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Staff Reports

The Crisp County Cougars and Worth County Rams completed an important three-game series in the region 1-AAA baseball standings with a double-header in Sylvester on Friday night.

After winning the contest in Cordele on Tuesday night, the Rams took the win in Friday’s first game by a final score of 6-5, before winning the second contest by a score of 12-5 to complete the three-game region sweep over the Cougars.

Worth 6, Cougars 5

Worth County jumped out to a 6-0 lead after three innings of play in game one on Friday, with five of the six runs coming during the bottom of the third inning on five hits and two walks.

The Cougars began to chip away at the lead from there with a run in the top of the fourth inning. Jack Carter and Noah Walters drew consecutive one out walks for Crisp, and a passed ball followed by an error later on in the frame allowed Carter to score the first Cougar run of the game.

Crisp added their second run of the contest in the top of the fifth inning when Jackson Napier got a base hit, stole two bases and then scored on a Worth error. After five innings of play, Crisp County trailed 6-2.

In the sixth inning, the Cougars continued to fight their way back into the contest with three runs that saw them close the deficit down to one run.

Connor Richmond led off the top half of the sixth by reaching base after being hit by a pitch. Carter knocked a base hit to center field in the next at bat, and Walters was subsequently hit by a pitch to give Crisp the bases loaded with no outs in the frame. Nick Lanneau followed with an RBI groundout to third base that sent Richmond to home plate for the third Cougar run of the contest.

Later on in the inning, Cole Lancaster drew a two-out walk to once again load up the bases for Crisp, and Toby Stripling picked up an RBI after being hit by a pitch shortly after to make the score 6-4 in favor of Worth.

Napier followed with an RBI single to centerfield that scored Cade Jolly, but the Rams were able to get the third out of the inning at home plate to maintain a 6-5 lead over Crisp County heading into the bottom of the sixth.

After holding the Rams scoreless in the bottom half of the sixth frame, the Cougars had two runners on base in the top of the seventh by way of a walk from Bailey Barfield and another hit from Carter, but Worth County pitcher Jeremiah Reddell got the final two outs of the game to hold off the CCHS comeback attempt. The Rams held on by the final score of 6-5.

Walters and Jordan Grinnell combined for four and two-thirds innings of scoreless work on the mound for the Cougars.

Crisp County batting lineup stats from game one:

1. Stripling- one hit, one walk and one RBI
2. Napier- three hits, two stolen bases, one RBI and one run scored
3. Barfield- one walk
4. Richmond- one run scored
5. Carter- two hits, one walk, and one run scored
6. Walters- one walk and one run scored
7. Lanneau- one RBI and one walk
8. Jolly- one run scored
9. Lancaster- two walks

Worth 12, Cougars 5

In Friday’s second game, the Rams jumped out to a 9-0 lead going into the fourth inning.

The Cougars then followed up with three runs in the top of the fourth to cut the Worth County lead to 9-3. Richmond drew a one-out walk, and consecutive hits from Carter and Walters gave Crisp a bases loaded opportunity. Tanner Massey subsequently hit an RBI double to left to send Richmond and Carter home, and an RBI single from Jolly sent Walters home for the final CCHS run of the inning.

Worth County went on to add two more runs to their lead in the bottom of the fourth, followed by one more in the bottom of the fifth to take a 12-3 lead into the sixth inning.

Crisp County pushed across the final two runs of the game in the top of the seventh for the final score line of 12-5. Barfield hit an RBI single that scored Stripling for the first seventh-inning run, and Napier later scored on an error for the final Cougar run of the night.

Crisp County offensive stats from the game two defeat:

1. Stripling- two hits and one run scored
2. Napier- one walk and one run scored
3. Barfield- one hit, two walks, one stolen base and one RBI
4. Richmond- three walks and one run
5. Carter- one hit and one run
6. Walters- one hit and one run
7. Massey- one hit and two RBIs
8. Jolly- one hit, one walk and one RBI
9. Lancaster- one walk

Lancaster also pitched two scoreless innings for Crisp County in game two.

The Cougars fell to 9-10 overall on the season, and 0-3 in region play with the losses to Worth over the course of last week’s series.

Crisp’s next contest will be a home game against Schley County (15-1) on Tuesday night beginning at 6 p.m.  Following the matchup with Schley, Crisp will play again on April 4th at Lowndes County High School.

The Cougars will pick region play back up on Tuesday, April 9, with a contest at Cook County.