The Dodge County Indians baseball team traveled to Hazlehurst on Thursday, February 24th to take on the Jeff Davis Yellow Jackets in the first real action of the the baseball season. The Indians, led by pitcher Clint Taylor and hitters Brady Blalock, Jordan Smith, and Cole Evans, defeated the Yellow Jackets 6-4 to notch the first win of the year.
Taylor, recently signed with Georgia Southern University, picked up right where he left off in his junior season. He pitched five strong innings, giving up only one hit and two walks while striking out nine batters for the win. Taylor’s only trouble came in the third inning. After striking out the first batter, Taylor walked the next two batters before striking out the last two batters with the bases loaded.
Taylor helped himself in the second inning after reaching base on a fielder’s choice. D’Eric McNair came on as a courtesy runner and later scored on an RBI single by sophomore catcher Jordan Smith. In the third inning, center fielder Cole Evans led off with the first of his two triples. Evans scored on a sacrifice by designated hitter Jojo Harrison for a 2-0 lead. In the fourth inning, Trent Mitchell reached on a single and later scored on Smith’s RBI single for a three run lead.
In the fifth inning, Brady Blalock led off with a towering homer over the wall in left field. Then, after two were out, Jordan Smith hit a homerun over the right center field fence to make the score 5-0.
Aron Chick came on in relief of Taylor in the bottom of the sixth and a tight strike zone and a shaky defense helped him to give up two runs to cut the lead to 5-2. Chick gave up two runs on two doubles, a walk, and recording a strikeout that ended the inning.
In the top of the seventh inning, Cole Evans stroked the second of his two triples on the night and later scored on Jojo Harrison’s second sacrifice of the game.
That made the score 6-2. Chick gave up two more runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-4 before finally closing out the game on a popup just off the pitcher’s mound. Chick converted his first save of the year and helped Taylor to his first win of the young season.
Cole Evans went 3 for 4 with two triples and a run scored.
Jojo Harrison earned his first two RBI’s on two sacrifices. OJ Hogan was 2 for 4. Brady Blalock went 2 for 3 with a homer. Trent Mitchell was 2 for 3 with a run scored. But the offensive juggernaut of the game was Jordan Smith who went 3 for 3 with a homer and three RBI’s.
