Diamond Devils post 9-1 win over Thomasville
Mar. 1—TIFTON — It was worth the wait for Tift County head baseball coach Greg Williams in the Blue Devils 9-1 win over Thomasville Thursday night.
The Leap Day game was delayed for more than hour for umpires to arrive, but Williams said he told his players to be thankful they were able to play baseball.
The outlook may not be so good for Friday and Saturday, when TCHS has a showcase between Florida and Georgia high schools. Rain is a significant threat. There is a backup plan, Williams said. If it is too wet to play at Devil Diamond, but Lee County does actively have rain, games will be moved there as Lee has artificial turf.
Tift has one game over the two days, against Yulee (Florida) Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Yulee (3-0) has a Friday contest against Lee in Adel.
The Blue Devils sent at least six men to the plate in every frame, except the 6th against Thomasville. They had a 6-0 lead through three innings. The Bulldogs' lone run came in the top of the 4th.
Two runs scored in the 2nd.
Tyler Holmes and Landon Parrish led off with walks, Holmes scoring on a Luke Ellerbee sacrifice bunt that turned into an error. Parrish made it 2-0, plating on a wild pitch.
One inning later, the Devils were at it again, once more springboarding off a leadoff walk. John Dorman earned the free pass, then Mac Brooks and Tyler VanSumeren reached on sac bunts. Brooks beat the throw, but VanSumeren's poke on the third base line was so perfect, Thomasville had no play.
Parrish walked to score Dorman. A passed ball allowed Brooks to trot home. Ellerbee forced another error and VanSumeren made it 5-0. John Davis hit a shot to center that was knocked down by the wind, becoming a sac fly for Parrish to come home.
Thomasville got their first hit in the 4th, then their only run.
Jadon Lirette had the hit, which moved Jamisen Byram into scoring position. Jasper Davis singled up the middle for Byram to score.
Tift responded with a run in the bottom half, Holmes singling with the bases loaded, bringing in Brady Moretz. Two more runs in the 5th cemented the victory, by Ty Dorden and Moretz.
Dorden ran for Cam Smith after a walk and Moretz singled. Both scored when Brooks all but hit the ball out of the park, a deep, deep drive to right field that ended up a triple.
Holmes made two big stops in the the 7th and almost had a third before Moretz finished off Thomasville with a strikeout.
Ryan Whitley earned the win, with WIll Pridgen, Ellerbee and Moretz working relief. The four combined to strike out 13 batters.
