Houston County survives pair of nailbiters to advance
After missing last year’s postseason, apparently Houston County’s baseball team wants to make things interesting this time around.
The Bears outhit Statesboro in both games, had starting pitchers go into the seventh inning of both games and watched Statesboro make life tough by climbing back from deficits.
But Tanner Hall got the save in both games as Houston County nipped Statesboro 4-3 and 3-2 on Friday in a GHSA Class AAAAA baseball first-round playoff series.
The Bears improved to 21-6 while the Blue Devils’ season ended at 13-15.
The Bears got three runs in the third and one in the fourth of the opener while Statesboro made winning pitcher Tony Locey work.
The Blue Devils got three runs in a frisky seventh that included two conferences after Statesboro’s Mahlon Williams was hit with the bases loaded and it wasn’t called immediately. That came after the Blue Devils managed four walks off of Locey and Hall, all with one out.
But Hall got a strikeout and fly to end it.
Offense was harder to come by in the nightcap.
Houston County’s D.L. Hall wasn’t particularly sharp, either, in the second game but took a no-hitter into the fourth, which was when he lost that and the lead.
But a walk and singles by Cole Simmons and Austin Hittinger followed by a double from Austin Langford put the Bears up 3-1 in the top of the sixth.
D.L. Hall threw a 1-2-3 sixth, but Statesboro got a one-out walk and single to bring on Tanner Hall, who promptly walked his first batter. A fly to center brought in a run, but Tanner Hall struck out a pinch-hitter to end it.
FOUR WHO MATTERED
Locey: The Georgia signee spent the entire game battling. He sat down the Blue Devils in order only once, in the fourth, and he finished that inning having thrown 73 pitches. He ended up with 118 pitches.
Conner Akins: The Blue Devils’ catcher had their only two hits of the first game, and drew a seventh-inning walk that kept the rally going.
Tanner Hall: He had two hits in the opener, while also getting the save under hairy circumstances. He followed up with a hit and run in the second game, and got the save under hair circumstances.
Langford: He had two hits and an RBI in the opener, and had the game-winning two-run hit in the nightcap.
WORTH NOTING
A nice place: Houston County hasn’t lost at home since falling 10-0 to McEachern, a Class AAAAAA team, back on March 12.
Back to even: The Bears haven’t been in many one-run games and probably shouldn’t have been in one in the opener. But they improved to 3-2 in such affairs with two wins in a day.
Making it hard: Houston County outhit Statesboro 15-4 and barely won.
THEY SAID IT
Houston County head coach Jason Brett on Statesboro and its .500 record entering the day: "I don't buy a lot into records, just because I look more at a body of work, who they played. It's a good baseball team that came in. I'll be honest, I was a little worried going in, because people look at records."
Brett on the Statesboro offense vs. Houston County pitching: "(Pitchers Tony Locey, D.L. Hall and Tanner Hall) had to fight. (Statesboro) battled their tails off at the plate and made us pitch, made us work."
Brett on the two-game battle: "That's playoff baseball. That's why we played the schedule we played early, to prepare us for games like (Friday).
WHAT’S NEXT?
Houston County will host Cambridge, a 13-1 and 10-4 winner over Southwest DeKalb, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 9:21 PM with the headline "Houston County survives pair of nailbiters to advance."