Tuesday, 4/2.
Tonight was Triple Cheeseburger Night at Fuddruckers and boy, did Wildcats third baseman Grant Wagner, center fielder Lee Johnson, and pitcher Bryce Hendricks cash in with each a triple of their own.
The workhorse, lefty pitcher Bryce Hendricks, took down the Wildcats of Valdosta in a key game-one region match-up, with another complete game, 10-strikeout, five-hit performance. Hendricks was also phenomenal at the plate, going 3-3, with a triple and two singles, and scoring one run.
With the Cats leading 2-1 going into the bottom of the sixth-inning, Wagner busted the game wide-open with a two-out, bases-loaded triple (3 RBI's) to right field, and the region second place Cats (11-10, 4-3) won 5-1 tonight at Wildcat Field. Hendricks then sat down Valdosta in the seventh with 10 pitches, resulting in 2 strike-outs and one ground-out. Andre Mason had two hits and drove in the only Valdosta run, and righty Skyler Howell took the loss for Valdosta (8-11, 2-5), striking-out seven and allowing nine hits.
The two Wildcats tangle again Friday with a doubleheader at Valdosta's brand-new artificial turf baseball field. It will be the first high school baseball game to be played on that field. First-pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.
Allen Cox is a baseball contributor for the Bryan County News. He was previously head coach of Richmond Hill High School's softball team from 2004-2007.