GREYHOUND BASEBALL
Making their way into the back half of the region schedule, the Greyhounds rolled into a span last week that could make or break their postseason aspirations.
Facing Dutchtown, a team that Jones County is battling for fourth place in the region standings, an inability to gain the upper hand against the Bulldogs would put chances of finishing within the region’s top four further out of reach. Jones County helped its own cause, taking two of three, winning 3-2 at home on Wednesday before splitting a pair of games on the road Friday, winning 9-6 and losing 7-2. That combined with a 10-0 win against Eagles Landing on Saturday put the Greyhounds in fourth place with a bit of cushion by way of a 6-6 region record to the 3-8 of Dutchtown.
“Coming off the Ola win, we had to come down to earth and realize that this was the week that was going to make us break us,” Greyhounds head coach Mike Paulk said. “These games are like our World Series. We have to play with passion and go all out. We started off a little slow, and as the game progressed, I think we realized we would have to play a better game and really stepped up.”
Jones County’s region schedule is a total opposite from here on out, playing region-leading Locust Grove as well as Warner Robins, who is nextto- last in the region. Dutchtown’s remaining opponents are Union Grove and Eagles Landing. That means that if the Greyhounds were to sweep Warner Robins and lose all three to Locust Grove, Dutchtown would need to win its makeup game with Warner Robins and win twice against Union Grove to tie for fourth. Union Grove is third in the region, losing only to Ola so far in region play.
But don’t look for the Greyhounds to assume anything despite any team’s record.
“There’s no one we’re looking past,” Paulk said. “At this point, every game is a must-win.”
Jones County gave itself plenty of leverage with last Wednesday’s 3-2 win at Cecil Patterson Field that was a win earned by patience at the plate.
Ahead 1-0 after an inning, Union Grove’s hard-throwing hurler kept the Greyhounds off-balance, inducing multiple flyouts and popouts.
“This is the same guy who held Locust Grove to three runs,” Paulk said. “He locates his fastball and locates it up. We hit a lot of fly balls and that was the report we got on him. We played into his hand early and finally started hitting on the ground.”
The Bulldogs would push a pair of runs across in the fourth and fifth off of Brody Gordon, but in the end, the Greyhounds starter had more juice left in the tank.
Jones County would draw even in the fifth when Davis Upshaw singled in Noah Robinson, who reached after being hit by a pitch and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Cason Taylor.
The Greyhounds kept the pressure up two innings later, leading off the seventh on a Robinson double, prompting the Bulldogs to change pitchers in favor of a more offspeed and breaking-style pitcher.
“We work every day in practice in the cage on curveball,” Paulk said. “I’m proud of the guys for stepping up for coming through.”
The Greyhounds adjusted, with Cohen Barfield’s bouncer up the middle scoring Gage Robinson, who was pinch running for Noah Robinson.
