COMMERCE, Ga. — Social Circle split the home-and-home series against Commerce in both a shutout win and loss. The Redskins were victorious 10-0 at home while falling to the Tigers on the road in a 1-0 loss.
Social Circle’s bats kept finding the ball in a home victory against Commerce last Wednesday.
After remaining scoreless through the first inning, Garrett Brooks chipped a shot to right field to bring around Jude Nelson from second base.
Senior Luke Smith kept the Tigers from getting a hit through three innings. The pitcher piled up seven strikeouts on the mound and earned the win for Social Circle.
Commerce got a runner in scoring position in the fifth on a double by Evan Martinez, but he was quickly retired when Jake Blankenship caught a pop-fly and dished the ball to second base for a double play.
Walks had runners on first and second, and Smith got stung by a pitch to load the bases for the Redskins. Luke Cross advanced on the next at-bat to extend the lead to 2-0.
The fifth-inning frenzy did not stop there.
Next up came Lucas Langley, who reached on an error at first to send Landon Harpe home. Caden Richardson followed and sent a blast to deep left field to advance two more runners and the lead to 5-0. Landon Davis and Harpe both had two-run singles to cap off an eight-run fifth inning in the shutout.
Seemingly adding insult to injury, Cooper Davis sent a ball over the right field wall in the sixth to give Social Circle an even 10 runs in the blowout match.
While the Redskins had 10 hits for as many runs at home, the road leg of the series against the Tigers did not give them the same result as they were shut out 1-0 last Thursday despite doubling Commerce in hits.
Caden Richardson kept the game even until the third inning when Commerce’s Mac Mullis launched a ball into right field to bring in the night’s lone scorer.
The fourth frame saw two Redskin runners on base with one man out after a single from Harpe and a walk on Smith, but Social Circle could not capitalize. Richardson grounded out to shortstop into a double play that retired the side.
In a last-ditch effort to get a runner through home plate, Cooper Davis connected on a pitch for a single with one runner out but was left stranded after a ground out from the bat of Landon Davis.
Social Circle left multiple runners stranded throughout the night, including runners on first and third in the sixth inning.
The series split gives the Redskins a 12-8 record on the season, only one game behind region foe Prince Avenue. They will travel to play Pepperell on March 29 before their Region 5A-Division I opener against Oglethorpe County on April 1.
