Sweet Water moves to 3-1 after rout of Jackson

Sweet Water (3-1) jumped on Class 5A Jackson in the first inning Monday and scarcely let up on its way to a 13-2 skunking of the Aggies.

Sasha Smith led off the game with a single and scored two batters later on a Braiden Broussard single to left. That score was the first of a five-run inning that put Jackson squarely behind the proverbial 8-ball. With two away in the inning, Trent Sams scored on a passed ball to move it to 2-0. After a Luke Davis single and a Reid Joiner walk, John Thomas Etheridge drove in Xavier Lucy with a single to center to move the lead to 3-0. Brandon Schroeder followed with a single before Shamar Lewis ripped a double to center to plate Joiner and Etheridge for the 5-0 lead.

Nehemiah Pritchett blasted a triple to center to open the offensive turn for Jackson. Broussard quickly shook off the extra-base hit and struck out two of the next three batters to preserve the 5-0 lead.

The Bulldog bats got back to work quickly in the top of the second as Smith reached on an error to open the frame. Jonah Smith followed with a double on a liner to right to drive in his younger brother and move the lead to 6-0. Broussard then reached on an error that allowed Jonah Smith to score and stretch the advantage to 7-0. Three batters later, Joiner singled home courtesy runner Trent Sams. Sweet Water made if a four-run second inning when Xavier Lucy scored on the third Aggies’ error of the frame.

Jackson scratched out a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to cut it to 9-2. Sweet Water capitalized on more Jackson miscues in the top of the fourth as Joiner reached on an error and scored on an Etheridge double for the 10-2 advantage.

Sweet Water moved the game into mercy rule territory in the top of the fifth as Sasha Smith singled and Jonah Smith doubled to open the inning. Broussard followed with a sacrifice fly to right to plate Sasha before Chance Broussard doubled home Jonah and put the Bulldogs up 12-2. Etheridge later hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate Chance Broussard for the final run of the contest.

Every batter in the Bulldog lineup finished with at least one hit with Etheridge and each Smith brother tallying multiple safeties. Etheridge notched three RBIs to lead the charge while Lewis and Braiden Broussard each had two. The Bulldogs’ offensive output of 13 hits included six extra-base hits and helped make the most of six Jackson errors.

Broussard also did his part on the mound, striking out seven batters over five innings of work while surrendering three hits and issuing no walks. Both runs he allowed were unearned.