Bulldog Baseball

2007-2010 Bulldog Baseball Archive

2012 Season

Bulldogs save best for Senior Day

Seniors- Berry Aldridge, Efrain Quinterro, Brandon Driggers and Trey Wingate

Dawgs wrap up season with 2nd straight win

The Toombs County Bulldogs have a history of playing well and winning their Senior Day game and they did it again with a 4-0 shutout of Tattnall County. TCHS has won five of it's last six home finales. Watch highlights with Y-101 Radio play-by-play You Tube Listen to archived Y-101 play-by-play Ustream

The shutout by sophomore Jeremy Beasley was the Bulldogs first of the season. The right-hander allowed only three hits- one single to open up the game by Andrew Waters and two singles in the sixth by Nick Odum and Cody Boyett. Jeremy left two runners on base in the first inning and got the final two outs of the sixth to strand the bases loaded. He retired 13 in a row from the first through the fifth and struck out four batters and walked two. His strikeout to walk ratio ends up 50 to 16- slightly better than 3 to 1. Jeremy's third seven inning compete game wrapped up a season in which he pitched 59 2/3 innings and allowed 50 hits and went 3-3. He took two tough losses in which he pitched complete games. Beasley lost a game at Long County 2-0 even though he didn't allow an earned run on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks and he had a 4-3 lead going to the bottom of the seventh at Jeff Davis prior to the Yellow Jackets comeback, walk-off victory.

The Bulldog senior class was led by Berry Aldridge (2-for-3) who reached base in his first two at bats. Berry doubled to lead off the first and singled with one-out in the third and in both innings Levi Alyea, who was a courtesy runner, scored. James Ethredge (1-for-3) and Hunter Braddy (3-for-3) also singled in the third. Braddy drove in Alyea and Ethredge was thrown out at home plate on the same play,

Leading 2-0 going to the bottom of the sixth TCHS added two insurance runs. Beasley (1-for-2 with a walk) singled and Braddy followed with an infield hit. Alyea singled in a run and then Braddy got a great jump off third base and stole home to put TCHS up 4-0.

Bulldog senior center fielder Trey Wingate caught three fly balls and senior third baseman Efrain Quinterro handled the only ground ball hit to him. The Bulldogs finish the season with two straight wins and their final record is 7-17-2 overall and 4-11-1 in Region 2.

Bulldogs take last road game

The Toombs County Bulldogs' first victory of the season was on the road, at Metter, and their latest win, was their final road game, at McIntosh County Academy. The Dawgs took advantage of five hit batsmen and stroked eight hits in a 9-6 decision. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

The Bulldogs scored their first run on their first hit. Hunter Braddy (2-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBI's) singled in a run in the third to put TCHS up 1-0. The Bucaneers scored an unearned run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. In the fourth Trey Wingate, who was hit by a pitch, scored on Bailey Salter's sacrifice fly which put Toombs back on top 2-1.

Toombs added three runs in the fifth. Berry Aldridge (2-for-4) and Jeremy Beasley (1-for-2 with two walks) each stroked their 20th hit of the season and Braddy walked. Pinch hitter Ben Brantley was hit with the bases loaded to make it 3-1. Two more runs scored on a Buc error on a ball hit to the center of in the diamond by Brandon Driggers giving TCHS a 5-1 advantage.

Christian Moore, who threw a Buc out at home plate from right field in the fifth inning, led off the sixth with the Bulldogs' 15th double of the season. Aldridge singled in a run with one-out and Braddy drove in another with two-down. Beasley, who walked, and Braddy scored on the same play as the Bucs' throw wound up in deep left center field.

McIntosh scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth knocking starting pitcher Bailey Salter out of the game with nobody out. Bailey pitched 5 innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits to earn his first win of the season. Beasley pitched the final two innings and struck out five and walked one to pick up a save.

Another Bad Friday for the Bulldogs

For the second straight Friday the Toombs County Bulldogs took a 4-3 lead in to the seventh inning and lost a Region 2 game. The Jeff Davis Yellow Jackets tied the game in the seventh on a RBI double in to the left field corner by William Browning and then completed the comeback when left handed hitting first baseman Drew Johns hit a three-run homer over the right field fence giving Jeff Davis a 7-4 home, walk-off victory. A Bulldog error helped set the table when leadoff hitter Kristopher Kirkland reached on a pop up near the first base bag. Last Friday the Bulldogs had a 4-3 lead going to the top of the seventh and ended up losing to Vidalia 7-6 in eight innings. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

The Bulldogs led most of this game which was plagued by defensive miscues by both teams. Brandon Driggers hit a grounder in the first inning that tallied the Dawgs an unearned run. TCHS starting pitcher Jeremy Beasley kept the Yellow Jackets off the scoreboard until the fourth inning when Browning was hit by a pitch and Kolby Land followed by blasting a fastball over the left field fence to put JD up 2-1.

Toombs rallied in the fifth and scored three runs to jump up 4-2. Bailey Salter and Berry Aldridge each singled with one out. James Ethredge singled in a run and Beasley hit a grounder to short that scored two runs- one earned and the other unearned on a throw that got a way. The Yellow Jackets made it a 4-3 Bulldog lead on a Browning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth.

Beasley pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed seven hits with five strikeouts and just one walk. However, for the second straight start he took a tough loss to drop to 2-3 on his sophomore season. Beasley pitched seven innings at Long County and did not allow an earned run and still wound up a 2-1 loser.

On Saturday the Bulldogs lost at Savannah Christian 12-0 in five innings. The Bulldog B-Team ended their season with a 13-3 five inning loss to Savannah Christian.

B-Team Bulldogs beat the "V"

Tyler Luke throws to the plate

and to first base for an out

Ben Brantley (2-for-3) doubled in two runs in the third inning to give the Toombs B-Team Bulldogs a one-run lead and then they added an insurance tally in the sixth on a Jake Davis sacrifice fly in their 7-5 home win over Vidalia. Cole Dowd tripled to right with the bases loaded to help the Bulldogs open up a 4-2 lead. Tyler Luke pitched all seven innings to propel the B-Teamers to their second win of the season. Watch highlights You Tube

Buxton goes 4-for-4 against Dawgs

In June Appling County's Byron Buxton is projected to be one of the top choices in the Major League Baseball Draft. Prior to that he is helping to lead his Pirates to a so-far undefeated season. In a Region 2 game in Baxley Buxton went 4-for-4 with three singles and a double and he scored three runs including the Pirates final tally in a 10-0 five inning victory. Appling scored four unearned runs in the first inning and five in the second. Watch highlights of Buxton's four at bats You Tube

The Bulldogs had just one hit off lefty Josh Deen. Jeremy Beasley reached on an infield hit with two out in the fourth inning. The Bulldogs only other base runner was Berry Aldridge, who walked to open up the game.

Beasley pitched two innings in relief and allowed just one hit, to Buxton, who lead off the third with a single in to right. Jeremy struck out Kyle Miller to strand Buxton in that frame. Miller went 2-for-3 and doubled in two runs in the first and singled in two in the second. Beasley hit the first batter in the fourth and then retired the next three Pirates. Aldridge robbed Gage Patton off a hit by making a diving catch for the first out in right field. Gunner Sellers flied out to James Ethredge in left and Beasley struck out Zack Smith to end his stint.

Efrain Quinterro pitched the fifth inning. He gave up a single to Buxton on a 0-2 fastball and recorded two outs on a pop up to Aldridge at second and a grounder to Austin Charter at short. Watch game highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

Dawgs and Indians battle for 8 innings

The Toombs County Bulldogs and the Vidalia Indians played 14 innings of regulation baseball in the 2012 season and each team scored nine runs. However, in an extra inning at Jacky Jones Field Vidalia outscored Toombs 2-1 to win an eight inning game 7-6. The two teams played seven innings in March to a 4-4 tie before lightening and then rain ended the game. The Bulldogs had a 4-3 lead going to the bottom of the seventh in that game at Greg James Field and they tied it and the same thing happened again in Lyons. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

Trailing 3-2 going to the bottom of the fifth inning, Berry Aldridge (1-for-3, RBI) was hit by a pitch, James Ethredge (2-for-4) singled and Jeremy Beasley (1-for-3, 2 RBI's) hit a grounder to second that scored Aldridge from third base to tie the game at 3. With two out Brandon Driggers (2-for-3, RBI) singled to give TCHS a 4-3 lead.

Vidalia rallied in the top of the seventh and scored two runs to take a 5-4 lead. Trey Hardy (1-for-4 RBI) tripled in a run and then scored on a grounder down the first base line by Austin Darcy. The determined Bulldogs stormed back in the bottom of the frame. Aldridge led off with a double to right on a ball that was almost caught by a diving Herron Gardner. Ethredge grounded out to the shortstop which allowed Aldridge to move to third and Beasley hit a sacrifice fly to right that tied the game at 5.

Two Bulldog errors allowed the Indians to score a pair of runs in the top of the eighth to take a 7-5 lead. The Indians scored on a throw to third base by the catcher that wasn't caught and on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the inning Driggers walked and Wingate singled. Christian Moore, running for Driggers, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on another pitch that got away. The game ended with Wingate standing on third base.

The back and forth trend in this thriller was set in the early innings. TCHS jumped up 2-0 in the second inning. Hunter Braddy (1-for-4) tripled and scored when Wingate hit a two-strike pitch, against a drawn in infield, the opposite way in to left field. Wingate scored on a grounder stroked by Aldridge. The Indians scored two unearned runs in the third inning to tie the game at 2. Errors plagued the Bulldogs all evening. Head coach Brian Fitzgerald tallied a season-high eight Bulldog miscues.

The Indians took their first lead, at 3-2, in the fifth. Zach Strom (1-for-4) doubled and scored on Adam Purdon's (1-for-4) RBI single. The Indians left the bases loaded in that inning and also left the bags full in the third and sixth innings and they left runners on second and third in the first.

Bulldogs pull out win in late innings

You make the call- safe or out? Did Efrain Quinterro score?

The Toombs County Bulldogs scored two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to stop a five game losing streak with a 5-3 win over visting ECI. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube Listen to Y-101 archived play-by-play Ustream

ECI scored the game's first run in the third inning on a RBI single by Gunner Brown. The Bulldogs tied it at one-all in the fourth when Brandon Driggers (2-for-2 with a walk) scored from third base on a balk. Driggers was denied a RBI on a single when Efrain Quinterro (1-for-3) was called out sliding in to home on a close play. ECI regained the lead in the fifth by scoring an unearned run. A Bulldog double play cleaned the bases. However, the Toombss made an error and with a runner on third base, on a two-strike pitch, ECI scored on a pass ball. On the next pitch Berry Aldridge recorded his fourth of his five strikeouts.

