Diamond Pack sweeps games from Florida opponents, raises record to 6-6

Published 4:38 pm Saturday, March 11, 2023

VALDOSTA — Just two days after a disappointing loss at home to Cairo, the Colquitt County baseball team took two games on Saturday against a pair of traditionally strong Florida programs.

The Packers defeated St. Johns Country Day 5-3 in a game that started at 10:30 a.m. and then completed the doubleheader sweep with a 9-5 win over Bertram Trail in a game that started at 3 p.m.

The two games were played at Lowndes High.

The wins send the Packers into their Region 1-7A opener on Tuesday against Camden County with a 6-6 overall record.

And perhaps a bit of momentum.

The Packers trailed 3-2 in Saturday’s opener when they struck for three runs in the bottom of the fourth and starter Mason Moore finished his complete game win by blanking the Spartans over the final three innings.

Colquitt then rocketed to a 9-0 lead after five innings against the Bears, before holding on for the win.

The wins came on the heels of back-to-back 8-1 and 8-4 losses to Coffee and Cairo that dropped the Packers to 4-6.

They will be back on Ike Aultman Field at Jerry Croft Stadium on Tuesday to meet Camden County in the first of three games in four days against the Wildcats in the new Region 1-7A format.

Region teams will play three games against each of their other four opponents, with the first on a Tuesday at one team’s home park and the other two as part of a doubleheader at the other’s field the following Friday.

Camden took a 5-5 record into its game at Savannah Christian last Friday.

St. Johns Country Day scored two runs in the top of the second inning and another in the third to forge its 3-2 lead.

But in the bottom of the fourth, Ethan Allegood drew a walk and Jake Walker went in to run for him.

One out later, Adam Beverly singled to put runners at first and third.

Jay’den Williams then tied the game with a base hit.

Tucker Sparkman followed with another single to load the bases and Neko Fann drove in the go-ahead run when he drew a walk.

Landon Griffin then singled in Williams for an insurance run.

It was a run that Moore was not to need.

The junior left-hander has turned into the Packers most dependable pitcher and he was on his game over the final four scoreless innings.

Only two of the three runs charged to Moore were earned. He gave up six hits and walked two, while striking out seven Spartans.

Griffin, getting his second straight start in center field after missing the first nine games of the season with a hamstring injury, had two hits, as did Beverly.

Williams, Sparkman, Cam Cook and Brady DeRosso had the others.

Williams also had an RBI in the Packers’ two-run second inning.

The Packers wasted little time jumping on Orange Park’s Bartram Trail in the afternoon game, scoring four runs in the first inning.

Fann opened the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on Moore’s base hit.

After a Cook single, Walker, a sophomore making his first start, doubled in both runners to put the Packers up 3-0.

Walker scored the fourth run on Beverly’s sacrifice fly.

In the third, Walker struck again.

After Cook walked to open the inning, Walker belted a two-run homer to put the Packers up 6-0.

In the fifth, Colquitt scored twice on a Bartram Trail error and once on a DeRosso single to extend the lead to 9-0.

Christian Hill, who cruised through the first five scoreless innings, gave up four in the sixth.

Gabe Eubanks gave up another run in the seventh before shutting the door on the Bears.

Hill gave up six hits and walked four, but got the win. He struck out five.

Eubanks struck out three in his two innings of work, including the Bartram Trail designated hitter to end the game.

Walker had a big game with a double, a home run and four runs batted in.

DeRosso also had two hits. Fann, Moore and Cook had the others.