BEARVILLE — Pierce County polished off its fifth consecutive first round sweep blanking overmatched Miller Grove 12-0 here Saturday in Game 2 in the Class AA first round playoff series.
The overall No. 1 seed Bears (273) pushed their school-record winning streak to 20 games and 10 games in first round series with a fifth consecutive sweep. Pierce County improved to 17-3 in first round series.
The double shutout was the fifth for PCHS in first round series and seventh in school history. The Bears blanked Screven County in the 2007 AA tourney, Crisp County in the 2018 AAA playoffs, Johnson-Savannah in the 2022 AAA tourney, and South Atlanta in last year’s AA playoffs.
Pierce County blanked Hart County in the second round of the AAA playoffs in 2017 and Crisp County in last year’s quarterfinals.
The victory was the 200th for head coach Andrew Evans in his 10th season. Evans (200-102) joins Greg Gay (233-82) as the only coaches reaching the 200-win plateau. Gay’s two-coaching stints (2006-10, 2012-16) also covered 10 years.
Pierce County’s win was the 450th (450-198) for the program since Gay’s arrival in 2006 covering 21 seasons.
PCHS will host 16th-seed Pike County (17-15) in the second round Thursday, April 30. The Pirates swept 17th-seed Sonoraville winning 9-5 and 12-0. Pike County has won six of its last eight games.
Pierce County is 13-3 in the second round. One of those series losses came against Pike County during the 2018 AAA playoffs. The Pirates won 6-5 and 5-0 in Bearville.
Four other members of Region 3 will join the Bears in the second round. Sixth-seed Appling County swept 27th-seed Jordan. The Pirates will host 22nd-seed Tattnall County after the Warriors topped 11th-seed Drew Charter in two games.
Cook, seeded 12th, swept 21stseed Jackson. The Hornets will travel to fifth-seed Columbus. Crisp County, seeded 24th, upset ninthseed Burke County winning Saturday’s “if” game. The Cougars travel to eighth-seed Callaway.
Evans tossed “Johnny Wholestaff” in the series clincher with each pitcher throwing one inning. Dylan Johnson (strikeout) made his first career start and second appearance of the season. Cooper Davis (strikeout, walk, hit batter) worked in his second appearance.
Graham Thomas (hit, two strikeouts) and Jacob Martin (hit, two strikeouts, walk, hit batter) made their first appearances of the season. Colt Hickox fanned the side in the fifth in his sixth appearance of the season.
Chance Williams (double, hit by pitch, four stolen bases) led five players with multiple hits going 3for-3 and driving in two runs — one of four players with at least two RBI. Jack McClellan (triple, HBP, two stole bases) finished 2-for-2 with two RBI.
Dylan Johnson (two thefts) finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Brantley Willis went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Grayson Arington (double) was 2for-3 with two RBI.
Jonathan Stone (1-for-1, stolen base) drove in four runs. Christian Osbourne (1-for-3) added a hit.
PCHS scored twice in the first on McClellan’s one-out triple and Stone’s sacrifice fly two pitches later.
The Bears stretched the lead to 50 with a three-run second doing all the damage after two outs and nobody on base. Williams had a runscoring single with Stone driving in two with a bases-loaded single.
Pierce County put the game away with a seven-run fourth. McClellan plated the first run with a sacrifice bunt with Stone hitting a sacrifice fly one pitch later for a 7-0 advantage.
Consecutive one-out singles by Johnson and Willis followed for a 90 lead. Arington ripped a two-run double with Williams’ RBI infield hit capping the uprising.
