Bradwell Institute baseball coach Rhett Hellgren said if the Tigers kept it close early, then they would have the opportunity to win.
The Tigers (0-8, 0-1 Region 3-AAAAA) kept it close trailing 2-0 heading into the seventh inning but that changed with one swing of the bat.
Tyler Snellgrove blasted a three-run homer over the left field fence to lead Camden (5-2, 1-0) County to a 5-0 Region 3-AAAAA opening win.
“Yeah, we had a chance,” Hellgren said. “Camden is a good ball team. They’re the top dog in our region. We hung in there but we just didn’t get the crucial base hits. We didn’t get the big hit.”
Camden’s Sid Cooper limited the Tigers to only two hits and only allowed one runner to third base.
Cooper, who pitched the complete game for the win, also had a good day at the plate. He went 2-for-4 with a triple.
Bradwell’s starting pitcher senior Nick Franks pitched six superb innings constantly pitching out of jams. However, he seemed to run out of gas in the seventh inning. He hit the first batter, and then walked the second batter before Cooper’s homerun.
“He’s (Franks) a senior and he’s our leader,” Hellgren said. “He wanted the ball today and I gave it to him. He came through today. Nick’s a hard worker, one of the hardest workers on our team. He’s going to be very successful in life because of his work ethic.”
Franks struck out six batters and walked only four.
Steven Dill retired the final three Wildcat batters for Bradwell.
Catcher Josh Magaw helped extinguish some of Camden’s scoring opportunities by throwing out two runners at second base.
Despite only two hits, the Tigers left four runners on base, including three in scoring position.
In the second inning, Dustin Belletty was left out to dry after a one-out double.
In the third, Magaw was stranded on third after a two-out hit and DeAnte Day was left on second after a walk.
The Wildcats also left men on base, stranding nine runners, including six in scoring position.
Hellgren remains optimistic that the Tigers will turn the corner.
“The kids are fighting. They really are,” he said. “It’s just frustrating that we’re not getting any results from all the hard work we’re putting in, but it’s going to come. I keep telling them to trust me because we’re going to get there.”
Bradwell’s next game is 5:45 p.m. Tuesday in Savannah against Windsor Forest.
The Tigers’ next home game is 6 p.m. Wednesday against Richmond Hill.
CC 011 000 3 - 5 9 0
BI 000 000 0 - 0 2 2
W - Sid Cooper. L - Nick Franks. Leading Hitters - CC, Tyler Snellgrove 3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBIs; Sid Cooper 2-4, 3B; Kris Dickery 2-4, RBI; BI - Josh Magaw 1-2, 2BB; Dustin Belletty 1-3, 2B, BB.
The Tigers (0-8, 0-1 Region 3-AAAAA) kept it close trailing 2-0 heading into the seventh inning but that changed with one swing of the bat.
Tyler Snellgrove blasted a three-run homer over the left field fence to lead Camden (5-2, 1-0) County to a 5-0 Region 3-AAAAA opening win.
“Yeah, we had a chance,” Hellgren said. “Camden is a good ball team. They’re the top dog in our region. We hung in there but we just didn’t get the crucial base hits. We didn’t get the big hit.”
Camden’s Sid Cooper limited the Tigers to only two hits and only allowed one runner to third base.
Cooper, who pitched the complete game for the win, also had a good day at the plate. He went 2-for-4 with a triple.
Bradwell’s starting pitcher senior Nick Franks pitched six superb innings constantly pitching out of jams. However, he seemed to run out of gas in the seventh inning. He hit the first batter, and then walked the second batter before Cooper’s homerun.
“He’s (Franks) a senior and he’s our leader,” Hellgren said. “He wanted the ball today and I gave it to him. He came through today. Nick’s a hard worker, one of the hardest workers on our team. He’s going to be very successful in life because of his work ethic.”
Franks struck out six batters and walked only four.
Steven Dill retired the final three Wildcat batters for Bradwell.
Catcher Josh Magaw helped extinguish some of Camden’s scoring opportunities by throwing out two runners at second base.
Despite only two hits, the Tigers left four runners on base, including three in scoring position.
In the second inning, Dustin Belletty was left out to dry after a one-out double.
In the third, Magaw was stranded on third after a two-out hit and DeAnte Day was left on second after a walk.
The Wildcats also left men on base, stranding nine runners, including six in scoring position.
Hellgren remains optimistic that the Tigers will turn the corner.
“The kids are fighting. They really are,” he said. “It’s just frustrating that we’re not getting any results from all the hard work we’re putting in, but it’s going to come. I keep telling them to trust me because we’re going to get there.”
Bradwell’s next game is 5:45 p.m. Tuesday in Savannah against Windsor Forest.
The Tigers’ next home game is 6 p.m. Wednesday against Richmond Hill.
CC 011 000 3 - 5 9 0
BI 000 000 0 - 0 2 2
W - Sid Cooper. L - Nick Franks. Leading Hitters - CC, Tyler Snellgrove 3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBIs; Sid Cooper 2-4, 3B; Kris Dickery 2-4, RBI; BI - Josh Magaw 1-2, 2BB; Dustin Belletty 1-3, 2B, BB.