Putnam County baseball was back on the diamond last Wednesday and picked up two convincing region wins. The War Eagles took the doubleheader at home against Glenn Hills, spanking the Spartans 21-2 and 19-4.
Putnam (6-10, 5-0 Region 4-AA) took care of business against the Spartans after losing to non-region rival Jasper County 6-5 the day before. The War Eagles’ region record remained perfect, however, with the two victories over Glenn Hills as they played some of their best baseball of the year.
A huge, first-inning offensive attack from Putnam County powered it past Glenn Hills in game one. The Spartans scored twice in the top of the inning before the War Eagles responded with 12 runs.
Glenn Hills’ starting pitcher struggled from the beginning as Putnam County scored six runs before the Spartans got an out. The War Eagles began the frame with three walks, loading the bases. They scratched their first run off the board as Hunter Holder crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
Tanner Lukens followed with a bases-clearing double to center field, scoring Jackson Dodd and Mark Winslette, giving Putnam a 3-2 lead, which it never gave up as the team cruised to the win.
After getting out in front, the War Eagles piled on runs as Glenn Hills couldn’t get a break as their pitcher continued to walk batters along with a few key errors.
The rout continued in the bottom of the second inning as Putnam County added nine more runs. The War Eagles had only eight total hits but scored 21 runs. Glenn Hills’ pitching staff helped by walking nine batters.
Putnam got three solid innings out of starting pitcher Wade Johnston. The sophomore arm was dialed in after the first inning, retiring six straight batters in the second and third frames, with four being strikeouts.
Johnston pitched three innings, giving up two runs on no hits with five strikeouts and one walk. The Spartans scored two runs off some defensive mishaps, but Johnston went into lockdown mode right after.
At the plate, Winslette led Putnam County, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Lukens (2-for-4) also was productive for the War Eagles’ offense, finishing game one with two hits and a team-high four RBIs.
Game two was much of the same for Putnam County, as it again run-ruled Glenn Hills. However, the contest took a little longer to secure, being tied heading into the bottom of the third before the War Eagles took over.
The Spartans got one run in the first, but Putnam County responded with three runs in the bottom half of the frame. Dodd and Johnston each had RBI hits to give their team a 3-1 lead heading into the second.
Glenn Hills took a slight 4-3 lead in the second inning, taking advantage of a few mistakes by Winslette on the mound for the War Eagles. Leading off the bottom of the second was Isaac Pope, who was hit by a pitch. Pope eventually scored and tied the game on an RBI sac fly by Edwin Collins.
Winslette finally settled down in the third, and Glenn Hills’ offense went quietly. Putnam then scored 15 runs in the bottom of the inning, with the game ending as the Spartans recorded their first out.
Pope, Collins, Johnston, and Wyatt Sims each had two RBI games. While the War Eagles had only five hits, Glenn Hills’ pitchers combined to walk 12 batters and its defense committed four errors as well.
Putnam County entered the week in first place in Region 4-AA standings. Washington County (15-3, 7-1) and Thomson (8-8, 6-1) are right behind the War Eagles, and all are fighting to finish at the top.
This week, Putnam played a home-and-away, two-game series against Thomson with a Tuesday-night tilt at home versus Josey in between (all past the deadline). The War Eagles are set to face Laney next week, with Tuesday’s game in Augusta and back in Eatonton on Thursday.