Sweet Water holds off Excel for 22nd win

Sweet Water punctuated its regular season schedule Monday night by holding on for a 7-5 win over Excel. Will Huckabee held the excel bats at bay for two innings, striking out four and allowing one hit before giving way to the Bulldog bullpen.

Excel hung a four-spot on the board in the third inning to all but erase a 5-0 Sweet Water lead. Jonah Smith worked the final three innings, striking out six while allowing two hits to pick up the win.

Sweet Water opened the scoring in the home half of the first when Sasha Smith singled and scored on Jonah Smith’s triple. Huckabee then doubled home the elder Smith for the 2-0 lead. Huckabee later stole third and home to move the lead to 3-0. After a Luke Davis single, Chase Joiner grounded to second to plate Braiden Broussard. Two batters later, Davis scored on an error for the 5-0 advantage.

After Excel rallied to tied the game, Sweet Water took over again in the bottom of the sixth. Jonah Smith reached on a beanball before Huckabee tripled him in for a 6-5 lead. Hunter Mendenhall then doubled home Huckabee for the 7-5 advantage.

The win followed a weekend visit to south Alabama in which Sweet Water lost to Satsuma 13-0 and beat St. Luke’s 10-1. Sasah Smith worked a complete game, four-hitter to beat St. Luke’s. Jonah Smith was 2-for-3 with a double, a stolen base, two runs scored and one RBI to lead the Bulldog offense. Chance Broussard doubled and scored a pair of runs. Sasha Smith stole three bases and scored twice.

Sweet Water (22-7) hosts Winterboro Friday night in a Class 1A playoff doubleheader.