In the fifth and sixth innings TCHS reversed a trend that had hampered them over the past three-plus weeks. The Bulldogs had scored only two runs in each of those innings in their last 11 games. Against ECI Toombs scored two runs in each of those frames.

In the fifth Chandler Wright (1-for-1 with two walks) walked and Aldridge (2-for-3) drove him in with a single to tie the game a 2-all. With two outs Jeremy Beasley (2-for-3) singled in Aldridge to put the Bulldogs up 3-2. Driggers started off the sixth inning with a walk and Jame Ethredge (1-for-3) helped set the table for TCHS to score two insurance runs. Ethredge reached on a bunt single down the first base line and add in a bad throw and that put runners on second and third base. Ben Brantley hit a grounder to second, with the infield in, to score the Bulldogs' fourth run and Wright singled to left to make it 5-2. Chandler was given the fake bunt sign and he raised the bat up and slapped the pitch by the charging third baseman.

Aldridge pitched seven innings and picked up his second win of the season. The senior allowed two earned runs on eight hits and he walked his first batter of the season in the fifth inning. Berry has struck out 17 batters this season and walked only one.

Dawgs are one short at Long

The Toombs County Bulldogs came up one run short in a 2-1 loss at Long County. The Blue Tide scored two unearned runs in the second inning on a hit batsmen, an error and a two-run double by pitcher Shawn Mills. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play video Listen to archived Y-101 play-by-play Ustream

The Bulldogs scored their run in the fourth inning with two outs. Ben Brantley was hit by a pitch, James Ethredge (2-for-3) singled and catcher Brandon Beckum (1-for-3) reached on an infield hit on the third base line that made it a 2-1 game. Toombs left runners at second and third in that inning.

There were nine total hits in the game. The Bulldogs had five of them and all were stroked with two down. Berry Aldridge (1-for-2), who played third base, hit a double in the third inning. Aldridge was stranded at third after swiping that base. Hunter Braddy (1-for-3) singled in the fifth and he was left at second.

Both starting pitchers tossed a complete game. Jeremy Beasley threw seven innings and allowed four hits- two were infield hits in the fifth in which the Bulldogs recorded the third out at home plate. Beasley struck out nine batters and didn't walk a single Blue Tider. Longs' second hit was eliminated in a run down between first and second. Mills pitched six innings for Long and he struck out three, walked one and hit one.

5th inning dooms Bulldogs

The Toombs County Bulldogs battled the visiting Brantley County Herons evenly until the Herons scored five runs in the fifth in an 8-3 Region 2 victory. The loss was the Bulldogs fourth in a row and dropped their record to 4-12-1 overall and 2-7 in the region. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube Listen to archive Y-101 play-by-play Ustream

Both teams scored a run in the first inning to set the back-and-forth tone. Walker Carter, who singled, scored for the Herons on a wild pitch and Hunter Braddy (1-for-4) touched home on Jeremy Beasley's (1-for-3) RBI single. The Bulldogs stroked four of their seven hits off Cameron Martin in the first.

Brantley County took a 3-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Heath Highsmith and Devon Johns walked and both scored on an error and a suicide squeeze by Dylan Hickox. The Bulldogs countered by tying the game in the bottom of the frame. Martin made an error on a Beasley grounder near the mound and then the Heron right-hander hit Efrain Quinterro (1-3) and Brandon Driggers to load the bases. Trey Wingate drew the first of his two walks that cut the Heron lead to one. Then Bailey Salter hit a grounder to short and Carter's throw to first got by allowing Toombs to tie the game.

Bulldogs run-ruled for the 1st time

In a challenging season, against tough competition in Region 2, the Toombs County Bulldogs had avoided the dreaded run-rule. That is until they ran in to the Pierce County Bears in Blackshear. The Bears, who no-hit the Bulldogs at Jacky Jones, bolted to an 8-0 lead after two innings and then finished TCHS off by scoring single runs in the third and fourth innings in 10-0 five inning victory.

Three Bulldog walks contributed to a three-run first inning for Pierce, The Bears followed with a five-run second. Toombs had only three base runners against right-hander Cole Dowling, who struck out nine. Efrain Quinterro walked in the second inning, Matthew Hall was hit by a pitch in the fifth and was caught stealing and Jeremy Beasley reached in the fourth inning on what the Bulldogs ruled as their only hit in the game. Beasley was jammed on a pitch and hit the ball up the third base line. Dowling fielded it quickly and threw off balance to first and he hit Beasley close to the bag. Will White threw a seven inning no-hitter against the Bulldogs earlier in the season. White also one-hit the Bulldogs in the second match up between the two teams in 2011. So, the Bulldogs have had just two hits against Pierce pitching in the last 19 innings.

Dawgs drop another one run game

For the second time this week the Toombs County Bulldogs lost a one-run game and by a sixth inning error. Swainsboro pulled out a 4-3 win at Jacky Jones Field. The Bulldogs are 2-3 in one-run games this season. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube Listen to archived Y-101 play-by-play Ustream

In a back and forth game, both teams scored a run in the first inning on a double play ball. TCHS added an extra tally in the first on Bailey Salter's (1-for-2) two out RBI hit to left. Swainsboro tied the game in the second scoring an unearned run on a single by Joseph Gibson.

Toombs regained the lead in the third on a manufactured small ball run. Berry Aldridge (2-for-3), who was playing second base and not catching, reached base on a one-out drag bunt. Aldridge was in the process of stealing second when Tyler Browns pitch got away. Berry stole third and then scored on a balk to put the Bulldogs up 3-2. Toombs had one more scoring opportunity. In the fourth Christian Moore (1-for-2) reached on an infield hit and tried to score from third on a wild pitch. In a wild play at the plate catcher Damon Cochran quickly retrieved the ball and dove to the plate tagging out Moore, who was sliding head first in a bang-bang play. Chadler Wright (1-for-2) followed with a double down the left field line that would have scored the run.

Swainsboro tied the game in the fifth on a two-out RBI double by Stone Logan and then the Tigers won the game in the sixth. A leadoff walk eventually scored on a Bulldog error. A throw to third base on a steal attempt got way allowing the winning run in.

James Ethredge took the loss despite pitching well. He threw 6 1/3 innings allowing four hits and two earned runs. He tied his season high in strikeouts with seven and he walked four batters. Aldridge got the final two outs on a fly ball and a strikeout. Brown pitched a complete game for Swainsboro and yielded six hits, but none after the fourth as he ended the game retiring nine Bulldogs in a row. He struck out six and walked three.

Warriors nip Bulldogs 5-4 in 8

For the second straight season the Tattnall County Warriors nipped Toombs County by a run in eight innings in Reidsville. The Warriors scored a run on a TCHS error to win the Region 2 match up 5-4. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

The Bulldogs only led the game once. Hunter Braddy scored from second on the Warriors attempt to record the final out of the first inning on a throw from third to first that got away. Tattnall finally lit up the scoreboard in the fourth by scoring three runs. It looked like starting pitcher Jeremy Beasley was going to get out of the inning. However, with two down and the bases loaded a possible called strike three was instead called a ball. Two pitches later Ryan Renroe walked, Jeremy hit the next batter and a third run scored on an error.

Toombs cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth when Beasley walked with the bases loaded. The Warriors scored a run in the bottom of the inning to increase their lead to 4-2.

TCHS rallied in the sixth and tied the game at 4-all. Bailey Salter slapped a grounder to short that the Warriors threw in to foul territory allowing Matthew Hall to score. Trey Wingate (1-for-2) drove Salter in with a sacrifice fly to left.

The Warriors leadoff man reached on an error in the eighth inning. Dalton Benton singled and then Salter, who pitched the final two innings, struckout a batter and got an out at third base prior to the game ending error.

Ethredge pitches Dawgs to 2nd region win

In a Region 2 game that started 41 minutes early and ended in just one hour and fourty minutes, the Toombs County Bulldogs beat the potential of bad weather with a sharply pitched game by James Ethredge. The sophomore right-hander tossed a six hitter and did not allow an earned run in the Bulldogs 5-1 home win over McIntosh County Academy. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube Listen to archived Y-101 play-by-play Ustream

Ethredge retired the first eight Buccaneers that he faced on four strikeouts, three batted balls that did not leave the infield and one that did which was caught by right fielder Levi Alyea. The Bucs stroked two two-out hits- one in the third and one in the fourth and then they didn't reach base on a hit until an untidy seventh. Ethredge struckout seven and walked only one as he pitched a full seven innings for the first time in his varsity career. "I didn't try to overpower anything. I hit my spots," said Ethredge (1-1 this season and 3-1 in his varsity career). "I left it (the ball) up a couple of times and that's going to happen. They had a few bloop hits and everytime they were hitting them the defense was making plays."

McIntosh took advantage of the Bulldogs' only error of the game to score a seventh inning run. The Bucs had four hits in that frame. However, Ethredge ended any threat of a comeback rally by striking out leadoff hitter Bryan Mixon with the bases loaded.

In the first three innings the Bulldogs were a very efficient offensive team. In the first inning Ethredge (1-for-3) singled, Berry Aldridge (2-for-2) walked and Jeremy Beasley (1-for-2 with a walk) singled up the middle to put TCHS up 2-0. In the next two innings Toombs stroked two two-out RBI hits. In the second inning Matthew Hall reached on an error and scored on Bailey Salter's (1-for-3) two-out single to left. Salter scored on that play when McIntosh tossed the ball in to center field trying to throw him out at second base.

In the third Aldridge and Brandon Driggers (1-for-3) singled and Efrain Quinterro (1-for-3) drove in courtesy runner Brandon Beckum with a two-out hit. TCHS stroked seven of it's eight hits in the first three innings. Aldridge had the Bulldogs' final hit in the fifth when he reached on

Battling Bulldogs come up short

For a young team, like the 2012 Toombs County Bulldogs, getting over the hump against one of the top four teams in Region 2 isn't easy. Brian Fitzgerald's improving Dawgs came close against visiting Jeff Davis. However, the end result was another frustrating 7-5 loss. Rallying in the seventh inning with two down with two straight walks, their effort came to an end when the Bulldogs made the final out on a ball batted by Trey Wingate that hit Christian Moore who was advancing from second to third base. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

The Bulldogs bolted out of the gate by scoring a pair of first inning runs to take a 2-0 lead. Leadoff hitter Hunter Braddy (2-for-4 with a runs scored) and number two hitter James Ethredge (2-for-3 with 2 RBI's) each stroked their first doubles of the season with Ethredge picking up the RBI. Brandon Driggers drove in the second run with a grounder that Jeff Davis tried to turn in to a double play. The Yellow Jackets got the out at second, but not at first.

The Yellow Jackets surged to their first lead by scoring a run in the second on a two-out single by Bradley Miles who dueled starting pitcher Bailey Salter by fouling off a series of 3-2 pitches. JD added two more runs in the third on back-to-back doubles by Brett Miles (2-for-3 with a RBI) and Will Browning (2-for-3 with two doubles and a RBI) to lead off the frame and a sacrifice fly by Drew Johns.

