Dragons Fall In Extras To Paulding County In Game 1 Of Doubleheader

Yesterday, the PHS Dragons varsity baseball team hosted the Paulding County Patriots out of 5-A in a doubleheader for their first home games of the 2017 season. After going 1-2 last week against Woodstock, Monroe Area, & Madison County, Pickens looked to open up the home portion of their schedule with a pair of wins.

 

Caswell Smith got the call to start for the Dragons & pitched pretty well yesterday afternoon. Smith would record a strike out in the top of the 1st. Pickens, left two runners stranded in the bottom of the frame to send us to the 2nd, tied at 0. Paulding Co. struck first in the top of the 2nd, scoring 1 run on one hit. The Dragons again stranded two runners to send us to the 3rd with the Patriots ahead, 1-0.

 

In the 3rd, Smith settled down and only needed 9 pitches to get out of the top of the inning. Pickens again could not get anything going in the bottom of the frame as we would go to the 4th, Paulding Co. still leasding, 1-0. Both teams were unable to get anything going in the 4th, we would head to the 5th, Patriots still ahead, 1-0.

 

Travis Huffman relieved Smith in the top of the 5th. Paulding Co. added a run in the top of the 5th to make it 2-0. The Dragons again had a base runner on in the bottom of the inning but, the Patriots were able to escape, sending us to the 6th. In the 6th, Pickens was able to pick off two Paulding Co. runners to dimiss any potential scoring threat. Wyatt Gooch would then get hit by a pitch in the bottom of the 6th with the bases loaded to cut the Patriots lead in half, 2-1 going to the 7th.

 

T. Huffman & the Dragons were able to work out of a tight jam in the top of the 7th to give them one more shot at tying or winning the game. T. Huffman reached on an error, Joseph Gossett moved him over to 2nd, & Dalton Presley brought him in to tie the game with a single and send us to extra innings. These two teams played on until the 12th inning. Paulding County scored twice & held on in the bottom of the inning to get the win in game 1, 4-2.

 

Caswell Smith: 4 1/3 innings 1 ER & 2 K’s, & went 1-2 with a single

Travis Huffman: 5 1/3 innings 1 ER, 4 hits, 6 K’s, & scored a run

Jace Franklin: 2 1/3 innings 2 ER & 1 K, went 1-3 with a single & 2 walks

Joseph Gossett: drew a walk & sacrificed a runner over

Dalton Presley: 1-6 with a single & 1 run driven in

Dominic Stephens: 1-4 with 1 single, 2 walks, & 1 run scored

Zack Moore: drew a walk

Wyatt Gooch: drew 3 walks and had 1 RBI