MOULTRIE — After giving up 37 runs to Houston County in two games last season, the Colquitt County baseball team sent John Michael Harrison out to face the Bears in the Region 1-AAAAA opener for both teams on Friday at Ike Aultman Field at Packer Park, and the junior left-hander pitched the Packers to a 7-3 victory.

Harrison pitched six innings, giving up six hits and just one run on a homer by Blake Mullis leading off the fourth inning. He struck out seven and walked just two and turned the game over to the bullpen with a 7-1 lead.

The Bears scored twice on an infield hit, two hit batsmen and three walks inthe seventh before Austin McAlpin struck out Chris Thompson with the bases loaded to end it.

The victory raises the Packers record to 5-3 overall and they will take a 1-0 region record to Valdosta on Tuesday. The Wildcats won their region opener in impressive fashion on Friday, shutting out Warner Robins 6-0 as right-hander Earl Daniels struck out 19 batters.

Valdosta is now 8-0.

Colquitt scored two in the second inning and three more in the third and turned the game over to Harrison, who breezed through the Bears lineup.

In the second inning, freshman Cole Pitts doubled to center to scored Andrew McDowell, who had walked, to put Colquitt up 1-0.

Pitts scored later in the inning on a throwing error.

Blake Cato led off the second against Mullis by pulling a double inside the bag at third.

After Patrick Taylor beat out a bunt and Harrison walked, McDowell made it 3-0 on a sacrifice fly.

Pitts singled to right, driving in his second run. Harrison scored on a double steal to put Colquitt up 5-0 after three innings.

The Packers had two excellent chance to blow the game open in the fourth and fifth innings.

The Bears sent Tyler Gay to the mound to relieve starter Mullis in the fourth and Gay walked the first two Colquitt County batters.

Blake Cato sacrificed to put runners on second and third with one out, but Gay fanned the next two batters.

Gay walked the first three batters in the fifth, but again rallied to strike out the next two before walking Hayden Kudela on a 3-2 pitch to force in what would be the last Packers run.

Blake Cato then struck out to end the inning.

Gay walked one more and struck out the last two batters he faced to finish with a curious line. In three innings, he walked seven, struck out seven, did not give up a hit and gave up two runs.

The loss drops Houston County to 3-5 overall. The Bears will be at home to face Warner Robins on Tuesday.

The Packers had just seven hits, all in the first three innings.

Pitts and Blake Cato each had two hits, with each chipping in a double.

Taylor, Jebb Cato and Bo Williams had the other hits.

Pitts drove in two runs.

Taylor laid down perfect bunts his first two times to the plate. The first was a sacrifice in the first inning, moving Blake Cato to second.

In the third, Taylor bunted again, trying to move Cato, who had doubled, to third.

But Taylor beat it out for a hit.

Mullis and Gay combined to strike out 12 Colquitt County batters.

In Friday’s other Region 1-AAAAA game, Coffee defeated Tift County 8-1 in Douglas.

On Tuesday, Coffee will go to Lowndes, Colquitt will be at Valdosta and Warner Robins will go to Houston County. Lowndes was off on Friday. Tift County will be off Tuesday.