The Madison County baseball team has already bounced back once this season and will have to do it again now.
The Red Raiders (3-5, 0-2), who had rallied from an 0-3 start with three-straight wins, were beaten 11-4 by Loganville in Monday’s Region 8-AAAA opener and by Salem 4-3 Tuesday, dropping it to 0-2 in league play.
Madison County continued region play Wednesday against Monre Area, but results weren’t available at press time.
The Red Raiders were supposed to start their 20-game region slate on March 10 against Heritage, but Mother Nature had different plans.
That game was rained out, as was a Friday game with Salem.
The Salem game was played Tuesday, and Madison County will remake the Heritage game today (Thursday) in Conyers.
Madison County’s 8-AAAA schedule then continues with home games with Habersham Cenral (Monday) and Rockdale (Wednesday).
In the loss to Salem, the Red Raiders tried to rally late to steal a victory from the Seminoles.
Down 4-1, Madison County scored two runs in the fifth inning, and Dylan Chandler and Kyle Dean both produced one-out singles in the bottom of the seventh to put the pressure on Salem.
But the Red Raiders couldn’t complete the comeback.
With two outs, Caleb McCain — who pinch ran for Chandler — was caught by a tag at home plate trying to score off a wild pitch, ending the game.
Madison County out-hit Salem 9-5. Bracken Turner went 2-for-4, while Dean was 2-for-3.
The Red Raiders’ game prior to that wasn’t as close.
Trailing 6-4 against Loganville in the sixth inning, Madison County surrendered five runs that inning as the Red Devils broke the game open.
Matthew “Raybo” Robinson led Madison County offensively, going 1-for-3 with a home run.