Jeff Davis increased it's lead to 5-2 in the fourth by stroking two hits and scoring two runs on a bases loaded walk by Browning and a sacrifice fly to left by Kolby Land. The Bulldogs started their comeback in the bottom of the fourth. Matthew Hall singled, Levi Alyea laid down a sacrifice bunt and Bailey Salter doubled in Hall. Ethredge jumped on a 3-1 fastball and lined it in to left to score Salter and the Dawgs were down by one. In the fifth Efrain Quinterro singled in Jeremy Beasley, who walked, to make it a 5-5 game.

The Yellow Jackets regained the lead in the sixth by stringing together three straight hits. Kristopher Kirkand tripled in a run and Brett Miles singled in one.

In the seventh down to their last strike, TCHS made it interesting. Brandon Driggers and Quinterro each drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch. Then on a 3-2 offering pinch hitter Trey Wingate hit a grounder to the left side on the infield and that is when the ball hit Moore to end the comeback.

Buxton sparks Pirates in early innings

Byron Buxton kills time during weather delay

In a Region 2 match up between Toombs County and Appling County that eerily followed a similar pattern to one played between the same two teams on the same field in the 2011 season, the visiting Pirates scored four runs in the first inning in a 6-0 win in a six inning game that was stopped twice by lighting delays. In a late season game last season Appling scored three runs in the first inning and won 4-0 at Jacky Jones Field. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

Byron Buxton, one of the nations top projected amateur prospects in the June Major League draft, led off the first and second innings with a hit and scored twice. In the first Buxton turned a routine single in to an amazing double by using his speed (he has been timed leaving the batters box and running down the first base line in 3.8 seconds). Buxton never stopped running on a ball hit in to shallow left center field and surprised many by winding up at second base. Josh Barber followed with a one-out bomb to right field and his double put the Pirates up 1-0. Kyle Miller made it 3-zip by scorching a ball slightly over 360 feet, over the center field fence, for a two-run homer that made it 3-0. Gage Patton singled in the final run in the first inning. Sophomore pitcher James Ethredge recorded all three outs in the first on strikeouts.

Buxton led off the second inning with a single. He moved to second on a grounder to short, stole third base and scored on a Barber single. Appling's other run in second was unearned. After the second Ethredge, who admitted to being a little nervous about facing the undefeated, top ranked Pirates, settled down and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only an infield hit to Barber (3-for-3 with 2 RBI's) in the third. Four of the nine outs in this run were recorded by strikeouts as the right-hander pitched five innings allowing nine hits and five earned runs. He struck out seven, hit one batter and did not walk a single Pirate. In the fourth inning Ethredge battled Buxton (2-for-4 with two runs scored) and feed him a steady diet of sliders and eventually induced a pop up that third baseman Efrain Quinterro caught on the dirt. "It's going to be great seeing him on TV, maybe one day, and telling my family I got him out," said Ethredge. "The main thing I was trying to do was hit my spots. I knew I wasn't going to be able to throw it by them."

Sophomore Bailey Salter relieved Ethredge in the sixth and retired the Pirates three up, three down. In his duel with Buxton, Bailey jumped ahead in the count 0-2 and like Ethredge forced a pop up that Quinterro caught in foul territory for the second out of the inning. Coincidentally last season, Bailey's older brother, Johnathan, jammed Buxton forcing a pop up that was caught up the third baseline by catcher Berry Aldridge.

On offense the Bulldogs stroked three hits off lefty Josh Deen, who pitched five innings and struckout five. In the first inning James Ethredge (1-for-3) smacked a one-out single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Aldridge hit a hard liner that second baseman Jeremy Ammons caught on a dive and turned in to a double play by throwing behind the runner at second. In recent games Aldrdige has lined out to three third basemen- at Brantley County, Vidalia and ECI.

Jeremy Beasley (1-for-3) led off the second with a single extending his hitting streak to six games. He got to third with one out. However, the Bulldogs stranded him there. In the third inning Hunter Braddy (1-for3) hit a two-out single and in the fifth Deen walked Christian Moore, Levi Alyea and Salter to load the bases with one-out. Once again the Bulldogs didn't come up with the big hit that potentially could have turned the game around. Reliever Matt Shumans pitched a three up, three down sixth.

The game was stopped twice due to lightening. The first delay came at the beginning of the bottom of the second. Both teams ended up playing pepper as they awaited the end of the required 30 minute stoppage of play. The second delay came prior to the start of the seventh. Eventually, it was decided to end the game with the Pirates winning in six innings. Toombs County falls to 3-7-1 overall and 1-3 in Region 2. Appling is 11-0 and 6-0.

ECI wins battle of Bulldogs

The ECI Bulldogs scored two runs in the first and four in the second inning to set up a 7-1 win over the visiting Toombs County Bulldogs in a non-region game. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

The TC Bulldogs only run was scored in the second. Brandon Driggers reached on an error, Jeremy Beasley singled and Efrain Quinterro layed down a sacrifice bunt moving the runners to second and third base. With two outs Levi Alyea hit the ball to third and T.J. McNeal ran Beasley back to second and tagged him out after Trey Wingate, running for Driggers, touched home.

Quinterro pitched three innings in relief and allowed two base hits and one earned run. Berry Aldridge threw a three up, three down sixth with a strikeout. The Bulldogs had six hits off Gunner Brown, who threw a complete game. Quinterro was 2-for-2, Beasley 2-for-3 and Aldridge and James Ethredge were 1-for-2, The Bulldogs are 3-6-1 overall and 1-2 in the region.

Game incomplete- 4-4 after 7

The Toombs County Bulldogs and the Vidalia Indians played seven innings of baseball at Greg James Field before heavy rain and lightening ended the evening with both teams scoring four runs. No decision has been made on if or when the game will be resumed. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

In regulation the two young teams, both seeking their second Region 2 victory, swapped the lead. The Indians took a 2-0 lead in the first when Toombs made a pair of errors and Adam Purdon singled in a run. The Bulldogs surged in front in the second. Christian Moore walked and scored on a wild pitch and Bailey Salter and Hunter Braddy stroked back-to-back RBI singles to give Toombs a 3-2 lead. Vidalia immediately tied the game in the bottom of the second on a run scoring single by Zack Strom.

In the fourth inning Bailey Salter reached on a one-out error, Braddy executed the hit-and-run by hitting the ball through the right side of the infield to put runners on second third and then James Ethredge hit a sacrifice fly to shallow right center which scored Salter and put TCHS up 4-3. The Bulldogs left runners on second and third in that inning, a runner at third in the fifth and had a runner thrown out a the plate in the second.

Vidalia tied the game in the seventh on a one-out RBI single by Strom. Bailey Salter retired nine Indians in a row in a relief stint from the fourth to the seventh.

Aldridge pitches the Bulldogs to a win

Toombs County senior catcher Barry Aldridge was given a unique opportunity by head coach Brian Fitzgerald. He got to pitch the final four innings of the Bulldogs' 4-3 win at Swainsboro against the kids he grew up with. Aldridge spent his pre- middle school years in Swainsboro and played recreation ball with or against most of the Tigers before enrolling at Toombs County Middle School. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube Listen to archived Y-101 play-by-play Ustream

Berry pitched the final four innings and did not allow a run while striking out six and yielding only three hits, Aldridge picked up his first Bulldog victory thanks to Bailey Salter, who scored from second base after pitcher Kyle Henry's pick off throw sailed in to center field in the sixth inning. "Yea it was fun to come back and play with these guys," said a grateful Aldridge. "There still my friends, there not my enemies. So, it wasn't like a grudge match."

Aldridge went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored the Bulldogs first and third runs in the first and third innings. He also played second base for the first time since his sophomore season and had two assists on back-to-back grounders in the third inning.

Brandon Driggers started the game on the mound and pitched the first three innings and allowed three earned runs on four hits. At the plate Driggers drove in two runs with a ground ball to second in the first and a sacrifice fly to left in the third.

The non-region Diamond Day game started over an hour late and it went back and fourth in the first three innings. TCHS led 2-0 after the first frame. The Tigers tied the game in the second and then the Dawgs took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third and Swainsboro tied the game in the bottom of the inning.

Bulldogs wait until the 7th to beat Long

Hunter Braddy hits a sac fly to shallow right

Blake Horton scores as the throw bends away from the plate

The Toombs County Bulldogs spent 6 1/2 innings either trailing or tied with visiting Long County. However, in their final at bat the young Bulldogs conjured up their first come-from-behind 7-6 win. With one down and a runner at second, Efrain Quinterro (2-for-3 with 2 RBI's) singled over the head of the second baseman to drive in pinch runner Austin Cartier. Trey Wingate walked and Bailey Salter (2-for-3) singled to left to load the bases with one down. Sophomore second baseman Hunter Braddy, from the leadoff position, then engaged in an one-on-one duel with relief pitcher John Christiansen in a righty, righty match up. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube Listen to Y-101 play-by-play Part 1 Part 2

Hunter fouled off the first two pitches in his nine-pitch at bat that lasted 3 minutes and 47 seconds. Braddy fouled off three more pitches as he worked the count full and then on the first 3-2 pitch he lifted the ball up in the air to very shallow left field, no more than 12 feet behind the outside cut of the grass. Head coach Brian Fitzgerald sent pinch runner Blake Horton home after right fielder Jacob Turner made the catch. Turner's short throw home tailed off drastically to the first base side of the plate allowing Horton to score easily as all of his teammates raced out of the dugout and to the first base side of the diamond to congratulate Braddy. "I was pretty nervous up there," said Braddy. " I was just trying to get the ball to the outfield and I knew I had to swing at anything close and I just kept battling them and I finally got one. I didn't hit it as far as I wanted to, but I got the run in."

On the mound Bailey Salter pitched the first six innings for the Bulldogs. He allowed five runs of which three were earned in the first inning as the Bulldogs fell behind 5-0. Toombs scored a run in the first on a Long County wild pitch. The Bulldogs tied the game in the third by scoring four unearned runs. Berry Aldridge doubled to right field to drive in one, Jeremy Beasley reached on an infield hit to third that scored another and Quinterro hit a sacrifice fly that plated the final run of the frame.

The Blue Tide regained the lead in the fifth by stroking two hits and scoring on a sac fly. Jeremy Beasley pitched a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts for his second victory of the week. Berry Aldridge went 2-for-3 and doubled in a run in the third inning and he made a sliding catch way up the first baseline on a pop up in foul territory. TCHS is 2-5-1 overall and 1-2 in Region 2

Dawgs let road win opportunity slip away

The Toombs County Bulldogs let an opportunity to win their first Region 2 victory slip away, even though they never actually had a lead. Three Bulldog errors led to four unearned runs while on offense TCHS left the bases loaded in back-to-back innings in a 5-4 defeat at Brantley County. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

For the second straight day a sophomore pitched a complete seven inning game. James Ethredge allowed only three hits and an earned run while striking out five including four in a row in the third and fourth innings. James only walked two batters. The leadoff hitters in the first and second and both scored as Brantley took a 3-0 lead.

