Packers beat Berrien 13-3, raise record to 6-4
Published 9:38 pm Monday, March 7, 2022
MOULTRIE – The Colquitt County baseball team won its fourth game in a row on Monday, banging out 11 hits and getting a four-inning, 10-strikeout performance from reliever Cole Whatley in a 13-3 victory over Berrien High on Ike Aultman Field at Jerry Croft Stadium.
It was the third walk-off win in the last four games for the Packers, who have put a four-game losing streak in the rear view mirror and got their record up to 6-4.
The Packers have lost three of their four games in their final at bat and will get a chance to avenge one of those losses when Coffee visits Packer Park for a 6 p.m. non-Region 1-7A game on Wednesday.
The Trojans beat the Packers 7-6 by scoring two runs in the bottom of seventh on Feb. 25 in Douglas.
Coffee took a 7-3 record into its Monday game at Toombs County.
The Packers scored three runs in the first inning against Berrien on Monday and added four more — including three on a line-drive homer over the right field fence by Mason Moore — in the third to put the Rebels on the run.
Moore also had a first-inning sacrifice fly and Cam Cook also drove in four, including the final run of the night for the Packers with two out in the bottom of the five-run sixth inning.
Hayden Moore started on the mound for the Packers and went the first two innings, giving up a run on two hits and three walks. He also hit a batter.
Whatley, normally the Packers starting catcher, was dominant his first three innings after taking over for Moore, allowing just a bunt single and one other batter to reach on a third-strike wild pitch.
He struck out seven Rebels over those three innings and struck out three more in the sixth, when he allowed a two-out, two-run single to Berrien’s Josh Spells.
It was the second hit Whatley allowed in the inning. He also issued his only base on balls to the batter before the two-run single.
During their current four-game streak that began with a 14-1 win at Fitzgerald on March 1, the Packers have scored 52 runs and pounded out 48 hits.
They wasted little time against Berrien, with the first four batters in the lineup — Cannon Whatley, Hayes Lightsey, Cook and Cole Whatley — reaching on base hits.
Cook, Cole Whatley and Mason Moore had the RBIs.
The Packers had two base runners in the second, but could not pad their lead.
Cole Whatley was hit by a pitch to open the third inning and Chasyn Miley drew a walk.
Mason Moore then lined his first homer of the season and the Packers were able to go into cruise mode.
Colquitt scored another run in the third when Tucker Sparkman singled and scored on an error.
Cannon Whatley, who was removed from Friday’s game against Killian High when he was hit on the left elbow by a pitch, was forced to leave Monday’s game when he rolled his ankle rounding second base in the third inning.
Colquitt parlayed two singles and three walks to score two more times in the fifth.
The Packers needed four runs in the bottom of the sixth to get the run-rule win and they got them.
Jardae Williams opened the inning against Jeremy Kilpatrick, the fourth Berrien pitcher, by drawing a walk.
One out later, Cameron Summerlin also drew a base on balls.
Sparkman then followed with his second hit of the game, scoring Williams.
Ethan Allegood singled in Summerlin and after Landon Griffin drew a walk and Lightsey grounded out, Cook singled up the middle to end the game.
Berrien falls to 1-10 this season.