Sweet Water prevails in 13 to sweep Brantley

It took a masterful pitching performance in game one and 13 innings of tenacity in game two but Sweet Water swept Brantley Friday night to advance to the Class 1A semifinal round.

Sweet Water 2, Brantley 1

The Bulldogs played their ace in game one and Jonah Smith delivered in the biggest of ways, striking out eight batters while allowing one hit and an unearned run on only 74 pitches for the complete game win.

The Bulldogs wasted little time giving Smith a lead with which to work. Sasha Smith led off the game with a single before Jonah Smith singled him in for the 1-0 lead.

Adrian Person opened the Brantley third with a single, the lone hit of the game for the home team. An error allowed him to advance to third before he made his way home on a steal attempt at second to tie the game.

Will Huckabee singled to begin the top of the sixth. Three batters later, Chance Broussard singled him home for what would prove to the game-winner.

Jonah Smith retired the final 12 batters he faced to hold Brantley at bay and put the visiting Bulldogs up 1-0 in the series.

Sweet Water 4, Brantley 3 (13 innings)

Brantley with 6-5 Vanderbilt quarterback signee Jacob Free on the mound in game two. He struck out seven and allowed only one hit in eight and two-thirds innings. Free had long since left the rubber when the dramatic finish came in the bottom of the 13th. Shamar Lewis opened the frame with a triple to right on the only pitch he saw. Sasha Smith then hit an 0-1 offering through the right side to drive Lewis in for the walk-off game-winner.

Sasha Smith toed the rubber to start it off for Sweet Water. He worked three innings and gave up two hits. The Bulldogs ran a formidable relief corps of Braden Broussard, Huckabee, John Thomas Etheridge, Chase Joiner and even game one starter Jonah Smith to the hill in the win.

Smith used 40 pitches to help bridge the gap, striking out four over two and two-thirds while giving up one hit. Etheridge later worked two scoreless inning. Joiner ultimately took the win, working the final three innings while allowing only a walk and surrendering no hits.

Sweet Water opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Huckabee and Mendenhall each drew two-out walks. Huckabee later stole home for the 1-0 lead.

Brantley gave Free little help in the second as Luke Davis and Chance Broussard each reached on errors to open the inning. Davis later stole home as part of a double steal for the 2-0 advantage.

Brantley erased the deficit in the top of the fourth as Jacob Odom was hit by a pitch and Adrian Person drew a walk to start the inning. The tandem later scored on a Christopher Layton double to tie the game 2-2.

Still hitless in the game, Sweet Water regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth. R.J. Rodgers took first on a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the fourth. Two batters later, Broussard grounded to second base to drive him in for the 3-2 advantage.

Tommy Spivey reached on an error to open the fifth. He scored on a Free grounder to second to tie the game 3-3.

Despite the score, Free was still working on a no-hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning when Sasha Smith broke it up with a one-out single. Free then retired the next two Bulldog batters to send it to the ninth. In the home half of the ninth, Free retired the only two batters he faced before giving way to Nathan Renfroe, who struck out the first batter he faced to send the game to the 10th.

Pitching dominated the 10th for both squads before Person doubled to center to open the 11th. Chase Joiner entered the game to retire all three batters he faced in the 11th and strand person at third. Sasha Smith singled to open the bottom of the 11th but was caught stealing, removing the RBI opportunity that would have come from Huckabee’s triple later in the frame.

Joiner remained unhittable in the 12th while Renfroe pitched around Braiden Broussard’s two-out double.

Mack Wise reached on an error to open the 13th for Brantley but Joiner stranded him to set up the Sweet Water fireworks that ended the game.

Sweet Water (28-7) advances to the Class 1A semifinals next week where it will face the winner of Millry and Ragland, who split their doubleheader Friday night.