BASEBALL HOUNDS
The Greyhounds found an opportune time to get on the winning track last week, beating Eagles Landing 10-0 and 15-0 for a pair of region wins. The third game between both teams was set for Friday prior to being postponed.
The Greyhounds, who host Mary Persons Friday before playing region front runner Ola next week, rode strong pitching and timely hitting to both wins, the 15-0 triumph coming last Wednesday at home as Dawson Harris got the win on the mound with JCHS blowing the game open with a six-run second inning.
“For us, after playing a tough non-region schedule and losing those two to Union Grove the way we did, to play like we did in these two games, it’s uplifting for the guys,” Greyhounds head coach Mike Paulk said.
Jones County’s run production followed the recent trend of the bats gaining traction, as the Greyhounds have scored five runs or more in their past four games.
That began on Wednesday with Harris helping himself with an RBI single following a Tucker Maddox single to score Marlin Mills and give Jones County a 2-0 lead.
That first inning on Wednesday would be an opening to what would continue, with Noah Robinson scoring on a wild pitch and a Colin Evans grounder driving on Cohen Barfield. After a Marlin Mills RBI, Maddox had what would end up being the inning’s big hit, ripping a two-run triple and taking home on a throwing error. By the time the inning was over, JCHS was in full control, leading 8-0.
“The guys who maybe have not produced like they wanted to, this was a game for them to get back in the groove,” Paulk said.
The third inning saw Dalton Lowe and Evans score on a throwing error on a Greyhounds stolen base attempt, handed Jones County a 10-0 lead as a result of staying aggressive despite a big lead. That was hardly a coincidence, according to Paulk.
“For us, a game like this is more of a mental challenge. We’re physically able to do what we did. Mentally, the challenge is staying focused for the entirety of what’s happening,” Paulk said. “After last week, the lesson learned was that we can’t take our foot off the gas, that nothing can be taken for granted. Want to play our best game for as long as we can and let the scoreboard speak for itself.”
The Greyhounds kept the pressure up, going up 12-0 on a two-run single by Kason Taylor, 13-0 on an infield hit by Barfield, 14-0 when Barfield scored on a wild pitch and the final margin of 15-0 when Lowe drove in Evans.
