Sweet Water moves to 18-9 after thrashing of Miller
Sweet Water (18-9) split a doubleheader with J.U. Blacksher Friday before knocking off T.R. Miller Monday as it stares down the opening of the Class 1A playoffs Friday.
J.U. Blacksher 8, Sweet Water 3
Sweet Water gave up six runs in the first two innings of play in game one of Friday’s twinbill. The Bulldogs never could climb back into the game on the way to an 8-3 loss.
Sweet Water got its initial run in the bottom of the first inning when Sasha Smith scored on an error. The Bulldogs trailed 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth when Chance Broussard singled in Jonah Smith. Broussard later scored on a Trent Sams fielder’s choice to cap the run tally.
Sweet Water managed only three hits and committed three errors in the game. All six runs surrendered by starter John Thomas Etheridge went as unearned.
Sweet Water 9, J.U. Blacksher 8
Game two saw Sweet Water hang on against a furious Blacksher comeback bid, ultimately winning 9-8.
Sams drew a leadoff walk in the home half of the first moved to second on a Braiden Broussard walk, stole third and then home for a 1-0 lead. Back-to-back singles by Deshawn Blanks and Luke Davis followed by consecutive walks from Brandon Schroeder and Shamar Lewis in the second stretched the lead. Lewis’s bases-loaded walk drove in Blanks for the 2-0 advantage. Sasha Smith later drove in Davis with a sacrifice fly to center. Schroeder swiped home for the 4-0 lead. Sams singled in the fourth and swiped home again as part of a double steal before Sasha Smith scored on a passed ball to make it 6-1.
Tanner Weaver’s three-run homer in the fifth cut the lead to 6-4. Damon Rolin then singled in Dillan Baldwin to narrow it to 6-5.
Sams continued his good night in the fifth when he doubled to drive in Etheridge and Davis, moving the lead to 8-5. Chance Broussard stole another run with his steal of home in the sixth to make it 9-5.
Baldwin doubled to open the seventh. Two batters later Taylor Graham drove him in with a single. A Tucker Spence triple plated Graham to narrow it to 9-7. Spence scored on a passed ball to leave it at 9-8 before Jonah Smith (8-2) induced a grounder to third to end the game.
Sweet Water 18, T.R. Miller 8
The Bulldogs erupted in the late innings Monday to win an error-laden affair 18-8 over T.R. Miller.
Jonah Smith doubled home Sams and Sasha Smith in the first for a 2-0 lead before himself scoring on a wild pitch. Blanks scored on an error in the second to move the lead to 4-0.
After Miller posted three in the home half of the second to narrow it to 4-3, four error-aided runs in the third put the home team up 7-4.
The deficit was short-lived for the Bulldogs, however, as Lewis stroked a three-run shot to drive in Blanks and Reid Joiner in the top of the fourth. Sams then singled, stole second, stole third and scored on an error for the 8-7 lead. Braiden Broussard singled home Jonah Smith to push it to 9-7 before Chance Broussard’s single scored Braiden Broussard to leave it at 10-7.
The top of the sixth saw Sasha and Jonah Smith score on a Braiden Broussard double for the 12-7 lead. Etheridge then scored on a Joiner sacrifice fly before Braiden Broussard make it in on the throw to drive it to 14-7. Joiner scored on an error to make it 15-7.
Jonah Smith singled in Sams in the seventh before Sasha Smith scored on an error. Jonah Smith capped the Sweet Water scoring when he made it home on a passed ball.
Sweet Water wraps its regular season Tuesday when it travels to Demopolis. The Bulldogs host Highland Home in a playoff doubleheader Friday beginning at 4:30 p.m.