Putnam County baseball’s season came to an end last week against No. 2 seed Brantley County. The No. 3 seed War Eagles traveled to Nahunta and came back with two losses to the Blue Herons.
Brantley County (20-12) defeated Putnam County 9-4 and 8-2 last Monday to advance to the Sweet 16. The War Eagles were competitive, although the Blue Herons were just too much in the end.
In game one, Putnam County (13-14) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on RBI hits from Mark Winslette and Gates Lanzarone. Both runs for the War Eagles came with two outs.
Brantley County grabbed a run back in the bottom of the first as Tripp Hendrix scored on an Austin Nipper pop-fly. The Blue Herons then tied the game up at 2-2 in the bottom half of the second inning.
After two scoreless innings, the War Eagles retook the lead in the fourth as Dakota Jones and Brannan Griffin had RBI singles, bringing around Hunter Holder and Jacob Grimes to take a 4-2 edge.
However, Brantley County answered again in the bottom of the fourth, helping it secure the victory. The Blue Herons plated seven runs - all off Putnam County’s Ashton Jones - in the frame.
A triple by Hendrix, an RBI single from Luke Carter and a three-run home run by Nipper powered Brantley County in the bottom of the fourth. The inning sucked the life out of the War Eagles.
Brantley County pitcher Nathan Willis then dug his heels in and provided his team with three scoreless innings to close out the game. The senior pitched the full contest and got the win on the hill.
Ashton Jones was awarded the loss on the mound for Putnam County. He gave up nine runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Wade Johnston pitched the last two innings after Jones.
The Blue Herons thrived off that momentum from game one and carried it over into the next game.
Brantley County had jumped out to a 7-0 lead over the War Eagles at the conclusion of the third inning.
Lanzarone started for Putnam County on the mound. He lasted 2.1 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits. The freshman also walked eight Blue Heron batters and struck out two.
The War Eagles also struggled at the plate in game two. The Blue Herons started Hendrix, who was dominant on the mound for them. The junior right-hander struck out a game and season-high 11.
Putnam County picked up one run each in the fourth and sixth innings, but that was it. Brantley County’s effort in the first couple of innings secured the game and series over the lower-seeded War Eagles.
The Blue Herons moved on to the second round to face Fitzgerald (17-15), which they swept on Monday.
Putnam County’s season ends with a 13-14 overall record, one win shy of .500. However, the War Eagles are a young team and return a majority of their roster next year. They only lose four seniors.