LUDOWICI — The Long County High School baseball team ended the year on a positive note Friday with a win over McIntosh County.
Playing here, the Blue Tide beat the Buccaneers 5-1, bringing the season’s record to 14-11. The winning pitcher was Stetson Strickland. He threw all 7 innings, allowing only 3 hits while striking out 7.
“It was senior night for us and we were able to start all 8 seniors,” Tide coach Brian Thomas said. “I am very proud of all the seniors for their effort and wonderful attitudes throughout the season. We’ve had a good season. We got 10 wins more than we had last year, and we ended up with a winning record.”
The Blue Tide did improve drastically, in all areas, from the 2007 season and nowhere was this more evident then in offense. In 2007 the Tide averaged 2.92 runs per game. This year they were tied for second in the 2-AA region, averaging 8 runs in each contest.
“We progressed remarkably this year, but it just wasn’t enough,” Thomas said. “We’re disappointed in not making the playoffs, but we’re in a tough region.”
He added, “All you can do is tip your hat to the teams in our region who did, they deserve to be where they are”.
The 2-AA Region was definitely one of the toughest regions in the state, and nothing shows that more than the fact that five of the eight teams posted winning records, and only one team won fewer than nine games.
The Tide improved its overall record from 4-20 in 2007 to 14-11 this year, and its region record from 3-11 to 6-8.
The Blue Tide missed the region tournament by only two games, and when you consider that three of their region losses were by a run, one can see just how close they were.
Seniors on this year’s team were Earl Freeman, Tyler Hall, Blake Strickland, John Lindsay, Paul Lewandowski, Stetson Strickland, Ryan Simmons and Britt Horne.
Lead hitters Friday:
Ryan Simmons (2-3 HR)
John Lindsay (1-3 2 RBIs)
Tyler Hall (1-2)
Playing here, the Blue Tide beat the Buccaneers 5-1, bringing the season’s record to 14-11. The winning pitcher was Stetson Strickland. He threw all 7 innings, allowing only 3 hits while striking out 7.
“It was senior night for us and we were able to start all 8 seniors,” Tide coach Brian Thomas said. “I am very proud of all the seniors for their effort and wonderful attitudes throughout the season. We’ve had a good season. We got 10 wins more than we had last year, and we ended up with a winning record.”
The Blue Tide did improve drastically, in all areas, from the 2007 season and nowhere was this more evident then in offense. In 2007 the Tide averaged 2.92 runs per game. This year they were tied for second in the 2-AA region, averaging 8 runs in each contest.
“We progressed remarkably this year, but it just wasn’t enough,” Thomas said. “We’re disappointed in not making the playoffs, but we’re in a tough region.”
He added, “All you can do is tip your hat to the teams in our region who did, they deserve to be where they are”.
The 2-AA Region was definitely one of the toughest regions in the state, and nothing shows that more than the fact that five of the eight teams posted winning records, and only one team won fewer than nine games.
The Tide improved its overall record from 4-20 in 2007 to 14-11 this year, and its region record from 3-11 to 6-8.
The Blue Tide missed the region tournament by only two games, and when you consider that three of their region losses were by a run, one can see just how close they were.
Seniors on this year’s team were Earl Freeman, Tyler Hall, Blake Strickland, John Lindsay, Paul Lewandowski, Stetson Strickland, Ryan Simmons and Britt Horne.
Lead hitters Friday:
Ryan Simmons (2-3 HR)
John Lindsay (1-3 2 RBIs)
Tyler Hall (1-2)