Devils, Packers each win once in Saturday doubleheader

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, March 26, 2022

TIFTON – Tift County and Colquitt County split a Saturday baseball doubleheader, but the Blue Devils may be looking forward to a week without region games.

Two Blue Devils starters had to come out of the second game Saturday because of injuries. Cody Williamson collided with a Colquitt baserunner while attempting to catch an infield fly. Not long after, Tyler Holmes was hit on the face with a pitch.

Tift won the opener, 8-5. The Packers scored three times in the top of the 7th for a 4-2 victory in the nightcap.

The Blue Devils got to the Packers early in the opener, three runs in the 1st and four more in the 3rd. A tally in the 2nd was all their scoring as they held off a late Colquitt advance.

Holmes, John Davis and John Dorman filled up the bases without an out in the 1st, with the first two being walks and Dorman’s a bunt single.

Bailey Booth blooped a single over shortstop with one out for a quick 1-0 lead. Williamson kept the Pack in trouble by earning a bases loaded walk on four pitches.

The bases were still full when a pickoff attempt at third went awry, bringing in Dorman.

Mac Brooks began the second with a walk, which became a 4-0 score when Dorman singled him home.

Connor VanSumeren nearly hit a pitch in the bottom of the 3rd out of the park. The double moved Landon Parrish to third and set up Mac Brooks to begin the next round of scoring.

On a 1-1 count, Brooks laid down a squeeze bunt and the Packers were unable to get Parrish as he slid headfirst into home.

A wild pitch brought in Gavin Starling (running for VanSumeren). Davis doubled in Brooks, then made it 8-0 by scoring on a chopper by Dorman over third.

Colquitt scored its first run in the 3rd, Maron Moore driving in Cam Cook. Single runs followed in the 4th and 5th.

In the former, it was Davis Dalton coming in on a hit by Abe Daniels and the latter saw Landon Griffin hitting a triple, scoring Moore.

The score became closer in the 6th.

Cole Whatley doubled to right-center to drive in Hayes Lightsey. Chasyn Miley closed it to 8-5 when his single scored Whatley. The Packers had runners at first and third with one out, but a big play kept it from getting any closer.

VanSumeren struck out a man on a pitch in the dirt. Booth looked the runner back to third before firing to Williamson to complete the out. A pop-up to center ended the trouble.

With two outs, Brady Moretz walked one in the top of the 7th and fell behind 2-0 to the following hitter, but he swung at the next pitch, flying out to Cole Smith at second.

Dorman had three hits in the opener and drove in two runs. Davis and Brooks scored two runs each.

Moore also had three hits, which led Colquitt.

COLQUITT 4, TIFT 2

The first four innings were extremely quiet scoring-wise in the second contest. During that span, starting pitchers Davis and Moore allowed one hit each.

However, it was in the top of the 2nd that the Devils lost Williamson and in the bottom of the 3rd that Holmes exited.

The Packers got on the scoreboard first in the 5th. Dalton led off with a walk and stole second. He moved over to third on a strikeout that was the second out.

There, Cannon Whatley delivered a double to deep right to score the run before Davis countered with another strikeout.

Neither of Tift’s runs were usual in the game, their first one especially so.

The Blue Devils loaded the bases in four consecutive frames and, in the bottom of the 5th, the sacks filled with Dorman, Lino Acosta and Booth.

VanSumeren, who came in for Williamson, was at the dish with two outs in the 5th. A balk was called during his at-bat, bringing in Dorman to tie.

An inning later, Tift put together a bit of two-out magic with a single by Brooks and walks to Smith and Davis for a man at every bag.

With Dorman up, Colquitt attempted to pick Davis off first. The throw went into the outfield and Brooks put the locals ahead, 2-1.

Colquitt busted out the bats in a big way in the top of the 7th for the final lead.

Jarday Williams started them with a single. His courtesy runner moved up on a wild pitch, then an error. Lightsey then laid down a perfect squeeze bunt, evening the score at 2 and beating the throw to first.

Cook boomed a double to left and Cannon Whatley and Lightsey both came around to score.

Acosta walked in the bottom of the 7th, but Bryce Monk retired his next three men to hang on.

Davis struck out 11 for Tift in the contest. Moretz added the team’s 12th fan of the night in relief.