Sweet Water splits Area 1 double-header with Millry

Errors compromised Sweet Water’s perfect Class 1A, Area 1 record Thursday night as it dropped a game 8-5 to Millry before rebounding to take the nightcap.

Sweet Water took command of the contest in the top of the first inning when Jonah Smith singled in Sasha Smith to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. After a Hunter Mendenhall single, a Millry error allowed Jonah Smith and Chastain Washington to score to push the lead to 3-0.

The score stayed there until a disastrous bottom of the second put the Bulldogs down 5-3. A Michael Manuel double and a Tate Warr walk set the stage for a two-run double by Brennan McIlwain that plated Manuel and Daylon Anderson. Two more walks set up a Trey Lewis double that scored McIlwain and Coby Beasley for the 4-3 lead. The fourth walk of the inning came just moments before a one-out error plated Zeke Turner for the 5-3 advantage.

Sweet Water closed the gap in the third when Will Huckabee singled home Sasha Smith to cut it to 5-4.

With the game still in contention and the Bulldogs committed a two-out error in the bottom of the fifth that allowed Ross Dixon, Manuel and Anderson to score to move the lead to 8-4.

Sweet Water looked to rally in the top of the seventh as Chase Joiner was hit by a pitch and John Thomas Etheridge singled with one away. Shamar Lewis followed with a single to plate courtesy runner R.J. Rodgers, cutting it to 8-5. With a runner aboard, the final two Bulldog batters struck out to cement the loss.

With the first two games of the series split, Sweet Water used a strong pitching performance from Etheridge and timely hitting from Huckabee and Mendenhall to come from behind for a 3-2 win in the rubber game.

Following two Bulldog errors in the second, Beasley singled with two away to score Dixon and Anderson, staking Millry to a 2-0 lead. Sweet Water continued to scuffle as Etheridge pitched around a walk, an error and a double in the bottom of the third to keep the game close.

With one out in the top of the fourth, Jonah Smith became the first Bulldog to touch a base when he reached on an error. Huckabee followed with a run-scoring single to cut the deficit to 2-1. Mendenhall then made it back-to-back singles when he drove in Huckabee to tie the game.

Sweet Water broke the deadlock with one out in the fifth. Etheridge singled before giving way to Washington as a courtesy runner. Bunt singles from Shamar Lewis and Sasha Smith loaded the bases with one out. Jonah Smith followed with a sacrifice fly to left to plate Washington and put the Bulldogs up 3-2.

Braiden Broussard came on in relief with two away in the bottom of the sixth. With Dixon and Warr aboard, Broussard struck out a Wildcat batter to hold the Sweet Water lead. Broussard surrendered a single to Turner in the bottom of the seventh but induced a line drive double play to pick up the save.

Etheridge struck out two batters over five and two-thirds innings while scattering four hits and allowing two unearned runs. Broussard needed only 10 pitches for the four-out save.

Sweet Water (17-6) is in position to host a series in the first round of the Class 1A state playoffs despite committing 16 errors over the three-game set against Millry. Sweet Water is set to travel to Southern Choctaw Tuesday.