Long County High School lost to Brantley County High School, 18-8, Tuesday in Ludowici.
The Blue Tide fell behind 9-3 early, but fought back to narrow the gap to a single run. However, a late offensive surge by Brantley ended the hopes of a Blue Tide comeback; as the Herons got the win.
“We were really slow starting the game out…we rallied to make the score 9-8. Unfortunately we could not contain Brantley’s offense later in the game,” Blue Tide head coach Brian Thomas said.
Starting pitcher Shawn Mills suffered the loss for Long County, while the leading batters for the team were Jared Tompkins, who was 1-for-2, and Austin Simmons and John Christianson, who were 1-for-3 each.
With the loss, the Tide fell to 7-17 overall and 3-12 in the Region 2-AA. Brantley improved to 14-9 overall and 10-5 in the region. The win was huge for Brantley as it held on to the fourth spot in the region. Playoffs are just around the corner.
On Thursday, the Tide was scheduled to play a rematch with Groves. When the teams met earlier, Long County won, 14-1. Results were not available at press time and will be in Sunday’s Coastal Courier.
Today, the Blue Tide are to play Vidalia High School for their final game of the season. The Indians come into the game with an overall mark of 6-17 and a region record of 5-9. On paper, the game should be a good one. The Tide is averaging 4.8 runs a game compared to the Indians’ 4.6 runs. On defense, Vidalia is averaging 6.8 runs, while the Tide is allowing 7.1. The game begins at 5:45 p.m. in Vidalia.