Sweet Water sweeps Area 1 foe Fruitdale
Sweet Water has officially started another winning streak as the Bulldogs swept a doubleheader from Fruitdale Friday.
Sweet Water 7, Fruitdale 4
Sweet Water tallied 10 hits in a 7-4 game one victory over Fruitdale. The Pirates jumped on top early with a three spot in the top of the first inning. Sweet Water got one run back in the home half of the frame as Sasha Smith hit a leadoff single before scoring on Will Huckabee’s single to cut it to 3-1.
Smith stroked a leadoff double in the bottom of the third ahead of a Braiden Broussard single. Huckabee followed with a sacrifice fly to center to plate Smith and cut the deficit to 3-2. Two batters later, Hunter Mendenhall singled home Broussard to tie the game.
Sweet Water took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth. John Thomas Etheridge singled to lead off the inning before giving way to courtesy runner R.J. Rodgers. Shamar Lewis later hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate Rodgers, putting Sweet Water up 4-3. Smith singled and scored on a Huckabee single for the 5-3 lead. Jonah Smith then tripled in Huckabee to put the Bulldogs up 6-3. Sweet Water added one more run in the bottom of the sixth when Jonah Smith hit a RBI grounder to plate Huckabee.
Etheridge worked four innings of relief, striking out two and surrendering one hit and one earned run for the win.
Sweet Water 9, Fruitdale 2
Sweet Water dominated the nightcap with a 9-2 victory behind Broussard’s complete game effort that saw him strike out five batters and scatter seven hits while giving up one earned run.
The Bulldogs trailed 1-0 after the top of the first inning but strung together a five-run rally in the home half of the frame. Sasha Smith drew a leadoff walk and stole second before scoring on Broussard’s grounder to first. Jonah Smith singled, stole second base and later scored on a passed ball.
Sweet Water later got a pair of runs on steals of home from Flynn Mabowitz and R.J. Rodgers to move the lead to 4-1. Lewis then scored on an error to make it 5-1. Jonah Smith tripled to lead off the bottom of the third and scored on a passed ball to push the advantage to 6-1.
Huckabee hit a RBI grounder to plate Sasha Smith in the bottom of the fourth, moving the lead to 7-1. Brandon Schroeder doubled home Rodgers in the bottom of the fifth. Sasha Smith scored the final run of the game on a Chastain Washington grounder.
Sweet Water (13-3, 3-0) stays unbeaten in Class 1A, Area 1 play with the sweep of Fruitdale, a series that saw the Bulldogs steal a total of 25 bases.
The Bulldogs are set to travel to the Gulf Coast Classic Monday to face Clarksville (Tenn.), Oneonta, Oak Mountain and Shades Mountain Christian in a span of three days.