TIFTON – A bizarre ending gave Tift County a 2-1 victory over Colquitt County on Tuesday in the first game of their Region 1-6A series at the Devil Diamond.
With Tyson Samples at third and two out in the top of the seventh inning, Colquitt County batter Rylan Howell attempted to call time out as Blue Devils pitcher John Davis went into his motion.
Davis uncorked a wild pitch, but Samples, thinking time had been granted, did not attempt to score what would have been the game-tying run.
The umpire had not granted time, however, and Davis struck out the final Packer batter five pitches later.
The win raises Tift County’s region record to 5-2 as the series heads to Packer Park for a 4:30 p.m. Friday doubleheader.
Colquitt County, which has now lost three in a row, falls to 4-3 in the region.
The Packers loss in its series finale against Lowndes last Friday came by the same 2-1 score.
And the final out of the game was made at third base.
And for the second game in a row, the Packers were unable to mount enough offense to take advantage of a stout pitching performance.
Cook Tompkins lost last Friday’s game against Lowndes despite giving up just two singles.
On Tuesday, starter Bowen DeRosso and reliever Bryce Roberts gave up just six hits and two runs, but could not avert the loss that drops the Packers to 7-9 overall.
Tift scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to give Davis all the cushion he needed.
Landon Parrish gave Tift a 1-0 lead with a one-out homer to left in the fourth inning.
In the sixth, DeRosso retired the first two Tift County batters, but walked Walker Brannen and hit Davis with a pitch.
Tyler Van Sumeren then singled to center to score Brannen with what proved to be the winning run.
The Packers knew they were going to have their hands full with Davis, who signed with Georgia Southern before the season started.
He took a 0.30 earned run average and 40 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings before facing the Packers.
Davis had allowed just a third-inning single to Howell before giving up base hits to Roberts and Jake Walker to open the top of the seventh.
Roberts scored on a wild pitch to cut the Blue Devils lead in half.
Samples, running for Walker, reached third when Carter Penuel grounded to short for the second out of the inning.
Davis closed it out with his 49th strikeout of the season.
Parrish had three of Tift County’s six hits.
Van Sumeren, Sam Pritchard and Will Pridgen added singles.
Pridgen, expected to pitch one of Friday’s two games, was taken from the field on an ambulance after crashing into the center field fence while catching Walker’s bid for an extra base hit to end the top of the fourth.
Reports are that he suffered at least one broken wrist.
Had Pridgen not held on to the ball, the Packers would have taken a 1-0 lead.
Ryan Whitley is the likely starter in one of Friday’s games.
Against Lowndes, the Packers started Ethan Allegood in the first game on Friday and sent out Tompkins to start Game 2.
Also on Tuesday, Lowndes won the first game of its region series with Camden County 4-3.