Braves move to 6-0 in Region with sweep of Tigers

(Temple, GA) — The Braves moved to 6-0 in Region 5-AA and 11-9 on the season with a doubleheader sweep Friday on the road at Temple.

The Braves used a 12 run fifth inning to dominated game one 19-1 in five innings before Temple battled back in the the nightcap, a much closer 4-0 win for the Braves in a full seven innings.

Trey Alford continued his break-out campaign in game one notching yet another win after tossing four more innings without allowing an earned run. The junior hurler is now 5-1 on the season with an absurd ERA of 0.99 in seven starts.

Senior reliever Carl Lipford came on in the fifth to shut them down and end the game. Lipford is also having a fine season on the mound with an ERA of just 1.20 over 23.1 innings.

Senior center fielder Quay Daniel connected on the Braves’ first long ball of the season Friday at Temple

At the plate, senior Quay Daniel led the way with three base hits including the team’s first homer of the season.

Daniel was 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI’s and a stolen base. Daniel is second on the team with seven stolen bases this year.

Alford and Keagan Spradlin also pounded out three hits each in the lopsided victory.

Spradlin was 3-for-3 with two RBI’s and a run scored while Alford went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

Austin Wilson had a double and two RBI’s in the bog fifth inning explosion that saw the Braves send 18 to the plate.

Lee Kay, Chandler Polk, Tristan Brown, and Ethan Brant each scored three times. Kay drew four walks and recorded no official at bats.

Game two was a different story as the Tigers kept the game much closer thanks to a strong performance from the starter Ward.

However, the Brave senior starter Keagan Spradlin relied on the old adage ‘if they can’t score they can’t win’ by shutting out the Tigers through five innings. Spradlin won his third straight while lowering his season ERA to 2.76. He also struck out six Tigers while giving up just one hit.

Austin Wilson and Chandler Polk each pitched a scoreless inning in relief for the combined team shutout.

At the plate, Kay, Brant, and Logan Ward each had multiple hit efforts. Kay and Brant were each 2-for-3 with a triple while Ward was 2-for-3 with a double. Ward, Kay, and Brown each stole two bases. Brown leads the team with 12 steals on the year.

Team speed has been very important for Coach Trent Bianco’s squad this season. The team has stolen 53 bases while only being caught six times by opposing catchers.

The Braves now prepare for the two biggest Region 5-AA series match-ups of the season versus Bremen and Bowdon.

They draw the Blue Devils this week with a single home game scheduled for Tuesday (5:30) and a road doubleheader scheduled for Thursday (4:30/6:30). Weather could be an important factor this week with a dismal rain forecast on the horizon for Tuesday.

The Braves (11-9, 6-0) may need a sweep of the Blue Devils (8-10, 3-3) to keep hope alive for a back-to-back Region 5-AA Championship thanks to a juggernaut run by the Bowdon Red Devils who remained undefeated and ranked #1 in the state in Class AA.

The Braves will battle the Red Devils next week to close out the regular season. For up-to-the-minute info on Braves baseball visit Heard County Braves Baseball on Facebook.