SNELLVILLE, Ga. — A first inning scoring barrage from South Gwinnett resulted in a 4-16 loss for the Alcovy Tigers in the team’s season opener.

The Tigers committed zero errors and were only out-hit 6-5 in the contest, but walks and hit batsmen came back to bite them on Wednesday.

South Gwinnett’s Mason Chambers started the game for the Comets and immediately found himself in trouble.

Evan Kenley was hit by Chambers’ second pitch, and two more Tigers reached after an error and a walk.

This allowed for Alcovy to put its first run of the season on the board after Cody Whitmer drew a five-pitch walk with the bases loaded.

Following a pair of Alcovy pop-outs to end the inning, the Comets lineup stepped into the box and answered with emphasis.

Whitmer walked leadoff batter Yerison Acosta, who then stole second and third before he eventually scored on a wild pitch.

After another walk, CJ Frazier sent a RBI double to center field to give South Gwinnett a 2-1 lead.

The Comets’ batters continued to lean on their patient approach, and the next eight batters were either walked or hit by a pitch.

By the time Acosta returned to the batters box for his second at-bat of the inning, Alcovy was down 1-7.

In Frazier’s second at-bat, the Comets’ junior hit another deep drive to center field. This time, it resulted in a two-run double to make it a 10-1 advantage.

Following another two-run double and a steal of home layer in the frame, the Tigers trailed 1-14 to close out the first inning.

In need of an answer, the Tigers tacked on a pair of runs in a two-out rally in the second inning.

With Kenley on base, Trey Bryant smoked a RBI triple into center field.

Three pitches later, Justin Gamble got in on the action with an RBI knock to score Bryant from third.

After back-to-back walks to start the bottom half of the inning, South Gwinnett managed to get a run back on a RBI single from Kam Rayford.

The Tigers went on to go scoreless in the top half of the third inning before South Gwinnett added its final run on a bases-loaded walk from Dash James.

With their backs against the wall, the Tigers started another rally in top of the fourth.

Bryant and Kenley reached base with one out, and the latter ultimately scored on a wild pitch to bring the South Gwinnett lead to 16-4.

However, the game-ending double play stopped the Tigers right in their tracks in the season opener.

On the stat sheet, Alcovy’s five hits all came from different players, but a few names stuck out.

Kenley reached base on all three of his plate appearances and scored three of the Tigers’ three runs.

Whitmer did not record a base hit, but he tallied a run batted in (RBI) and a pair of walks.

Frazier and Jimenez turned in multi-hit games for the Comets in the win as the two combined for six RBIs.

Following the season opener, Alcovy will take a week off before they go on the road to play Social Circle(1-1) on Wednesday, Feb. 18.