TIFTON – Tift County polished off its Region 1-6A series against Northside of Warner Robins Thursday with two more shutouts, but the visiting Eagles did not let the wins come easily.
Northside sits at the bottom of Region 1-6A’s baseball standings, but brought an outstanding defense with them for the doubleheader. After scoring 19 in the opener Tuesday, the Blue Devils mustered nine runs over 14 innings Thursday.
Fortunately, Tift County’s pitching and defense carried them through on a night where every barreled ball from their hitters found gloves.
John Davis and Luke Ellerbee combined to pitch a one-hitter in the 7-0 first game win. John Dorham struck out 10 in the 2-0 nightcap win.
DEVILS 7, NORTHSIDE 0
Three of Tift County’s combined runs in the doubleheader came in the 1st inning of the opener.
Two batters in, they scored their first run, Brady Moretz doubling past shortstop to score Davis. A sac fly by Tyler VanSumeren brought home Moretz.
Dorman made it aboard with a walk, moving up two bases when a throw went into the outfield on a stolen base. Tyler Holmes grounded out to make it 3-0.
In the 2nd, back-to-back hits by Davis and Moretz had the Devils in business again, Davis providing the fourth run when he was balked in.
Davis was the first to score on a balk, but not the last. Wildly, two of the runs Northside permitted on the day were directly because of balks.
After Dorman’s groundout in the 4th plated Moretz, VanSumeren made it 6-0 courtesy of the balk route.
Jake Spurlin scored run No. 7 in the 5th. Running for catcher Cam Smith, Spurlin stole second and scored on an error off the bat of Ty Dorden.
In between the runs, Davis had complete command on the mound.
Caden Nelson poked a base hit in the 4th. No other Eagles got a bat around a Davis pitch. He fanned seven in six innings, occasionally getting a little help from his defense.
Holmes covered a slow roller in the 4th, stepping on second to erase one runner, then threw off-balance, across his body to Mason Grist at first for the third out.
Only two Northside men saw as far as second base. Ellerbee had one strikeout in the 7th before ending the game with Brady throwing to Holmes at second for a force play.
DEVILS 2, NORTHSIDE 0
Game two Northside starting pitcher Justin Canceran never recorded a 1-2-3 inning, but Tift was hard-pressed to get much going against him.
Mac Brooks was hit by a pitch in the second. Balks got him to third, but the Blue Devils had to settle for a first run when Smith grounded to second for an RBI.
Brooks also had their second run. He tripled to the center-right field gap to lead off the 4th. Smith repeated the out-for-an-RBI method of scoring with a sac fly to center.
In every inning except the 4th, Canceran stranded runners at second base. Just when Tift seemed to be rocketing the ball against him, the ball found an outfielder’s glove. There were two tumbling catches in left field.
Dorman did not have to work out of as much trouble.
Canceran singled in the 2nd, but VanSumeren led a tricky double plan that saw him start with the force out at first, then fire to Moretz at second to put a tag on a runner.
Only twice did the Eagles visit second base while hitting, once in the 3rd and once in the 5th when a ball was lost in the lights. The former situation happened with one out, Dorman responding by striking out the next two men.
Davis had four hits in the doubleheader. Moretz had three.
Earlier in the week, Tift grounded the Eagles by a 19-0 score in Warner Robins.
Moretz and Davis each had a four-hit game in the blistering. Both scored four times. Brooks, Holmes and Landon Parrish also had multi-hit games.
Moretz drove in three runs, with Smith, VanSumeren and Trey Dorminey knocking in two apiece.
Ryan Whitley and Jace Long combined on the shutout.
Wednesday, March 20, Tift outlasted Mary Persons, 9-8, in a non-region contest.
Spurlin had a two-run double. Dorman and Davis had two RBIs each as well. Parrish earned the win.
Tift returns to action Tuesday against Houston County at Devil Diamond.
The Blue Devils will enter as 1-6A’s No. 1 team after Houston split a doubleheader against Thomas County Central Thursday.