BEARVILLE — Top-seed Pierce County staved off elimination here Wednesday in Game 2 of the best-of-three series against regionmate Cook forcing an “if” game with an 8-3 victory.
Brantley Willis (5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 K, 5 BB) and Jonathan Stone (1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 K, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 WP) combined to slow down the sixth-seed Hornets’ (23-13) Game 1 offensive juggernaut to force a deciding game for the right play in the Class AA championship series.
Dylan Johnson (1-for-4) slugged his first career homer, a two-run blast in the first inning for a 3-0 lead, and Christian Osbourne (1-for-3) added a two-run triple in the third frame for a 5-0 advantage in the May 13 nightcap.
Willis twirled four shutout innings of one-hit ball keeping Cook batters off-balance mixing his pitches. He surrendered four hits over his last 2.1 innings of work allowing two runs.
Stone worked out of bases loaded jams in the sixth and seventh innings as the Hornets tried to make things interesting.
Cook loaded the bases in each of the last three innings as well as the second inning. The Hornets left 13 runners on base in the loss.
Following their first shutout loss of the season in the series opener, the Bears put three runs on the board in the first inning of Game 2.
Chance Williams (2-for-3) drew a leadoff walk from Case Lowery, the first of four pitchers used by Cook. He raced to third when Beck Hodges (2-for-4) followed with an opposite field single to right.
A sacrifice bunt by Jack McClellan (2-for-3) advanced Hodges to second. Stone followed with a sacrifice bunt on Lowery’s ensuing pitch scoring Williams. Johnson then homered driving a 2-1 pitch to left-center for a 3-0 lead.
Cook used two walks and a single to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the second. Willis snagged a liner ticketed for centerfield for the third out ending the threat.
PCHS increased the lead to 5-0 in the top of the third. McClellan legged out an infield hit to start the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. He advanced to third when Johnson’s grounder was booted.
After Johnson stole second and the second out was recorded on an infield pop, Osbourne belted an 0-2 offering over the rightfielder’s head to the base of the fence driving home both runners for a five-run advantage.
Each team would leave a runner standing in the fourth.
The Hornets closed the gap in the bottom of the fifth scoring twice. A one-out walk and a two-out double were followed by an intentional walk loading the bases.
Willis walked the ensuing batter forcing home the first run. A firstpitch, run-scoring single cut the deficit to 5-2 before a groundout ended the inning.
Still riding the momentum following an inning-ending double play in the PCHS sixth, a one-out error and first-pitch single ended the night for Willis. Stone came on in relief sandwiching a pair of strikeouts around a hit batter loading the bases.
The Bears added some insurance runs in the seventh scoring three times to extend the lead to 8-2. McClellan lined a leadoff single and stole second ahead of a walk to Stone chasing Cooper Exum, who came on in the fifth in relief of Lowery.
Avin Worley uncorked a wild pitch on his first offering advancing the runners to second and third. A second wild pitch allowed McClellan to race home for a 6-2 advantage.
A Willis sacrifice bunt back to the mound was thrown away allowing Stone’s courtesy runner, Garrett Stevenson, to score. Willis was replaced by Kolton Brogdon, who later scored the final run on a passed ball for the 8-2 lead.
Cook scored once in the bottom of the seventh and had the bases loaded when the game ended. An error, walk and wild pitch moved the runners up.
A one-out, run-scoring groundout was followed by back-to-back walks loading the bases before Stone retired the final batter with an eightpitch strikeout.
