The Long County Blue Tide entered Thursday’s contest against the McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers ranked second in the state by the Coaches Box AAA Coaches Poll and coming off two dominant region wins over Beach on Tuesday.
In the rivalry game against MCA, ranked ninth in the A-Division II poll, however, it was the Buccaneers who showed their muscle and overwhelmed the Tide 13-6.
The Buccaneers opened the game with six hits and four runs. They scored the first two runs on a double to the left field wall and a throwing error at third.
Long County got two outs on the board and looked to go into the bottom of the inning down just 2-0. However, a shot to centerfield bounced off Gio Jackson’s glove, bringing home two.
The Tide got two hits over the first two innings of the game but could not cut into the Bucs’ lead until the third inning.
Creighton Rogers opened the third by reaching on an error and Shannon Filkins singled before stealing second. Rogers eventually scored on a throwing error at third, cutting the Bucs’ lead to 4-1 going into the fourth.
Kenny Pickens allowed two hits in the fourth, but those hits were crucial as the first set up a two-run home run over the left field wall on the second hit. The Bucs led 6-1 going into the fifth.
Pickens gave up three hits and hit two batters in the third after the Bucs loaded the bases with one out. The Bucs added three runs in the fifth to go up 9-1.
After singles from Elijah Lester and Filkins, sophomore Nick Sizemore brought them both home on a triple to the right field wall to make the score 9-3 going into the sixth.
Sizemore gave up three hits to load the bases with two outs on the board. A two-run double made the score 11-3 before a bases loaded walk made the score 12-3 going into the bottom of the inning.
The Tide added a fourth run on Ryder Dawson’s single that brought home Roderick Randall. The Tide still trailed 12-4 going into the seventh inning before the Bucs added one more run.
In the seventh, Filkins walked and stole second for the third time in the game. Sizemore brought him home on a single to make the score 13-5.
Jackson reached first on an error before Landon Runyon brought home Sizemore with two outs on the board.
A pop fly to centerfield closed out the game as the Tide fell to 10-4 on the season.
The Tide will have their toughest test of the season next week as they travel to Savannah to take on the fourth-ranked Savannah Christian Raiders in a key region game on Tuesday, March 14. They will host the Raiders on Thursday, March 16.