TIFTON — Cameron Smith hit a liner over second base and Jake Spurlin scored his first ever varsity run Tuesday , March 12, as the Tift County Blue Devils walked off a 5-4 victory against Thomas County Central.

Tift head coach Greg Williams could only smile after the game about the day-to-day pressure in Region 1-6A, arguably the most loaded region in its classification. Five teams are capable of deep runs. Problem is, there are only slots for four of them.

Williams had nothing but praise for TCC’s Yellow Jackets, who are 2-2 in region competition against two of those talented teams. The Blue Devils are tied atop the region with Houston County, both 4-0.

“They have a good ballclub,” he said of Thomas County Central. “They played for 21 outs.”

TCC entered 2-1 in region competition to Tift’s 3-0. It was a battle from opening pitch to last, the Jackets going up 1-0 in the 1st before Tift eked out a run in the 3rd.

The Blue Devils went ahead 2-1, then 4-1 in the bottom of the 6th. However, they had to record three outs in the 7th. That proved quite difficult.

Nolen Taylor and Zach Williams started the frame with back-to-back singles. Lawson Odom doubled down the third base line to bring the Jackets slightly closer at 4-2.

With one down and Williams and Odom on, Dom McCann stepped up as a pinch hitter. His ground ball bounced off a glove, allowing both runs to score, tying the game at 4-4.

John Dorman, who came in during the inning to relieve Ryan Whitley, faced further danger on an infield single after a sac bunt, but got a Jacket to strike out looking to send the game into the bottom of the 7th all squared.

TCC got the first out of the bottom of the 7th, but Dorman, as he often does, came through in the clutch.

Dorman singled to right for a man aboard with one out. Coach Williams called for Spurlin to come in as a courtesy runner.

With two down, Spurlin swiped second. Smith then delivered the game-winning hit over second base, Spurlin scoring standing to win it.

For this to be Spurlin’s first varsity run, “This was a big one,” Williams said.

The Jackets scored one run in the 1st, a homer by Lee McCorkle to left.

Tift tied it up in the 3rd. Luke Ellerbee drew a leadoff walk, moving to third on a Brady Moretz base hit before touching home on a Dorman sacrifice fly.

In the 5th, Dorman came to the rescue again, a two-out single past a diving third baseman to drive in John Davis and take a 2-1 lead.

One inning later, it seemed the Devils had this wrapped up after scoring twice. After Tyler Holmes reached on a base hit up the middle, Landon Parrish blasted a home run over the left field wall.

Williams said everything Tift hit was barreled. “None bigger,” he said, of Parrish’s bomb.

Dorman had two hits for Tift and drove in two runs. His win on the mound was his third of the season.

Friday, Tift County completed the sweep with a doubleheader win at TCC. Scores were 4-2 and 5-2.

Davis struck out 12 in a complete game win in the former, giving up just one earned run.

The Blue Devils had only four hits in the game — two each by Davis and Parrish — but made the most of them.

Parrish homered for the second consecutive game, a two-run shot that also scored Tyler VanSumeren in the 4th.

Holmes scored on a wild pitch in the 3rd, with Davis immediately following with a single to score Parrish.

Rain in the nightcap meant the teams only completed five frames.

Moretz drew in two runs on two hits as Tift jumped out 3-0 in the 2nd. Holmes singled in Ty Dorden and Dorden had another run on a passed ball.

VanSumeren doubled in Mac Brooks for a little more insurance in the 5th after TCC closed to 4-2 in the 4th.

The Devils ran their region record to 7-0 Tuesday with a 19-0 shellacking of Northside. They were to travel to Mary Persons Wednesday for a non-region game before hosting Northside Friday in a doubleheader.

Tift is now 13-1 for the year.