The Jackson County Panthers picked up their first region win of the season last week, as they recorded a victory over Franklin County.
Next up for Jackson County is a trip to Oconee County to face the Warriors in Watkinsville today (Wednesday). Oconee County entered play this week 10-3 overall, and 3-1 in the region.
First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Franklin County
The Panthers got down to business early, scoring two runs in the first inning after a lead off walk by Austin Robinson and a single by Rob Williams put both in position to score.
Jackson County used aggressive base running and timely hitting to put another runner across in the third inning, then added two more in the fourth to move out to a 5-0 lead.
Franklin County cut the lead to three runs by getting two across in the sixth, but could get no closer as the Panthers won 5-2.
Williams and Kelly Moates each had two hits, while John Florentine, Robinson and Trey Sorrells added singles.
Larry Evans went the distance to pick up the win on the mound, his first of the season. Evans gave up only five hits during the game.
The win leaves the Panthers 4-6 overall, and 1-2 in the region.
“This was a huge region victory,” said coach Tommy Fountain. “I was really proud of the way the guys rebounded after playing so bad the last two games. The top three teams of our region are very good and there’s a little gap between them and everybody else. Oconee, Stephens and Elbert are all 3-0, while there are three teams tied at 1-2 and 2 teams at 0-3.”
Fountain said his team knows that to have a shot at the playoffs, they’ve got to win the games against everybody else.
“Tuesday was a start in that direction,” he said.
Morgan County
The Panthers next traveled to Morgan County to face the Bulldogs on Saturday. They were hoping to keep their momentum going from the Franklin County victory.
Morgan County had other ideas, as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first two innings, and would go on to win 12-1.
Robinson recorded the loss from the mound.
Moates and Ken Miller both went 1-2 at the plate.
Eastside
After a stinging loss on Saturday, the Panthers went into Monday looking to get back in a winning mode.
Early on, it looked like it might be another long day, as the Eagles moved out to a 5-0 lead in the first two innings. Evans, on the mound for Jackson County, then settled in, giving up only two hits in the next three innings.
The Panthers moved back into contention, putting four runs across in the bottom of the second. Jackson County would tie the score in the third, then go on a six run tear in the fourth to take the lead.
Eastside began making a run themselves in the sixth, adding five runs to tie the score.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Panthers retook the score when Quinn Grogan reached base on an error, scoring Ken Miller.
Eastside would tie once more in the seventh, but the Panthers took the win when Moates scored from first base on a double from Austin Robinson.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.
