A few days of rest isn’t the only thing that the Greyhounds picked up over spring break last week. Jones County also grabbed three wins in a row to even their record at 11-11 overall going into the final two weeks of the season. The Greyhounds swept a Friday doubleheader against Bainbridge 14-4 and 14-3 before topping Veterans 8-5 on Saturday to with their sixth game in a row.
Jones County returned to region play on Tuesday at Locust Grove and hosts the Wildcats in a doubleheader on Friday. The Greyhounds started the week four games back of the Wildcats for third place in the region standings but would still have a chance to catch them with a sweep of all three games between the two teams this week. JCHS wraps up the regular season next week against Warner Robins with Locust Grove playing Union Grove.
The Greyhounds trailed 4-2 through the first two innings of Friday’s first game. That disadvantage, however, did not last. After cutting the deficit in half, a four-run fourth inning combined with a single run in the fifth and six more won the game via the mercy rule as Davis Upshaw’s walk-off hit ended the game early during a game in which he had two hits and four RBIs.
“I think we had a moment or two when we weren’t really checked in, but i think scoring early kind of got us out of that and got us locked in,” Greyhounds head coach Mike Paulk said. “I was proud of how they focused, no matter the score.”
Upshaw was hardly the only offensive standout in the 10-run win. Marlin Mills had five hits with Brayden Lampkin logging three hits, three RBIs and three stolen bases. Noah Robinson had three hits and two RBIs while Kaylob Harris collected a pair of hits.
Cason Taylor pitched two and one-third of an inning with Landon Pettigrew having the rest of the time on the mound, giving up a hit and no runs.
After a short break, the Greyhounds wasted little time getting going in the second game against the Bearcats, leading 6-0 through two innings during a game in which some starters got some rest with fresh faces getting time in the lineup. Caleb Sark was among them as he had two hits and two RBIs for the Greyhounds, who poured on four runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth for the nine-run win.
On the mound, Harris pitched the first three innings, giving up four hits before Cayden Tidwell pitched a two-hit inning and Trent Paulk handed the final three frames, scattering six hits and giving up a run.
“That’s where these games are vital, if it gives you a chance to rest a guy or give guy a look,” Paulk said. “It helps you see what you have in reserve.”
At the plate, Upshaw came up with big hits again, having three hits and four RBIs while Junior Holloway added two hits to go with Robinson’s three RBIs.
“I felt like when he scheduled Bainbridge, they’d give us two competitive games,” Paulk said. “They’ve got a good baseball team. They’re first in their region, and they gave us a good look at what we can expect (against Locust Grove).”
Jones County made it six wins in a row coming away from spring break with Saturday’s 8-5 win against Veterans, breaking a 3-3 tie with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth inning on the way to a win in which Upshaw drove in four runs. Colin Evans had two hits and an RBI with a Marlin Mills hit and run driven in.
Dalton Lowe pitched most of the way, going six and one-third of an inning as he yielded five runs and five hits with Tidwell giving up two hits in two thirds of an inning.
“Our pitchers did what they are supposed to do. We preach that we won’t walk people when don’t have to,” Paulk said. “When we do that and don’t make mistakes behind them, we’ll win baseball games.”
