Baseball Tigers punish Warriors
By: TROUP BRINSON
The Forest Blade
The Swainsboro Tigers got back on the winning ledger last Friday night against heated rival Jefferson County by pounding the Warriors 11-1. The Tigers, in the midst of a five game skid were in danger of seeing all of their good work early in the season washed away. After a 4-1 start and a CBIT tournament championship, Swainsboro looked poised to ride a positive wave of momentum into a difficult region schedule. However, Dublin, Toombs County, Washington County, Dublin (again), and South Effingham let the Tigers know that they still had work to do to become the type of team that they aspired to be.
Enter Jefferson County. The Warriors and the Tigers have established an across the board rivalry that brings out the best in both teams. Tiger faithful revel in a victory against their neighboring county like none other. In this instance, the rivalry was just what the doctor ordered to get the Tigers refocused and back in a positive frame of mind.
Luke Kennedy and Justin Hodges led the offense, collecting two hits and two runs batted in apiece. The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 1 inning and increased it to 9-0 after 4 innings. But it was Hodges’ work from the mound that was most impressive. Hodges delivered a complete game, two hit performance with eight strikeouts. Swainsboro needed that effort as much as they needed the offensive explosion considering the struggles of late from the mound. The victory evened Swainsboro’s record at 5-5 and more importantly gave them a big sub region win.
“Justin had a solid performance on the mound Friday,†said Head Coach Rusty Kea. “He threw strikes and had pretty good command of his pitches. Limiting base on balls is going to be the key to his success on the mound.â€
Swainsboro is slated to play South Effingham on the road on Tuesday before returning home to meet Southeast Bulloch on Friday. Game times are scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Enter Jefferson County. The Warriors and the Tigers have established an across the board rivalry that brings out the best in both teams. Tiger faithful revel in a victory against their neighboring county like none other. In this instance, the rivalry was just what the doctor ordered to get the Tigers refocused and back in a positive frame of mind.
Luke Kennedy and Justin Hodges led the offense, collecting two hits and two runs batted in apiece. The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 1 inning and increased it to 9-0 after 4 innings. But it was Hodges’ work from the mound that was most impressive. Hodges delivered a complete game, two hit performance with eight strikeouts. Swainsboro needed that effort as much as they needed the offensive explosion considering the struggles of late from the mound. The victory evened Swainsboro’s record at 5-5 and more importantly gave them a big sub region win.
“Justin had a solid performance on the mound Friday,†said Head Coach Rusty Kea. “He threw strikes and had pretty good command of his pitches. Limiting base on balls is going to be the key to his success on the mound.â€
Swainsboro is slated to play South Effingham on the road on Tuesday before returning home to meet Southeast Bulloch on Friday. Game times are scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