The Bulldogs rallied in the fourth scoring a run when Matthew Hall was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Toombs left the bases juiced in that frame and in the fourth when the Bulldogs scored a run on an error to cut the Heron lead to 3-2. In the fifth the Bulldogs made two errors and allowed two unearned runs and fell behind 5-2.

In the top of the seventh Toombs rallied and scored two runs on a RBI grounder by Ethredge and a hard hit double to left by Brandon Driggers.

Bulldogs earn first victory

Jeremy Beasley ends gem with 11th strikeout

A game after being no-hit and shutout by Pierce County, the Toombs County Bulldogs spent a Sunday working on their hitting approach and a Monday stroking nine hits and scoring in double-digits for the first time this season in a 10-6 win at Metter. Watch highlights with Y-01 play-by-play You Tube Listen to archived Y-101 play-by-play Ustream
Another key ingredient in the Dawg victory was a fifth quality start in five games by a sophomore pitcher. Jeremy Beasly pitched his first varsity seven inning complete game allowing six hits with 11 strikeouts and just one walk. Beasley had to pitch around some Bulldog errors and allowed only thee earned runs.

The game also featured several Toombs County comebacks. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the third on a sacrifice fly by leadoff hitter Hunter Braddy (1-for-4). Then Metter put up a four-spot in the third which could have been a three up, three down frame. Toombs rallied in the fourth and tied the game at 4 when Brandon Driggers smacked a sacrifice fly, Beasly stroked a RBI grounder to short and Bailey Salter (1-for-3) singled in a run.

Toombs took a 5-4 lead in the fifth on a James Ethredge grounder to third. However, Metter tied the game in the bottom of the frame. Toombs surged ahead for good in the sixth by scoring four runs to take a 9-5 lead. Levi Alyea (1-for-3) singled in a run and Berry Aldridge (2-for-2) doubled on a high inside pitch to left field. His second two-run double on that field in two seasons. The Bulldogs scored their final run in the seventh on a RBI grounder by Matthew Hall.

White no-no's the Bulldogs

Will White ends no-hitter with ninth strikeout

In a late season start at Jacky Jones Field in 2011, Pierce County starting right handed pitcher Will White tossed a one-hitter against a veteran Toombs County lineup that was hitting .360. Evan Adams stroked a one-out opposite field hit to left in the first inning in a game in which White struckout seven Bulldogs. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube Listen to Y-101 archived play-by-play Part 1 Part 2

Fast forward to Friday, March 2, 2012, on the same field, against a young Toombs County that was hitting .189 with 18 hits in four games and White, now a senior, pitched a seven inning no-hitter in a 7-0 Pierce County win. Coincidentally, the only near hit for the Bulldogs happened in the first inning when leadoff hitter Matthew Hall lined an opposite field shot that first baseman Will Loman caught with a leap. Otherwise the only Bulldog base runners came on three hit batsmen- two in the second and one in the third. The Bulldogs did not have a base runner after they nearly scored the game's first run in the third. Levi Alyea led off the frame and was trying to bunt an 0-1 pitch when White threw inside and hit the number nine hitter. Hall followed with a sacrifice bunt that moved Alyea to second. White attempted a pick-off play at second and threw the ball in to right center field and Alyea beat Codi Dixon's throw to third base. Number two hitter Hunter Braddy smacked a 1-2 pitch to shortstop Vince Elliot, who along with the rest of the Pierce infield was playing in with one down. Elliot fielded the ball cleanly and threw it low and in front of home plate allowing catcher Nate Gay to easily apply the tag for the second out. Then Gay finished the inning by throwing out Braddy trying to steal second base.

After the third inning White retired TCHS 12 up, 12 down with all nine of his strikeouts coming in this run. He struck out the side in the fifth and the seventh and ended his gem with three straight strikeouts on on a 2-2 pitch, a 1-2 pitch and an 0-2 offering.

Pierce County scored the first run of the game in the fourth inning on a single by Elliott and two Bulldog errors and then added six more in the fifth on three hit batsmen, three walks including two with the bases loaded, a sacrifice fly by Cole Dowling, a single by Tim Huff and the Bulldogs third and final error of the game.

One again for the fifth straight game, to open up the season, the Bulldogs got a quality start for four innings. Sophomore Bailey Salter pitched the first three innings scoreless and allowed the unearned run in the fourth prior to the team's struggles in the fifth. In the first inning he walked two and allowed an infield hit. However, with the bases loaded he ended the Bears threat inducing a soft liner that was caught easily by first baseman Brandon Driggers. Salter had a three up, three down second and struckout the eight and nine hitters- Stetson Smith and Dowling. Bailey hit Gay to start off the third and then got three fly ball outs- one to Hall in center and two to Chandler "Bing" Wright in left. In the fourth after allowing the unearned fun, he slipped out of his second bases loaded jam with a strikeout of Dowling. Salter pitched four innings and allowed only three hits, He struckout four, walked two and hit four while allowing five earned runs.

Senior Brandon Driggers relieved Salter and despite the fact he had not thrown in the bullpen since joining the team after the completion of basketball season, the righthander walked Gay with the bases loaded and Drew Taylor and then got the final two outs of the inning on a strike out and a soft liner to shortstop James Ethredge.

Ethredge, another sophomore, finished the game on the mound and pitched two scoreless innings and allowed the Bears their fourth and fifth hits of the game- a one-out double by Loman in the sixth and leadoff single by Gay in the seventh. Ethredge, throwing some of his best fastballs of his varsity career, struckout Smith and Dixon in the sixth. In the seventh he got back-to-back right handed hitters at the top of the order to fly out to Alyea in right and then struckout Brian Barefield to end his stint which included three strikeouts and one walk.

Raiders breakaway in the sixth

Toombs County and Savannah Christian were dueling in a close game for each teams first victory of the season when the Raiders added to their 2-1 lead with a seven-run sixth inning in route to a 9-1 victory at Jacky Jones Field in Lyons.

The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on their only two hits of the game. James Ethredge and Brandon Driggers each singled and Jeremy Beasley followed with a sacrifice bunt which moved both in to scoring position for Efrain Quinterro. Quinterro got the safety squeeze sign from head coach Brian Fitzgerald and he laid down a bunt up the first base line that scored Ethredge. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play video

Savannah Christian scored single runs in the third and fourth to take a 2-1 lead and then the Raiders fired up their small ball game by bunting and stroking four hits in the sixth inning. Listen to archived Y-101 play-by-play Ustream

Sophomore Jeremy Beasley pitched five solid innings before leaving the game in the sixth. He allowed seven hits and six earned runs with a strike out and two walks. Quinterro threw the final two innings and yielded two hits and two earned runs while striking out back-to-back hitters leading off the seventh.

Dawgs tie one and lose one

In their Diamond Day at Jacky Jones Field, the Toombs County Bulldogs played to a 1-all, seven inning draw with Dodge County and then let a 5-0 lead get away in the final two innings as they lost to East Laurens 12-5.

Game One- The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the first inning on an error and two walks. However, Jordan Smith, Dodge County's starting pitcher struck out the the Dawgs four, five and six hitters to end the threat. Smith struck out the first two hitters in the second to give him five straight K's. For the second straight game the Bulldogs didn't stroke a hit in their first two innings. In fact Efrain Quinterro ended Smith's no-hitter with one-out in the fourth on a single to right field that bounced off Jordan Perdue's face. Freshman Ben Brantley stroked his first varsity hit and put the Bulldogs up 1-0 with a double to left center field that hit the fence on a bounce. The Bulldogs would stroke just one more hit in the game in the seventh inning on a two-out single by senior Trey Wingate. Listen to Y-101 archived play-by-play Ustream

Dodge County tied the game in the fifth on an amazing at bat by Perdue, the leadoff hitter. He fouled off nine pitches from reliever Jeremy Beasley before finally getting hit by a pitch on a 3-2 offering, with the bases loaded, to push across the tying run. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

Former Bulldog Jared Allen, who is the first year head coach of Dodge, thought his team had taken a 3-1 lead on a hit to the right side against a drawn in infield in the fifth. Instead the ruling was the batted ball had hit the base runner going from first to second making it two down with the bases still loaded. Beasley ended the inning by inducing a ground out to second base.

James Ethredge pitched 4 1/3 innings before leaving with a blister on his middle finger. The sophomore allowed just two hits and struckout five. Ethredge retired nine in a row from the first through the fourth. He did not allow an earned run. Beasley pitched 2 2/3's and gave up one hit and no runs and he struck out three.

Game Two- The Bulldogs raced to a 5-0 lead stroking 11 hits off a pair of East Laurens left handed pitchers in the first four innings. Wingate led off the first with a triple to right and he scored on a Hunter Braddy RBI single. Braddy scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Bailey Satler and Brandon Beckum each had a single in the second and Salter scored on Beckum's first varsity hit to make it 3-0. Listen to archived Y-101 play-by-play Ustream

James Ethredge singled in a run in the third and Braddy did the same in the fourth as the Bulldogs built up a 5-0 advantage. However, the game changed with two pitching changes. Right hander Marcus Roach entered for the Falcons and did not allow a hit in the final three innings while striking out six including the side in the fifth. For TCHS Quinterro, making his first varsity start on the mound, left after shutting out the Falcons for five innings on two hits and two strikeouts. Ethan induced four flyballs to the outfield and four grounders and two balls hit in the air that were caught by the infield. The best defense play of the game was made by Braddy at second. With two down in the third Braddy dove in to the outfield grass and made a big league snag. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

East Laurens rallied by scoring six in the sixth and sixth in the seventh off the Bulldog bullpen. East Laurens belted 10 hits and the Bulldogs helped out by making numerous errors.

Metter nips Bulldogs 2-0 in opener

Pitching wasn't the problem. However, hitting was as the Toombs County Bulldogs almost matched visiting Metter in hits-the Tigers had four and the Bulldogs two. But they didn't match the Tigers run total, in a 2-0 season opening home loss. The Tigers scored an unearned run in the first on their first hit- a two-out infield hit by senior Trace Padgett which third baseman Efren Quinterro thought was a foul ball after it appeared to cross the line before it got to the bag. The Tigers other run came in the seventh inning on a one-out single by senior Keegan Williams.

The Bulldogs stroked a hit in both the third and fourth innings. Jeremy Beasley ended lefthander Padgett's no-hitter with a one-out double to center field. Quinterro followed in the fourth with a single to left with one out. In both frames the Bulldogs left a runner at second base. A young Bulldog lineup struckout five times versus three walks, grounded out four times, hit four balls in the air to the Metter infield and six fly balls to the outfield. The Tigers pitched around senior Berry Aldridge, who walked twice and was hit by a pitch.

