TIFTON — Twenty-six runs and a no-hitter later, Tift County swept a Florida doubleheader March 31 and extended their win streak to nine games.
John Davis won Tift’s 20th game of the season with a no-hitter against Yulee (Fla.), with only a walk and hit-by-pitch keeping him from a perfect game. The final score was 10-0.
Davis had 18 strikeouts on the game, which went the full seven innings. Yulee’s first 12 outs were by strikeout. Devils’ outfielders had the easiest time of it — the three times the Hornets put the ball in play were on the infield..
The no-no is Tift’s 2nd of the season. Tyler VanSumeren and Landon Parrish combined to no-hit Bacon County in five innings Feb. 28.
The Blue Devils were in command even before Davis toed the rubber against Yulee. They scored twice in the 1st frame. Davis scored on an error and Brady Moretz drove in John Dorman. Five runs in the 5th put it out of reach at 9-0.
Moretz drove in three runs for contest. Davis, Dorman, Moretz and Tyler Holmes each scored twice.
Earlier Friday, Tift scored six in the 7th to blitz Baldwin (Fla.), 16-9. Moretz and Luke Ellerbee homered, according to official stats. Holmes and Moretz drove in three apiece and Davis scored four runs.
Back on Peach State soil, they will battle for first place in Region 1-6A this week. The Blue Devils were to head to Houston County Tuesday, April 4, for one game, then host a doubleheader April 7 against the Bears.
Houston, ranked No. 2 in 6A by Score Atlanta, is 9-0 in the region to Tift’s 8-1. The Bears began 2023 by winning 18 of their first 19 games, but ran into difficulties in a North Carolina tournament full of national powerhouses. Houston dropped games to California’s JSerra and Oregon’s Jesuit, as well as to Hagerty of Oviedo, Fla.
Tift, currently No. 4 in 6A, already has its best season since 2014-15’s squad, which went 23-7.
Pitching and hitting have been equally strong.
Through March 31, Blue Devils pitchers sported a 1.56 ERA Dorman sits at 0.95 to lead the list of usual starters, Davis has struck out 66 in 34 2/3 innings.
At the plate, Davis is hitting .468, a massive jump from his .213 as a freshman in 2022. Six Tift regulars are hitting at a .300-plus clip — Mac Brooks, Davis, Dorman, Holmes, Moretz and Landon Parrish.
Through 22 games, Davis has scored 31 runs, with Dorman at 25, Moretz at 23 and Holmes at 20. RBI leaders are Parrish at 23 and Moretz’s 21.
Moretz and Davis have three homers each. As a team, they have 48 extra-base hits.
Following the three-game Houston series, the Blue Devils will wrap region with three games against Veterans. A home contest against Irwin County April 19 concludes the regular season.
Tift is already assured of a state tournament berth. Wins against Houston would help their cause to open state at home, something they last did in 2021. Lee County (9-3 in 1-6A) has no region games this week before finishing against Houston. Thomas County Central’s (4-8) remaining region series is against Northside.