Worth County Rams score four runs in seventh to upend Bainbridge

SYLVESTER — Forgive Worth County High School baseball coach Will Smith if he was a little emotional after a thrilling 8-7 come-from-behind victory over Bainbridge Wednesday night in a key Region 1-AAAA baseball game.

It wasn’t how the Rams started.

It wasn’t how they finished.

Smith’s message finally sunk in to his players — never quit.

“My dad has this picture on the wall of a stork with a frog in his mouth,” Smith said. “The frog has his legs out and his arms wrapped around the stork. Underneath it said, ‘Don’t ever quit.’ I have stressed that this year. Tonight, they didn’t. I was proud of them.”

In a weird game that saw the Rams fall behind 6-0 in the third inning, then 7-4 heading into their final at-bat in the seventh inning, things looked bleak, especially the way Bainbridge pitchers had been in command.

No. 9 hitter Aaron Franks led off with a single, Jonathan Cirullo walked and Shelby Cox reached on an error to load the bases for Worth cleanup hitter Denzell Gowdy, who dented Bainbridge’s lead with a monstrous three-run homer in the fifth inning.

Not wanting to risk further damage, Bainbridge coach Brian McCorkle elected to intentionally walk the senior, which forced home a run, and pitch to Tripp Goff, who drew a walk to force home another run and make it 7-6.

That brought up catcher Tyler Moore, who slapped a delivery to shortstop, putting the ball in play. But the throw home to force out the runner sailed over the catcher’s head, allowing Cox and Gowdy to score for a dramatic victory.

“I knew I had a job to do,” Moore said. “I knew I needed to do something. I recognized the curveball he threw me and I just put something on the ground. I was just trying to do what’s best for the team.”

It was ironic that Gowdy, who also earned the complete-game victory on the mound, scored the game-winner on the throwing error.

Gowdy, who finished 3 for 3 with a double, homer and three RBIs, seemed to get stronger as the game progressed. After the fourth inning, the senior retired nine straight.

But on a day where the Rams played uncharacteristically sloppy defense, Gowdy was destined to take the loss — until the seventh inning.

With the baseball season nearing the halfway point in region play, Worth County entered Wednesday night’s game trailing Thomas County Central, Bainbridge, Cairo and Crisp County in the region standings.

But after rallying against Bainbridge, Smith is hoping the victory will help put the Rams not only in postseason contention but give them an outside chance at the region title.

“We’re in it … we’re back in it,” he said. “Hopefully this win will take some of the bitterness out of our mouths for some of them that got away from us. I don’t think we’ve completely recovered from that Cairo loss, the first one of the season in which they beat us 4-3 on a grand slam.”

Bainbridge did little to help its pitching staff. Starter Tyler Braswell was masterful and dominated the Rams for the first five innings before getting lifted for reliever Stanton Long to start the sixth. The right-handed Braswell allowed four runs on four hits and struck out seven, including the side in the second.

But the youthful Bearcats stung Stanton with a hard-luck loss.

Bainbridge took a 2-0 lead in the second when Tyler Storey smashed a two-run homer, then increased their lead to 6-0 during a four-run third that saw RBI singles from Ty Varnum and Storey.

Gowdy’s RBI single in the bottom of the third cut the deficit to 6-1 before the Bearcats added another in the fourth to take a commanding 7-1 advantage.

With Braswell in control, that seemed to be enough before Worth fought back.

The Rams finished with just five hits.

Bainbridge was led offensively by Blake Merchant and Tyler Storey, who went 2 for 3. Anderson Bailey finished 1 for 3 with a double.