Three Bulldog pitchers took the mound in the opener. Sophomore righty Bailey Salter pitched five solid innings allowing two hits with five strikeouts, four walks and one hit batsman.The only run he allowed was unearned. Salter stranded runners on second base in the first and second and he got out of a base loaded jam in the fifth with a strikeout. Aldridge pitched a three up, three down sixth with two strikeouts and Beasley pitched the seventh allowing two hits and an earned run with one strikeout.

On defense the Bulldogs made three errors in the first inning and none after that. Sophomore shortstop James Ethredge dove and snagged a sinking liner behind second to ope up the game and he initiated double-plays in the second and seventh innings. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube

2011 Season

Bulldogs' season ends with eight-inning loss

In their final game of the season the Toombs County Bulldogs let a four and a three-run lead slip away and the end result was a 9-8 eight inning loss at Tattnall County.

The Bulldogs scored three runs in the top of the first on a bases loaded walk by Jonathan and a two-out, two-run to right center field by Lance Mosley. Tattnall scored one run in the bottom of the inning on a double by Jarrett Greene.

Berry Aldridge pushed the Dawg advantage to 5-1 in the second inning with a two-run home run, off a 1-0 fastball up in the zone. Aldridge hit a low line drive shot that easily cleared the left field fence. His second homer of the season and the sixth of his Bulldog career.

The Warriors stroked three straight two-out RBI hits in the third inning and tied the game at five. The Bulldogs played their veteran players for three innings and then they let the younger guys take over. In the fifth freshman Bailey Salter smacked an opposite field single that drove in one run and another scored on an error on the play to put TCHS up 7-5. Aldridge singled in a run in the sixth to make it 8-5. Berry ended his junior season with a five-game hitting streak.

The Warriors rallied and tied the game in the seventh by taking advantage of three walks to lead off the frame. Tattnall pulled out a Senior Day win when sophomore Brandon Purcell doubled in the game-winning run with one out.

Watch highlights with Y-101 Radio play-by-play Video

Senior Day is swell, but Dawgs playoff run is over

Senior Day for the Toombs County Bulldogs could not have gone better except for something they could not control- a game played in Ludowici. Brantley County rallied and edged Long County 10-9 ending the Bulldogs playoff drive. Otherwise, the Bulldogs took care of business in their final home game as they defeated McIntosh County Academy 8-1 and had the Buccaneers' center fielder Bryan Mixon not made two diving catches and one at the fence Toombs would have prevailed by the 10-run rule. Y-101 Story

On the mound senior Jonathan Salter pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed three hits. The lefty overcame his first inning woes with a three up, three down frame. He allowed his first hit with one down in the third, on slowly hit ball to the left side of the infield. Salter struckout nine and walked only one while hitting two Bucs. He struckout the side in the fourth giving him 100 K's in his Bulldog career. Salter finishes his career with a 6-5 record and senior slate is 4-2. Senior Josh Allen pitched 2/3 of an inning scoreless and senior Ryan Davis retired the Bucs on three grounders in the seventh.

In the first inning the Bulldogs stroked three two-out singles. Juniors Berry Aldridge and Blake Butcher set the table for senior Patrick Craft who drove in TCHS's first run with a base hit. Toombs added five runs in the second. Senior Brett Jernigan (2-for-4) double- his third two-bagger in this last three games. Senior Evan Adams (1-for-3) drove in a run with a grounder, Butcher (3-for-3) singled in two runs and Salter (2-for-2) drove in two more.

Toombs added two fourth inning runs on a single by Butcher and a sacrifice fly by Salter. The Buccaneers scored their only run on a single by Brad Thomas in the fifth. McIntosh only had three hits off the three Bulldog pitchers.

Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play Video Y-101 Senior Salute Audio

Senior Salute Ceremony Video TCHS Bulldog Senior Day Program

Bulldogs playoff hopes are slipping away

Its not over. But, with a 3-0 home loss to Jeff Davis combined with Brantley County's 7-5 loss to Pierce, the Toombs County Bulldogs have just one chance to make the playoffs. The Dawgs, who are 7-7 in Region 2, have to win their final two games at home versus McIntosh County Academy (Tuesday) and on the road at Tattnall County (Friday) and Brantley (8-5) would have to lose it's final three games- at Appling County (Monday), at Long County (Tuesday) and at home to Appling on Friday. That scenario would give Toombs the fourth seed out of Region 2.

For the third straight region game (Vidalia and Appling County prior) the Bulldogs were limited to just four hits, this time by two Jeff Davis pitchers. Right hand starter Alan Browning no-hit the Bulldogs until Berry Aldridge singled with one out in the fourth. The Bulldogs best chances to score came in the fifth and the seventh. In the fifth Patrick Craft led off with a walk and Alex Akins stroked a one-out single. However, two Bulldog hitters were called out on strikes TCHS ended up leaving runners on second and third.

Toombs smashed two more hits in the seventh. Brett Jernigan doubled with two-down and then Alex Akins followed with a single to left. But the game ended on Akins hit when the throw toward home plate from Brett Miles sailed up the first base line and pitcher Jesse Deats threw to second and second baseman Hunter Beck tagged Alex out.

Jeff Davis scored two runs in the second inning on a leadoff solo home run by catcher Matthew Carter. Miles and leadoff hitter Kody Waters stroked back-to-back doubles to score the other run. Browning hit a sacrifice fly deep to right field to score the Yellow Jackets final run with nobody out in the fifth.

Lance Mosley pitched four innings and allowed seven hits and three earned runs with two strikeouts and two walks. Brett Jernigan pitched 1 2/3 innings and gave up a hit with two walks and one strikeout. Ryan Davis tossed 1 1/3 innings hitless with one strike out. For the Yellow Jackets Browning picked up the win by throwing five innings of two-hit ball with five strikeouts and two walks. Deats threw the final two frames and allowed two hits and had one strikeout.

Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play Video

Pirates hand Bulldogs 6th region loss

Appling County scored three earned runs in the first inning and an unearned run in the fifth and Byron Buxton pitched a complete game four hitter as the Pirates shutout the Toombs County 4-0 in Lyons, giving the Bulldogs their sixth Region 2 loss of the season. TCHS is 15-6 overall and 7-6 in the region.

Brantley County defeated Tattnall County 13-6 and Jeff Davis nipped Vidalia 9-8. The Bulldogs are in fifth place in the region, 1 1/2 games behind Brantley and the Herons have the tie breaker on the Bulldogs. Here is one scenario that would put the Dawgs in the playoffs. They need to win their final three games (Jeff Davis and McIntosh County Academy at home and at Tattnall County) and they need for the Brantley County (7-4 in the region) to lose three of it's final five games which are at home versus Long, Pierce and Appling and on the road against Appling and Long.

Senior lefty Jonathan Salter pitched seven innings, for the first time in his Bulldog career, and limited Appling to three first inning hits and that was it. Salter struck out eight, walked four and hit three Pirates. At one point, early in the game, he retired eight batters in a row. The Bulldog defense only made one error and they also turned a 5-6-4 double play on a Appling bunt in the fourth inning.

Offensively, the Bulldog hits were scattered. Berry Aldridge (2-for3) stroked two singles up the middle in the first and sixth. Patrick Craft reached on an infield hit in the third and the Bulldogs had another base runner in that inning on a Pirate error. Brett Jernigan stroked a double in the seventh. The Bulldogs only had three runners who touched second base.

Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play Video

Dawgs tuneup with non region win

Perhaps a trip to Twin City on a Monday is exactly what the Toombs County Bulldogs needed coming off a stretch in which they had lost three of their four Region 2 games. There was no real pressure to beat ECI in a non region matchup, but that is exactly what the Bulldogs did. They stroked 14 hits in a 13-2 six inning victory.

Toombs only brought 11 varsity players to the game because the junior varsity was playing a home game. But, everybody got at least one hit and five Bulldogs stroked two. With two out in the second inning, Brett Jernigan (2-for-3) scorched an opposite field triple to right center field that scored a run and Brandon Driggers (2-for-4) followed with a run scoring single.

TCHS made it 6-0 in the third as Lance Mosley (1-for-4) hit his first home run of the season and the fifth of his career. His three-run blast easily cleared the left field fence. Driggers also doubled in a run.

The Bulldogs scored three runs in the fifth. Blake Butcher (2-for-4) led off with a double and scored on a Evan Adams's (2-for-2) single. Ryan Davis doubled in a run and Josh Allen (2-for-3) singled in another. Toombs added four more in the sixth on a Butcher RBI grounder to third, an Adams run scoring single and an ECI error, in the outfield, which plated two more Bulldogs.

On the mound junior Brandon Driggers made his first varsity start and allowed four hits in four innings with two strikeouts and two walks. The only run he allowed was in the fourth inning on a one-out solo home run by T.J. McNeal. Patrick Craft pitched his first innings of his senior season and the side arm throwing right hander allowed two hits and an earned run while inducing four grounders including a 6-4-3 Bulldog double play.

Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play Video

Dawgs take a hit at Vidalia

Seeking to improve their playoff hopes the Toombs County Bulldogs took a hit at Vidalia as the Indians hit four home runs and held the Dawgs to four hits in a 12-5 victory. Zach Burton pitched a complete game four-hitter and hit two solo home runs. Tyler Hutchinson hit two two-run homers in his first two at bats in the first and second innings.

The Bulldogs jumped to a 4-0 in the first inning when Lance Mosley led off the game with a single and Jonathan Salter drove in two runs with a double. Burton walked the lead off hitter in the second and then he retired 11 straight Bulldogs until Berry Aldridge reached on a two-out walk in the fifth. TCHS scored a final run in the sixth. Patrick Craft and Salter walked and then the Indians turned a double play on a hard liner to third. Derrick Hammock caught the shot off Alex Akins's bat and threw behind the runner at second. Brett Jernigan singled and Mosley stroked the Bulldogs' final hit which scored the fifth run. It was a high chopper, in front of home plate, that Burton was unable to field. Burton struck out five and walked seven. Watch Highlights Video

Bulldogs score early in five inning win

After getting off to slow starts in Region 2 losses to Piece County and Brantley County Toombs County Bulldog coach Brian Fitzgerald juggled his batting order for Long County and the end result was his team scored eight runs in the first two innings of an 11-0 five inning home win over the Blue Tide.

TCHS scored two two-out runs in the first on a run scoring single by Jonathan Salter (2-for-3) and a RBI double by Patrick Craft (1-for-2 with a walk) who moved from the top of the order to sixth. The Bulldogs followed up the first frame with their best second inning of the season. They scored six runs as Berry Aldridge (2-for-2) singled in one run, Salter singled in two, Alex Akins (1-for-2 with a walk) doubled in one and James Ethredge (1-for-3) stroked a two-out RBI single. In the third Aldridge singled in a run and then in the fourth TCHS set up their run-rule victory by scoring their tenth run on an error and their eleventh on a sacrifice fly by Evan Adams. Blake Butcher was 2-for-2 with a walk.

Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play Video

Rough night for the Bulldogs

While winning 62 of their last 81 games (.765 winning percentage) since the start of the 2009 season the Toombs County Bulldogs have only been run-ruled in five innings twice during the regular season. At Dublin in 2009 and at Brantley County on Friday night. The Herons took advantage of nine Bulldogs walks and some costly errors in the early innings and won 17-5- avenging the Bulldogs 12-4 victory Jackie Jones Field. Highlights

Brantley's Grant Highsmith staked the Herons to a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a low, line drive home run which banged off the scoreboard in left center field. The junior first baseman also smashed an opposite field two-run homer to right center field in the third. Brantley scored four runs in both the second and third innings and made the run-rule a reality by adding seven more in the fourth.

The Bulldogs scored an unearned run in the second when Lance Mosley, who led off the inning with a single, scored. Mosley (2-for-3) singled in a run in the third. Evan Adams (1-for-3) also singled in the third and scored on a wild pitch. That inning could have been more productive but it ended with a 5-3-6 double play as the Bulldogs made the third out at third.

Down 17-3 and needing five runs to extend the game to the bottom of the fifth inning, TCHS started a one-out rally with a single by Patrick Craft (1-for-3). Berry Aldridge (2-for-3) followed with a double and then Blake Butcher (2-for-3) singled scoring his two teammates. Jonathan Salter (1-for-3) also singled in the inning. However, the comeback and the game ended with Dalton Moore's third strikeout of the inning.

The Bulldogs are 13-4 and 6-4 in Region 2. In other region games- Tattnall pulled off an upset by nipping Appling County 7-6 in nine innings and Jeff Davis beat Long County 11-1. The Bulldogs for the first time this season are sitting outside the top four teams in the region. Jeff Davis is 9-2, Brantley 6-2 and Applng and Pierce County are 7-3. The Bulldogs have six region games left on their schedule- Long County at home, Vidalia on the road, Appling, Jeff Davis and McIntosh County Academy at home and Tattnall County on the road.

White limits Dawgs to one hit

The Toombs County Bulldogs strength is their hitting. They are batting over .360 on the season and over .400 at home. So, as they say in baseball, you have to tip your cap to a pitcher who can hold them to one first inning hit. That's exactly what Will White did in Pierce County's 6-2 win in Lyons. Evan Adams stroked an opposite field single to left, with one down in the first, and that was the only hit Toombs could muster against the right hander with a herky-jerky delivery and an excellent change up. White struck out seven Bulldogs and walked four and did not allow an earned run in his complete game victory.

Unearned runs were the rule in this game. Pierce scored an unearned run in the first inning when Toombs had a chance to get out of a bases loaded jam, instead a throw to home plate was way too high allowing a run to scored with two-down. The Bulldogs tied the game on two Pierce errors in the bottom of the first. Adams moved to second on a bad pick off throw to first and then scored when White threw to second base, in a pick off attempt, and nobody was covering.

TCHS took a 2-1 lead in the second on a two-out error on a grounder to short with runners on second and third. Toombs starting pitcher Lance Mosley stranded runners on first and second in the third inning. The game turned in the fourth inning when Mosley, with the bases loaded and two down, induced a grounder to short and the throw to second for the third out was not caught. The next Bear batter, Brian Barefield, stroked a three-run double giving Pierce a 5-2 lead. The Bears scored their final run in the sixth with two down. Every run in the game was unearned. Toombs loaded the bases in the seventh, but White denied the Dawgs the big base hit. The Bulldogs are 13-3 and 6-3 in Region 2. Pierce County is 8-8 and 7-3.

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Bulldogs pound out 17 runs

The Toombs County Bulldogs came within one strike or one out of beating Swainsboro, by the 10-run rule, for a second straight game. However in the fifth inning, Cody Farrow fought off the game's first match point by drilling a curve ball over the left field fence to extend the game which finally ended after three hours and seven innings with a 17-10 Bulldog win on the road.

TCHS, which trailed 3-0 after one inning and 5-3 after two. took control of the game in the third. The Bulldogs staged their most productive frame of the season by stroking eight hits and scoring nine runs. Five Bulldogs had multi-hit games including Evan Adams (2-for-4), who smashed two doubles in the third. Lance Mosley (2-for-3), Jonathan Salter (2-for-3), Cody Dowd (2-for-3) and Hunter Braddy (2-for-2) also had multi-hit games for the 13-2 Bulldogs.

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Bulldogs make it a short Saturday

For the second straight game the Toombs County Bulldogs took advantage of all their scoring in the opening inning as they also hit double-digits, for a second straight game, in an 11-1 five-inning home win over Swainsboro. The Bulldogs stroked four first inning hits and scored a season-high seven runs in the opening frame. Evan Adams walked and Berry Aldridge singled to set the table. Then Blake Butcher extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a run scoring single to left- giving the junior third baseman at least one RBI in each of his last nine games. Lance Mosley reached on an infield hit, Brett Jernigan walked with the bases loaded, Cody Dowd was hit by a pitch with the bases still juiced, James Ethredge hit an opposite field single that scored two Bulldogs and Brandon Driggers hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored a run and while he was at the plate another run scored on a wild pitch.

The Bulldogs scored two runs in the third with Ethredge at the plate. Lance Mosley, who walked, scored on a wild pitch and Brett Jernigan who also walked, scored from third, with the infield in, on an error by the second baseman on a grounder hit slightly to his right. Toombs scored another unearned run in the fourth on an E-6 to make it 10-1. The Bulldogs put the game on ice in the bottom of the fifth inning. Hunter Braddy led off with his first varsity base hit. He stole second base and took third on a bad throw and then touched home on a opposite field double to right by Alex Akins that ended the game early.

In this non-region game the Bulldogs pieced together their pitching and combined three Dawgs allowed three hits. Brett Jernigan was the starter and winning pitcher. The senior is 3-0 this season and 8-2 in his Bulldog career. He allowed one hit in two innings of work and struckout one and walked one. Jonathan Salter pitched the third and fourth innings and allowed two hits and an unearned run on the Bulldogs' only error of the game. The Dawgs have made only two errors in their last two games. Salter struck out three and walked one. Brandon Driggers pitched his first varsity inning and struckout three and walked one. The Bulldogs are 12-2 and remain 6-2 in Region 2 games.

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Top of the order propels Dawgs past Warriors

The top four hitters in the Toombs County Bulldogs' lineup stroked 11 hits in a 13-5 home win over Tattnall County. Clean up hitter Blake Butcher extended his hitting streak to 11 games and he has now driven in at least one run in eighth straight games. His run scoring double in a four-run first upped his team-high RBI total to 20. Butcher also added two singles in a 3-for- 4 game that increased his batting average to .479. Y-101 Story

Leadoff hitter Patrick Craft went 3-for-4 with a triple, a run batted in and two runs scored giving him a team-high 18 runs scored in his senior season. Number two hitter Evan Adams, 3-for-5, stroked a double and had two RBI's. Berry Aldridge, who hits third, went 2-for-5 and singled in two runs in the fourth inning.

The Bulldogs opened up a 7-1 lead after four innings and after the Warriors scored four in to the top of the fifth to make it 7-5, the Dawgs responded by scoring three runs in the both the fifth and sixth,

For the second straight start Lance Mosley (2-0) pitched six innings. From the the first to the third he retired nine straight batters. Mosley allowed six hits with five strikeouts and five walks. Jonathan Salter threw the seventh inning and struck out two, walked one and ended the game with his pick off move that engulfed Evan Smith in a run down that the Bulldogs finished with a tag. Toombs is 11-2 overall and 6-2 in Region 2 games.

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Winless Bucs force Bulldogs to win in eight

Blake Butcher hits a 2-run homer

The junior makes it 3-0 Bulldogs

When the Toombs County Bulldogs embarked on their long ride to Darien to face winless McIntosh County Academy, probably the last thing on their mind was that they would have to play their third straight eight inning game. For six innings it looked like the Bulldogs were going to win in seven. However, leading 5-2 going to the bottom of the seventh the Bulldogs walked in a run and the Buccaneers tied the game with a two-out, two-run single by the only left hand hitter in the lineup. DH Chad Lee to tied the game at five with a single and the Bucs could have taken a shot at winning their first game of the season if they had not held up a base runner at third. That forced the Bulldogs to win it in the eighth, which they did. Blake Butcher jumped on the first pitch of the inning and hit it over the center field fence for his second home run of the game. Alex Akins walked with the bases loaded and Patrick Craft singled in two runs giving the Bulldogs a 9-5 victory. Y-101 Story

The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a two-out hit by Cody Dowd. The left hand hitting sophomore went 2-for-4 giving him a .600 batting average with the varsity in 20 at bats. Butcher made it 3-0 Bulldogs when he jumped on the first pitch that he saw in the fourth inning and ripped it over the center field fence. The junior went 2-for-4 and upped his RBI total to a team-high 19. He had 14 last season.

Senior Josh Allen, making his first pitching start of the season, rolled through the first three innings facing just one batter over the minimum. He allowed a single and two walks and his defense helped by making a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play in the first on catcher Berry Aldridge's throw to second base which nailed a Buc trying to steal. In the second inning Akins started a 4-6-3 double play.

In the fourth inning McIntosh scored two runs on an error, a single and three walks including two with the bases loaded which cut the Bulldog lead to 3-2. Evan Adams built the Dawg advantage to 5-2 with two two-out RBI singles in the fifth and the seventh.

Allen pitched six innings for the first time in his varsity career and allowed four hits while striking out six and walking five. Brett Jernigan who was trying to earn a save in the seventh wound up getting the win the eighth. After walking the leadoff hitter in the final frame, he struck out the nine,one and two hitters, in a row, to end the game which was played in a smokey environment thanks to the fires in neighboring Long County.

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Another Bulldog game goes eight

Jonathan Salter hits his 2nd career home run in less than 2 weeks

There are a lot of sayings in baseball. However, is there one that says everything has to be even-steven? On Friday the Bulldogs nipped Appling County 13-12 in eight innings and Toombs scored three runs on wild pitches. On Tuesday night, in Hazlehurst, Jeff Davis tied the game on a wild pitch in the seventh inning and then won the Region 2 grudge match 6-5, in the eighth, on a two-out wild pitch. Y-101 Story

The Bulldogs weren't playing their A-game on defense in the first two innings as they made four errors and allowed three unearned runs and they fell behind 4-1. Toombs scored it's run in the top of the second on a two-out run scoring double by Evan Adams (2-for-4).

