Raiders torched by Warriors in 11-6 defeat

Chris Whitaker

May 05, 2008 09:29 pm

— THOMASVILLE — Jeb Johnson and Caleb Bryson hit back-to-back home runs in the the first and inning, and Bryson hit a grand slam in the third as Brookwood ate up Southland pitching in a 11-6 win.
Both Warriors had three hits as Brookwood built a 10-3 lead after three innings and was never threatened after that. Brookwood’s first five runs came with two outs.
“They came out lacing the ball,” said coach David Cochran. “Give a lot of credit to Michael (Swain) and what he did against them earlier. We played good defense. We just ran into a buzzsaw.”
Southland (12-7) took a 2-0 lead in the first behind Will Webb’s home run, but Ray Lamb and Scott Burgess combined on the mound in the first three innings. Lamb (4-1) pitched 2.2 innings and Burgess faced four batters before the slam.
“We had some people needing some work, and after the first, the floodgates opened up,” said Cochran. “It was one of those days where a team hits the ball real well. I know Ray’s a better pitcher than that, but it was just one of those days.”
Brandon Ray had a RBI-double in the second, and Adam Fussell, who was the team’s designated hitter, had a two-run double in the fourth. Webb, Logan Daniel (who played catcher) and Chandler Holloway all had two hits for Southland.
Fuller Timmerman rounded out the Raiders’ scoring with a RBI on a fielder’s choice in the sixth.
Jess Alexander pitched the final 3.1 innings allowing run on five hits with four strikeouts. It was his first pitching action since March 12.
“He shut the door basically,” said Cochran. “The last two innings were marvelous. He gave us a shot in the arm in the pitching department today.”
The Raiders host Trinity Christian today in the team’s final regular season game. Cochran said Webb will start on the mound, probably pitching two innings getting reay for the playoffs, and Cody Bivins will see some time pitching.
He said a lot of work has to be done before the playoffs begin on Friday.
“We need to come out and play with great purpose (Tuesday),” he said. “Will needs a little work to stay sharp, and we need to finish the season on a great note. We’ve got to work on getting clutch two-out hits. We had runners on base in some spots with two outs, and we didn’t get the hits we needed.”
Southland left nine on base while Brookwood stranded 12.
First pitch for today’s game is set for 4 p.m.

BROOKWOOD 11, SOUTHLAND 6
Southland (12-7) 210 201 0 — 6 11 0
Brookwood 415 100 x — 11 14 1
W-Brown, L-Lamb (4-1). 2B-Ray (S), Webb (S), Fussell (S), Kinsey (B). HR-Webb (S), Johnson (B), Bryson (B) 2. Multiple hits: Webb (S) 2, Fussell (S) 2, Daniel (S) 2, Ch. Holloway (S) 2, Kinsey (B) 2, Johnson (B) 3, Bryson (B) 3, Cheney (B) 2.