PCHS host second straight regionmate in No. 22 Crisp Co.
BEARVILLE — Third-seed Pierce County survived and advanced sweeping visiting regionmate Cook in the second round of the Class AA playoffs to reach the quarterfinals for the third time in four years.
The Bears (24-8), winners of five straight, beat the 14th-seed Hornets (23-11) 8-7in 11 innings in the Thursday, May 1 series opener. Cook entered riding a five-game winning streak including a first round sweep of No. 19 Hardaway.
Pierce County finished the series winning Game 2 on a one-hit shutout winning 3-0 to improve to 12-4 all-time in second round appearances.
PCHS, who won all five meetings with the Hornets, will host 22ndseed and Region 3 foe Crisp County (16-19) in the “Elite 8” scheduled to start today (Wednesday, May 7) with a doubleheader starting at 4:30 p.m. An “if” game would be played Thursday, May 8 at 3 p.m.
The 22nd-seed Cougars, who knocked off sixth-seed Columbus winning the “if” game, have won 12 of their last 15 games since being swept in a three-game region series against Pierce County March 25, March 27-28 by a combined score 31-5.
The Bears are 4-7 in quarterfinal pairings having last reached the “Final Four” in 2022 winning a three-game matchup 2-1 against Franklin County.
Game 1 No. 3 Bears 8 No. 14 Cook 7, 11 Inn.
Jonathan Stone’s one-out, runscoring single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted Pierce County to the win over the Hornets.
Tied at 7-apiece after the Bears plated a run in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings, a leadoff error to start the 11th came home to roost.
Chance Williams (1-for-4) reached on the miscue. He stole second after the first out and raced home scoring the game-winner on Stone’s (1-for-6) single to left off a 2-2 pitch.
Cook grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Emmitt Hall (2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 3 BB) on a two-out balk scoring the run from third. M.J. Tippins (2-for-6) led off the game with a base hit, was sacrifice to second, moved to third on a groundout and trotted in on the balk.
PCHS plated three runs in the bottom of the inning for a 3-1 advantage. Williams led off with a four-pitch walk and moved to second when Jones Herrin was hit by a 1-1 pitch.
After a balk moved the runners up, Stone’s ensuing grounder plated Williams tying the score. Herrin, who advanced on the groundout, scored when Dylan Johnson (2-for-5) followed with a groundout for a 21 lead.
Jack McClellan (2-for-3) singled two pitches later and Dylan Figueroa (2-for-3) overcame an 0-2 hole drawing a walk. Mark Sweet (1for-2) lined the next pitch to center scoring McClellan upping the advantage to 3-1.
After Hall pitched around a oneout walk and error in the top of the second, PCHS extended the lead to 5-1 with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Christian Osbourne (1-for-4) opened the inning with a walk, moved over on a balk and stayed put on Williams’ infield hit. A sacrifice bunt by Herrin moved the runners up with Johnson delivering a twoout, two-run double to left-center for a four-run advantage.
The Hornets closed the deficit to 5-4 in the top of the third chasing Hall from the mound. An error set up the inning. Consecutive singles followed with the second driving in a run to pull Cook to within 5-2.
A two-out walk kept the inning alive and loaded the bases. A RBI single and a walk forcing home a run had the Hornets trailing 5-4. Stone (3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K, 3 BB) came on to get the final out.
Sweet led of the Pierce County third with a four-pitch walk. Beck Hodges executed a sacrifice bunt with an Osbourne single putting runners at the corners. Williams foiled Cook’s bid for an inning-ending double play beating the throw from second as Sweet scored for a 64 lead.
The Hornets tied the score at 6apiece in the top of the fourth on a two-out, two-run homer by Landon Dixon. The first-pitch blast to leftcenter followed a base hit.
After both teams stranded the goahead run in the sixth, Cook grabbed the lead in the seventh on a one-out, passed ball. Brantley Willis (3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 2 BB) was greeted with a leadoff double on his third offering.
After a ground out moved the runner to third, a first-pitch passed ball scored the go-ahead run for a 76 advantage. The Hornets would leave the bases loaded after a twoout single, error and walk.
PCHS quickly tied the score in the bottom of the seventh. Johnson lined a leadoff single and raced around the bases scoring on McClellan’s double. McClellan was stranded at third after Figueroa’s sacrifice bunt for the first out.
Cook left one runner on base in the eighth and ninth innings while the Bears went in order.
Garrett Stevenson (2 IP, O H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB) retired the Hornets in order in the 10th and 11th innings. Figueroa led off the Pierce County 10th with a double. Pinchrunner James Alonzo was left standing at third after Stevenson’s ensuing sacrifice bunt.
Game 2 No. 3 Bears...........................3 No. 14 Cook..........................0
Jaxton Harris tossed one-hit shutout ball over 6.1 innings helping the Bears complete the sweep in the nightcap.
Harris (6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 15 K, 4 BB) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. The right-hander threw 110 pitches recorded 11 of the first 12 outs via strikeout (seven swinging, four looking) recording a careerbest 15 strikeouts.
PCHS got the leadoff batter on in each of the first two innings. Williams (1-for-3) blooped a single to right to start the game and Johnson (2-for-4) legging out an infield hit to start the second.
The Bears plated the only runs of the game in the top of the fourth sending nine batters to the plate with three scoring. Four straight batters reached after two outs pushing home three runs for a 3-0 lead.
Johnson set up the inning with a one-out single followed by a McClellan (1-for-2) walk. A two-out, fourpitch walk to Osbourne kept the inning alive.
Stevenson’s ensuing grounder was booted scoring Johnson. Backto- back walks on 3-2 pitches to Hodges and Williams forced home McClellan and Osbourne before the final out was recorded.
PCHS left the bases loaded in the fifth. McClellan was clipped by a two-out pitch with Figueroa and Osbourne drawing consecutive walks.
Cook stranded two in the fifth with the one-out double and two-out walk.
The Bears’ Herrin was left standing in the sixth after being hit by a two-out pitch. PCHS stranded two in the seventh after a McClellan one-out single and Figueroa reaching on an two-base error three pitches later.
Consecutive one-out errors in the bottom of the seventh had Cook threatening. An ensuing four-pitch walk loaded the bases ending the night for Harris. Herrin came on to strikeout the next two batters on 11 pitches squelching the comeback bid of the Hornets.
