Bolles hangs on to defeat Suwannee
Published 10:33 am Wednesday, April 11, 2018
- SHS shortstop Hueston Morrill catches a pickoff throw during Friday's game with Bolles. Morrill homered in Suwannee's 4-2 loss.
LIVE OAK, Fla. — There was a lot on the line for Suwannee on Friday as the Bulldogs were looking to take control of a stacked three-team district and put themselves in a good position for the playoffs.
But it’s no easy feat defeating Bolles in consecutive games, especially when ace Hunter Barco is on his game.
Barco pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 11 as Bolles led from start to finish in a 4-2 win. BHS grabbed a 3-0 lead after two innings against starter Bo Bonds and held off a last-inning charge from the home team to even the regular-season series at 1-1.
“When you don’t have your best stuff early, only thing you can ask for is to have a chance at the end of the game,” said Suwannee coach Justin Bruce. “We definitely gave ourselves a chance to win.”
With Barco exiting after six innings, SHS was able to climb back. Hueston Morrill’s two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh cut the deficit to 4-2. Nolan Miller, Suwannee’s next hitter, was hit by a pitch to bring the tying run to the plate. Connor Boyer then took the mound and struck out the only two hitters he faced to get the save.
Miller pitched 4 2-3 innings in relief, striking out five while allowing one run. He slowed down Bolles after its hot start to the game, which began with a triple and an RBI double within the first three hitters.
“Nolan showed toughness in a big situation to give us a chance,” Bruce said. “He’s a great kid and a great teammate. Somebody doesn’t have a good game, a good teammate comes in and picks them up.”
Morrill had three of Suwannee’s four hits. Kolby Pickles had the other hit — an infield single in the fifth inning. SHS put two runners on base with no outs in the sixth. Barco proceeded to strike out the next three hitters.
Suwannee (8-8) finished the regular season 2-2 in district play. Bolles and Baker County — both 1-1 in the district — will play Thursday and Friday.
UP NEXT: SHS travels to Madison County on Tuesday.
| R | H | E | ||||||||
| Bolles | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| Suwannee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
H Morrill — 3-4, double, home run, 2 RBIs
Pickles — 1-2, HBP, 1 run
Miller — 0-3, HBP — 4 2-3 innings pitched, 2 hits, 1 run, 5 strikeouts
Bonds — 2 innings pitched, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 strikeouts
Jones — 1-3 innings pitched
