and now has been hit a schoolrecord 18 times this season. Jonathan Stone drew a two-out walk.
After both teams went quietly in the second, the Bulldogs put two runners on in the third getting a leadoff walk and a oneout walk.
Williams was the lone runner in the bottom of the inning for the Bears getting plunked by a 1-0 pitch.
Osbourne pitched around a leadoff error in the fourth with PCHS responding with the first two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Dylan Johnson reached on a one-out error and moved into scoring position on a Brantley Willis (1-for-2) single two pitches later. After both runners moved up on a passed ball, lined a 1-2 pitch to left driving home both for a 2-0 lead.
Pierce County padded its margin with a run in the fifth. Williams was hit by a full-count pitch leading off and moved to second on a Beck Hodges’ (1-for-3) sacrifice bunt.
Williams stayed put on an infield single by Jack McClellan (2-for-4), stole third and scored on an errant pickoff attempt at first base for a 3-0 advantage.
The Bears broke the game open with a four-run sixth. Consecutive one-out singles by Osbourne (2for-3) and Bryson Smith (2-for-3) were followed by the second out.
Williams was hit by a 2-0 offering extending the inning and loading the bases. Hodges and McClellan followed with consecutive two-run singles extending the lead out to 7-0.
Lanier County got a leadoff single to start the seventh. The Bulldogs sandwiched a pair of walks around a 6-4-3 double play before the final out was recorded.