The Bulldogs, once again, had a productive sixth inning. Blake Butcher (2-for-3) led off with a single. Then with one-out Jonathan Salter, who struck out twice against lefty Jesse Deats, jumped on the first pitch from right hander Stephen Ferris and drove it more than 352 feet over the 16-foot high "Blue Monster" in right center field. Salter's second career homer tied the game at four.

The Bulldogs' sixth continued with an Alex Akin's double- the senior second baseman was 3-for-4. Adams reached on an infield hit and then Brett Jernigan singled through the left side scoring Akins to put TCHS up 5-4.

Lance Mosley, starting his first game of the season on the mound, pitched six innings for the first time in his Bulldog career. He allowed four hits and an unearned run in his first two innings and then just one hit after that and he picked off Kodi Waters (2-for-3 with a walk) in the fourth after his two-out single.

Ryan Davis took over on the hill in the seventh and he walked Waters, the leadoff hitter, who scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Then after the Bulldogs went four-up, three-down in the top of the eighth with an Akins single. Alex Martinez reached on a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth and the Yellow Jackets scored the game-winner on a two-out wild pitch.

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Battling Bulldogs scratch out an amazing win

Jernigan swings

Catcher Matthew Shumans fields

In a key Region 2 game with plenty of memorable swings- Blake Butcher's two doubles, Josh Barber's two triples and Byron Buxton's long solo smash over the center field fence. Isn't it ironic, don't you think- that the Toombs County Bulldogs beat Appling County in eight innings on a swinging bunt by Brett Jernigan that traveled no more than a couple of feet away from home plate. On a 3-2 pitch Jernigan barely made contact with a sharp breaking curve ball hitting it off the end of the bat. The ball barely rolled up the first base line. Catcher Matthew Shumans stabbed at the ball three times before finally picking it up and his throw to first was off line allowing courtesy runner Ryan Davis to score from third base with one out giving the Bulldogs a 13-12 win in Baxley. Y-101 Story

In the bottom of the eighth Jernigan took the hill in relief of Lance Mosley and retired Appling three up-three down on a strike out, a fly ball to right and a grounder to second that Alex Akins battled before throwing to first to end the game.

The offensive tone for this three-plus hour game was set in the first inning when both teams got the leadoff hitter aboard and scored. Toombs got the first batter on base in six of its eight innings and Appling did it five times. The Bulldogs reeled off three hits of starter Josh Barber and scored twice in the first on a wild pitch and a run scoring single to shallow left by lefthand hitting Jonathan Salter. Meanwhile, Appling stroked four first inning hits and scored three times.

The Bulldogs tied the game at three in the second on three hits and a wild pitch that scored Jernigan. Appling regained the lead in the bottom of the inning by scoring two runs on Barber's second triple and a 379 foot sacrifice fly to center field by Byron Buxton. It is 380 to the fence.

The Bulldogs made it a 5-5 game in the third when Alex Akins double in a run and another scored on a Pirate error. After Bulldog starting pitcher Ryan Davis pulled off the first three-up, three-down inning by inducing three grounders in the third, TCHS took another lead in the fourth by scoring four runs on RBI singles by Evan Adams, Mosley and Cody Dowd and a run scoring grounder to the right side of the infield by Butcher. Now it was 9-5 Bulldogs.

Appling came right back in the bottom of the fourth and tied the game at nine as Buxton doubled in two runs and Tyler Avera singled in one. Salter put the Bulldogs back on top at 10-9 in the top of the fifth with a RBI grounder to second. But no lead was permanent in the middle innings and the Pirates pushed two runs across the plate in the bottom of the fifth to take a 11-10 lead.

Buxton, who went 3-for-3 with three runs batted in, jumped on a Mosley change up in the sixth and drove it way over the right center field fence giving his team a 12-10 lead going to the seventh. In what could have been the Bulldogs' final at bat, Patrick Craft, 2-for-4 with two walks, lead off and drew the 51st walk of his career. Adams reached on an infield hit and Berry Aldridge walked. TCHS scored two runs with Salter at the plate. The first on a wild pitch and the second on a grounder to second. Now it was 12-12.

To get to the eighth inning the Bulldogs had to survive the bottom of the seventh. With one out Mosley walked Barber. With two out he threw a wild pitch to Buxton that moved the runner to second. Coach Brian Fitzgerald intentionally.walked Buxton. Then with Avera at the plate Mosley threw another wild pitch moving runners to second and third. That allowed the Bulldogs to intentionally walk Avera, who was 3-for-4 in the game. With the bases loaded Mosley struckout Kyle Miller to post his first of two straight scoreless innings.

The Bulldogs improve their region record to 4-1 and they are 9-1 overall. Appling drops to 4-2 and 8-5.

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Bulldogs are challenged to improve

After allowing eight unearned runs in a 17-13 loss to Vidalia, Toombs County coach Brian Ftizgerald challenged his team to immediately improve their team defense. He did that by staging a long fielding drill prior to the Bulldogs home game against ECI. Make an error and you had to run. The results were mixed as TCHS allowed five unearned runs in a 10-6 victory. Y-101 Story

The freshmen pitched this non-region game. James Ethredge improved his varsity record to 2-0 by pitching 4 1/3 innings and he would have pitched more had he not been hit in his non-throwing hand by a batted ball. The righty allowed five hits and an earned run while striking out six and walking two. Bailey Salter earned a save by tossing 2 2/3 with two hits, four strikeouts and three walks. In one stretch he retired four-of-five batters with strikeouts by mixing up a good fastball with a nice curve ball.

The Bulldogs trailed 3-0 until the bottom of the third inning- which so far this season has been their worst hitting frame. Blake Butcher singled in a run as the Bulldogs scored twice to make it 3-2. Then in the fourth, the Dawgs' second best hitting inning, Lance Mosley singled in a run to tie the game at three. Berry Aldridge stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and doubled in three to put the Bulldogs up 6-3. Butcher drove in his second run of the game with a sacrifice fly as TCHS scored six runs in the inning.

The sixth inning has been the Bulldogs best hitting inning this season and once again they were busy adding two runs to their lead. Ryan Davis, who went 2-for-4, singled in two runs by smacking the ball by the third baseman.

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Bulldogs lose a wild one

For a team with a one earned run average after seven games allowing 18 hits and losing 17-13 at home doesn't sound possible. However, for the Toombs County Bulldogs that is exactly what happened against rival Vidalia. The Indians hit two three-run home runs (Chris Hartley in the second inning and Zach Burton in the third) and built up a 13-4 lead going to the bottom of the fourth and thats when the Bulldogs made this game interesting. Y-101 Story

Berry Aldridge lit a fire for the Bulldogs with a well hit three-run homer over the left field fence. Alex Akins walked with the bases loaded, Cody Dowd (3-for-4 with three RBI's) singled in two runs and Lance Mosley hit a sacrifice fly that scored one as the Bulldogs piled up seven runs and cut the Vidalia lead to 13-11.

The Indians scored a run in the top of the fifth and led 14-11.Then in the sixth the Bulldogs nearly took the lead. Alex Akins hit a one-out triple, Dowd drove in a run with an infield hit and Patrick Craft (3-for-5) also drove in a run with an infield hit and now the Bulldogs were down 14-13. With two down and Dawgs on second and third, TCHS's top RBI man came within several feet of pushing his team into the lead. Blake Butcher hit a drive deep to the right field corner that was caught at the fence by Adam Purdon.

Vidalia's Reid Powell hit a solo homer in the top of the seventh as the Indians scored three runs to end the Bulldogs comeback. TCHS suffers its first loss of the season and falls to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in Region 2. The Indians are 5-5 and 2-2. Brantley County defeated Jeff Davis 8-5 in eight innings and Appling County edged Long County 6-5. Appling is 4-1 and Toombs and Jeff Davis are all 3-1 in the region.

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Dawgs clear Blue Tide in late innings

Blake Butcher drives in the first of his two RBI's with a double

Coming off two wins in which they stroked 12 hits per game, the Toombs County Bulldogs had only three hits and were scoreless through their first five innings at Long County and going to the sixth inning they trailed 1-0. However, the Dawgs immediately scored three runs in their next at bat and one more in the seventh in a 4-2 victory. Third baseman Blake Butcher doubled in a run in the sixth and hit a run scoring sacrifice fly in the seventh as the Bulldogs improved to 7-0 and 3-0 in Region 2.

Berry Aldridge, who went 2-for-4, led off the sixth with a single to right field and the catcher scored all the way from first on Butcher's double to right to tie the game at one. Butcher scored from second on a Josh Allen bunt to the pitcher Luke Golden. Golden's throw to first base got away and the unearned run put Toombs up 2-1. The third run of the inning came after a pitching change. With runners on first and third the Bulldogs put on a play and Shawn Mills, the new pitcher, was called for a balk trying to make a throw to second. That allowed Butcher to score from third.

Toombs added an insurance run in the seventh. With one down Aldridge singled and James Ethredge, who was a courtesy runner, advanced to second and to third on two wild pitches. Butcher then drove in his team-high eleventh RBI with a sac fly to left.

For the first four innings Toombs senior right hander Ryan Davis and Long's sophomore lefty dueled in a scoreless game. Davis left runners in scoring position in the second, third, fourth and fifth. He struck out seven and walked three and pitched five innings of three-hit ball. Davis is 3-0 this season and 5-1 lifetime. Long scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth thanks to two Bulldog errors and a wild pitch with a runner at third. Golden threw 5 1/3 innings and allowed five hits and stranded runners in scoring position in the second, fourth and fifth.

Brett Jernigan earned a Bulldog save by pitching the final two innings. He left runners on first and second in the sixth and in the seventh allowed a leadoff single and walked the next batter. After two strikeouts he threw a wild pitch with a runner at third that allowed an earned run to score. Jernigan struckout four and walked two.

Although their hit total didn't show it, the Bulldogs did hit the ball hard in the first five innings of the game. Aldridge smacked a rope in the first inning which was caught by left fielder Clint Kennedy. Kennedy also moved to his left in the second and caught a rocket off the bat of Jonathan Salter. Salter, who doubled in the fourth, hit a towering drive in the fifth that was caught in the deepest part of the spacious park by center fielder Austin Middleton. No Bulldog was robbed more than Evan Adams who was denied a chance to put TCHS up 2-0 in the second. With runners on second and third Adams drove a 2-0 pitch deep to right, but Tide right fielder Jacob Turner ended the frame with a running, over-the-shoulder catch.

