Sweet Water emphatically stretches win streak to seven

After an 0-4 start to the season, Sweet Water baseball has reeled off seven consecutive wins to reassert itself on the Class 1A landscape.

SWEET WATER 19, KEITH 0 (March 8)

The Bulldogs handled their Class 1A, Area 4 business with authority in a decisive sweep of Keith. The first game saw Sweet Water notch a 19-0 win on only six hits as they took advantage of eight Keith errors.

Sasha Smith struck out six batters over three and two-thirds no-hit innings while Braiden Broussard capped it by striking out all four batters he faced for the combined no-no.

J.T. Etheridge doubled twice in the game while Smith and Walker Thompson accomplished the feat once each. Chance Broussard, Michael Allen Cole and Etheridge singled once apiece.

The Bulldogs scored 12 runs in the second inning alone. Etheridge and Braiden Broussard scored three times apiece. Chastain Washington, Trace Luker, Thompson, Chance Broussard and Smith scored two runs each. Reed Joiner, William Etheridge and Jayldan Horton-Lewis had one run apiece. Smith paced the team with four RBIs.

SWEET WATER 17, KEITH 2 (March 8)

Things got little better in the nightcap as Sweet Water scored 17 times on only seven hits while capitalizing on six Keith errors for the 17-2 win. Keith got both of its runs in the top of the first despite having no hits in the game. Joiner struck out seven batters for the complete game no-hit win.

Chance Broussard doubled while JT Etheridge and Thompson each tripled in the game. Sweet Water amassed only four RBIs.

SWEET WATER 6, CITRONELLE 4 (March 9)

The Bulldogs stepped up to land a win over Class 5A Citronelle the next day, downing the visitors 6-4.

Chance Broussard got the win for the Bulldogs, allowing one walk and six hits along with two earned runs over four innings of work. J.T. Etheridge struck out five batters over three innings of scoreless work for the save.

Sweet Water started the scoring in the bottom of the first when Braiden Broussard drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Cole for the 1-0 lead. Chance Broussard singled in Trace Luker in the second to move the lead to 2-0. Two batters later, J.T. Etheridge singled in Sasha Smith to put SWHS up 3-0.

Citronelle scratched out three runs in the third, taking advantage of two hits, two hit-by-pitches and two Bulldog errors to tie the game.

The Bulldogs recaptured the lead in the home half of the fourth when Joiner doubled home Chance Broussard and Cole to put his team up 5-3. Joiner then scored on an error to stretch the lead to 6-3.

SWEET WATER 10, ST. LUKE’S 0 (March 12)

The Bulldogs stayed hot three days later when they traveled to Mobile to down St. Luke’s 10-0. Braiden Brossard and Joiner combined to allow one hit and one walk over five innings of work while striking out six batters.

Sweet Water scored in all five innings of the game. Chance Broussard had the lone extra base hit with a double. He also scored a run. Braiden Broussard drove in a pair of runs. Smith and Cole scored twice each.

SWEET WATER 3, ENTERPRISE-LINCOLN 0 (March 16)

The Bulldogs stretched the winning streak Saturday with a pair of wins in Stringer, Miss. The first saw J.T. Etheridge shine on the mound in a 3-0 victory over Enterprise-Lincoln of Brookhaven, Miss.

He struck out 13 batters while issuing no walks and allowing five hits in six innings of work. Chance Broussard got the save with two strikeouts in a perfect seventh inning.

Sweet Water got on the board in the bottom of the second when C.J. White’s grounder plated Cole, who had opened the inning with a single.

Chance Broussard reached on one error and scored on another in the third to move the lead to 2-0. Braiden Broussard singled to open the bottom of the fifth and later scored on a wild pitch for the 3-0 advantage.

SWEET WATER 11, QUITMAN 1 (March 16)

The Bulldogs went 2-for-Mississippi Saturday afternoon as they bludgeoned Quitman 11-1 behind Chance Broussard’s strong start. He struck out eight batters while allowing two hits and no earned runs over five innings of work.

Sweet water tallied 15 hits in the contest. Four of those came off the bat of Smith, who finished 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Joiner, Horton-Lewis and Washington had two hits apiece. Horton-Lewis also scored two runs. J.T. Etheridge and Thompson had two RBIs each.

SWEET WATER 15, MAPLESVILLE 1 (March 19)

The Bulldogs continued handing out drubbings Tuesday when they traveled to Maplesville and blasted the Red Devils 15-1.

Smith got the win, striking out six over four innings of work while allowing three hits and one run.

He also went 3-for-5 at the plate with one RBI and three runs scored. Chance Broussard, J.T. Etheridge and Cole had two hits apiece in the game.

Chance Broussard drove in four runs while Etheridge had three RBIs. Cole and White had two apiece.

Etheridge finished with two doubles. Smith, Joiner and Chance Broussard doubled once each.