BEARVILLE — Pierce County scored at least one run in every inning as the No. 1 seed Bears posted a Game 1 10-2 victory here Thursday over 16th-seed Pike County.
PCHS (28-3), winners of 21 consecutive games, tied a school playoff record with a third straight game of scoring at least 10 runs in the April 30 series opener. The mark was set in 2010, starting with a first round Game 2 victory over Dodge County and a second round sweep of Howard.
The Region 2 Pirates (17-16) entered having won six of their last eight games, including a first round sweep of 17th-seed Sonoraville.
The Bears’ Chance Williams extended his consecutive streak of reaching base in the playoffs to 12 consecutive plate appearances going 3-for-3 (two doubles, two stolen bases) and drawing two walks. He reached base in all seven plate appearances in the first round sweep of Miller Grove.
Beck Hodges (2-for-3) and Grayson Arington (2-for-4) recorded multi-hit games. Christian Osbourne (1-for-2, double, double) and Bryson Smith (1-for-3) added the other base knocks.
The Bears took advantage of 10 walks and two hit batters to go along with the nine base hits against four Pike County pitchers.
Osbourne (5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 K, 3 B) got the start with Kolton Brogdon (2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 1 BB) working in relief.
Pierce County scored in its first at bat in taking a lead it would not relinquish.
Williams worked a leadoff walk, stole second and raced to third on a Hodges sacrifice bunt. A second-pitch sacrifice fly to center by Jack McClellan plated Williams for a 1-0 lead.
Pike County threatened in the top of the second loading the bases on a leadoff dropped third strike, an ensuing single and a one-out walk. Osbourne induced a inning-ending 46-3 doubleplay grounder to get out of the jam.
PCHS followed with three runs in the home half of the inning, doing all the damage after two outs. Osbourne drew a leadoff walk and was replaced by courtesy runner Garrett Stevenson.
Bryson Smith’s sacrifice bunt and a tag on Arington’s fly ball to center advanced Stevenson to third. Williams followed with a first-pitch, run-scoring single and stole second. He scored from there on Hodges’ infield single in the hole between short and third for a 3-0 lead.
McClellan walked on four pitches and Jonathan Stone was hit two pitches later loading the bases ending Alan Majors’ short afternoon. Reliever Brayden Stevens walked Dylan Johnson on four pitches forcing home Hodges for a 4-0 advantage.
Osbourne escaped trouble in the third stranding a pair of Pirates which included a leadoff single and two-out walk.
PCHS capitalized on an error in the bottom of the inning to score, extending the lead to 5-0. Smith was the beneficiary of the oneout miscue.
Williams’ two-out double kept the inning alive. Consecutive walks, the first to Hodges loading the bases and the second to McClellan, forced home Smith.
Pierce County scored once in the bottom of the fourth. Johnson led off with a four-pitch walk, stole second, moved to third on a Brantley Willis fly out to center, and scored on Osbourne’s sacrifice fly to center, upping the margin to 6-0.
Pike County scored its first run in the fifth after stranding six through the first four innings. Two singles to start the inning, putting runners on the corners, were followed by a fielder’s choice groundout slicing the deficit to 61.
The Bears got the run back in the bottom of the frame. Arington led off with a single, Williams walked with Hodges reaching when he beat out his sacrifice bunt to load the bases. Johnson was hit by a two-out pitch, forcing home Arington, extending the lead to 7-1.
PCHS plated three runs in the sixth. Osbourne greeted reliever Kya Hunt with a leadoff double. Courtesy runner James Alonso raced home when Smith dropped the ensuing pitch into center.
Smith, who took second on the throw to the plate, scored when the Pike County catcher emailed his return throw to second for a 9-1 advantage. Arington followed with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and raced home on a Williams’ double for the final Bears’ run.
The Pirates scored a seventh inning run on a two-out, infield hit against Brogdon.