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Salter dazzles at the dish & on the hill

Jonathan Salter's 3-run homer

Blake Butcher's 2-run shot

Senior left handed pitcher and first baseman Jonathan Salter had a game he will never forget. At the plate he went 3-for-3 with seven runs batted in and on the mound he pitched four innings, allowed two hits, no earned runs and struckout six and walked four as the Toombs County Bulldogs pulled way from visiting Brantley County in a 12-4 Region 2 victory. The Bulldogs are 6-0 and 2-0 in the region. Y-101 Story

Salter opened his big game with a two-strike, two-out, two-run double to left field in the first inning that put TCHS on top 2-0. In the third he hit a ball to almost the same exact place, only he hit it further. The ball cleared the left field fence, with two aboard, for his first varsity home run in his 154th at bat. In his third plate appearance Salter was hit by a curve ball and in his trip to the dish he ended his dramatic night with a two-out, bases loaded, two-run single. Salter wasn't the only Bulldog who hit a homer. Junior Blake Butcher smashed a ball over the center field fence with a runner on in the fifth to push a 5-4 Bulldog lead to a three-run advantage.

Toombs stroked a dozen hits including five in a five-run sixth. Lance Mosley (2-for-4) singled in a run, Berry Aldridge (2-for-3) hit a sacrifice fly to score a run and Evan Adams also singled in a run. Patrick Craft raised his on-base percentage to .619 with two singles and two walks in two official at bats.

Salter was the winning pitcher and he is 2-0 and 4-3 lifetime. Mosley pitched the final three innings and allowed four hits and one earned run while striking out three and walking one. The team earned run average is 1.02 after six games.

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Bulldogs win a wild one

Alex Akins hits the Bulldogs first home run of 2011

The Toombs County Bulldogs and the Pierce County Bears have a history of playing wild, high scoring games. As non-region opponents since 2008 the Bulldogs have won games by scores of 8-6, 7-6 in nine innings and last season, down in Blackshear, 9-8 in eight. Their only loss in six games of home-and-away was 11-9 in eight, in 2008, at Jackie Jones Field. To win in this series you have to score seven or more. Y-101 Story
On Friday in Blackshear, the two teams met for the first time as Region 2 opponents and in a three hour and twenty minute marathon there were a combined 20 hits, 11 errors and 14 walks, but yet the Bulldogs found a way to prevail. TCHS overcame an 8-3 deficit after three innings and beat the Bears 12-9.

There were a lot of Bulldog heroes in game in which their was only one open frame in the first four innings. Alex Akins went 3-for-4 and drove in a career-high five runs. In the second inning the senior second baseman tied the game at three with a run scoring single. Then in a four-run sixth he hammered a curve ball over the fence for a two-run home run- the second of his career. Later in the sixth Akins singled in the final two runs of the game.

Senior Josh Allen, 2-for-3, also had three quality swings. He led off the second with a double and scored a run that tied the game at three. He doubled in the fourth and put the Bulldogs up 9-8 and then after the Bears tied the game in the bottom of that inning he drove in the game winning run with a sacrifice fly to right field that put TCHS up 10-9.

On the mound Lance Mosley entered a game, that for awhile was a nightmare for a pitcher, and he struck out three in a row in the second inning. He could have gotten out of the third without allowing a run, however, his two walks scored on two Bulldog errors.

Davis, though, did the most to stick a fork in the Bears run of four straight scoring innings. The senior struck out the first two batters of the fifth and nearly got a third straight K. Pierce County's slugging first baseman Drew Taylor hit a two-strike double to left. Against the next batter Davis induced a grounder to the right of the mound. In the sixth the right hander faced only three hitters. He allowed a single and struck out the the DH for the third out. In between catcher Berry Aldridge gunned out Vince Elliot, the Bears quick shortstop trying to steal second and he charged up the first base line and fielded a grounder and threw to first base for the second out of the inning.

In the seventh Davis allowed a leadoff single to Codi Dixon. The Bears' number nine hitter went 3-for-4. Ryan didn't let the Bears get a runner to second by inducing two grounders to the middle of the infield and then a liner to Akins at second that finally ended the marathon game.

For the second straight season Davis (2-0 this season and 4-1 in his career) was the winning pitcher in the Bulldogs' trip to Blackshear. In 2010 Ryan hit a sacrifice fly that drove in Javec King with the winning run in the eighth and then he pitched the bottom of the inning and snagged a hard hit ball for the final out.

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Freshmen pitchers, veteran hitters lead TCHS in Metter

Freshman James Ethredge duals

Senior Georgia signee Pete Nagel

It isn't easy to lower a team earned run average when it is less than one. However, in a 4-1 victory at Metter two Toombs County freshmen pitchers combined on a five-hitter in which the only Tiger run scored was an unearned run in the sixth. That lowered the Bulldogs' team ERA from .70 to .52 through four games. Y-101 Story

James Ethredge, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning against Metter on Saturday, threw five quality innings in his first varsity start. He left runners on second and third in the first and second inning and struck out five, walked two and allowed four hits. Jeremy Beasley, in his varsity debut, pitched the sixth and seventh and allowed two hits with three strikeouts. Metter's Pete Nagel, who signed as a pitcher with the University of Georgia in November, took the loss even though he tossed three innings of one-hit ball with four strikeouts and two walks.

The Bulldogs had only five hits but they made most of them count. Berry Aldridge (1-for-4) stroked the biggest one, a two-run double in to left center that put the Bulldogs up 2-0 in the third. Evan Adams (1-for-3) doubled off the third base bag in the sixth and scored on Josh Allen's sacrifice fly. Blake Butcher (1-for-3) singled to right field with the Metter infield playing in to drive in Patrick Craft who walked to lead off the seventh. Craft walked three straight times after flying out to left in the first inning. Brandon Driggers also singled to the opposite field for his first varsity hit.

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JV Bulldogs join Varsity at 3-0

Bailey Salter goes to 2-0

and watches CF Matthew Hall

The Toombs County Bulldogs varsity and junior varsity teams have two things in common. Both squads are 3-0 and both pitching staffs are holding their opponents to two runs or less per game. The JV Dawgs beat Vidalia 9-2 in Lyons and Bailey Salter who pitched five innings of one-hit ball against Appling, threw six strong innings against the Indians, including the last five scoreless after yielding a first inning two-run homer to Tyler Mosley. Jeremy Beasley struck out the side in the seventh.

On offense sophomore Matthew Hall stroked three run scoring triples in the first, third and fifth innings. Birthday boy Christian Moore doubled in a run in a four-run first inning. The Bulldogs also scored four runs in the third. Watch Highlights Video

Dawgs yield just one run in DH sweep

Six Toombs County pitchers yielded only one run in 14 innings as the Bulldogs beat Washington County 10-1 and Metter 2-0 at Jackie Jones Field. Jonathan Salter pitched four innings of shutout, one-hit ball with eight strikeouts and three walks in the WACO win and fellow senior Ryan Davis tossed four innings and allowed three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in the shutout of Metter. Ryan's biggest K came when he struck out University of Georgia signee Pete Nagel looking, with the bases loaded, to end the third inning. In their 3-0 start the Bulldog pitching staff has allowed only two earned runs in 20 innings giving them a .70 ERA. The Bulldog defense helped out the pitching by making pnly one error in the two games combined. TCHS has made only two errors in it's first three games. Y-101 Game Stories
Josh Allen and Lance Mosley each pitched the fifth and sixth innings in the two games and in the seventh coach Brian Fitzgerald turned the game over to the freshman class. Bailey Salter closed the Washington County game by getting out of a bases loaded jam with a game-ending grounder to Alex Akins at third base. James Ethredge struck out two batters and ended his game, with runners on first and second (error and walk), by inducing a ground ball to Josh Allen at third.

In the Washington County game the Bulldogs stroked 13 hits- six in the first two innings and six in the final two frames. TCHS scored three runs in the first inning on a Blake Butcher grounder and run scoring singles by Salter and Evan Adams. In the second Ryan Davis smashed a triple and Berry Aldridge, 3-for-3 with two doubles, smacked a two-bagger. The Bulldogs scored both of their runs on wild pitches.

The Bulldogs scored their final five runs in the sixth. Cody Dowd singled in a run, Lance Mosley doubled in one, Efrem Quintero (first varsity at bat) picked up a RBI on a grounder to second, Brett Jernigan doubled in a Dawg and another run scored on a three-base error by the center fielder.

In the rematch with Metter, Tiger pitching limited TCHS to just three hits. Butcher went 2-for-3 and the DH singled in a run in the first. Cody Dowd had the other hit in the second inning when the Bulldogs scored their other run on a sacrifice fly by Allen.

Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play WACO Game Metter Game

Watch highlights of the Metter game with commentary from coach Brian Fitzgerald Video

Y-101 archived play-by-play WACO Game Metter Game

Bulldogs pull away in season opener

In their season opener the Toombs County Bulldogs only stroked one hit in the first three innings of a home game versus Metter. However, in the final three innings of the 12-2 six inning victory the Dawgs smashed eight hits, including five doubles and scored 11 runs. Y-101 Story

Third baseman Blake Butcher ripped two doubles and drove in four runs in his 2-for-3 game. The junior hit a one-out sacrifice fly ball to right field that scored Lance Mosley from third base in the first inning. Butcher doubled in three runs in a six-run fourth and he also hit a two-bagger in the sixth. Alex Akins also stroked two doubles after going 0-for-2 in his first two at bats of the season. Akins doubled in two runs in the fifth and ended the game with a run scoring double in the sixth.

Evan Adams, who went 2-for-4, stroked the Bulldogs first hit of the season with a leadoff single in the second inning. In the fourth the senior left fielder supplied the Dawgs' first RBI hit of 2011. On the subject of firsts, freshman Cody Dowd made his varsity debut and in his first at bat he singled to center field and then followed that up with a double and scored the final run of the game in his second plate appearance.

On the mound the Bulldogs used three pitchers. Brett Jernigan started and picked up his sixth career victory. The senior right-hander emphasized his curve ball in a four-inning stint in which he allowed only two hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Josh Allen pitched an inning and allowed a double and a single and Ryan Davis threw the sixth and allowed while striking out one Tiger. Davis picked off a runner at first base and catcher Berry Aldridge also threw out a runner at first. Watch Highlights with commentary from coach Brian Fitzgerald Video or with Y-101 play-by-play Video Metter Archived Y-101 Game

JV Bulldogs open season with two home wins

The Toombs County Junior Varsity baseball team opened up with two home wins this week and pitching was the key element in both victories. In a 2-1 win over Appling County freshman right-hander Bailey Salter pitched five innings of one-hit ball and freshman James Ethredge finished the game by pitching two shutout innings. Brandon Beckum's double was one of two Bulldog hits.

The winning formula was basically the same in a 5-1 victory over Swainsboro. Freshman Jeremy Beasley pitched a five-inning one hitter with seven strikeouts and Ethredge threw the sixth and the seventh. Beasley had a no-hitter going until the fourth inning. The Bulldogs could have scored more than five. They left the bases loaded twice in the late innings. Cody Dowd had three hits, Chris Mobley went 2-for-4 with a runs scoring double and Brandon Dowd drilled a double to deep center field. Watch Highlights Video