Wolves Sweep Bears to Win Coca-Cola Challenge

SUMMIT – The Co-Lin Baseball team returned to action this week facing off against rival Southwest Mississippi in a revival of the Coca-Cola Challenge on Wednesday, April 17. The Wolves swept the Bears taking game one, 11-5, and game two, 5-4.

GAME ONE

The Wolves got on the board early as they scored one run in the top of the first with Brentley Berry (Magee) drawing a leadoff walk. Berry was then forced out as Tucker Jones (Brandon) reached on a fielder's choice. Jones then went from first to third on a single by Hagan Coumbe (Utica) and then later scored in the inning on a wild pitch to give the Wolves and early 1-0 lead.

The Wolves maintained their lead until the bottom of the third inning when the Bears took advantage of an error by the Wolves and scored three runs to take a 3-1 lead. However, the Wolves responded with a single run in the top of the fourth as Christian Cameron hit a leadoff single to get the offense going.

Later in the inning, Cameron was forced out as Sawyer Dunn (Magee) reached on a fielder's choice. Dunn then stole second and scored on an RBI single by Brayden Bankston to cut the Bears lead down to 3-2.

After holding the Bears scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings, the Wolves tied the game with a single run in the top of the sixth as Cameron drew a leadoff walk and then was replaced by Isaac McClenty as a pinch runner. McClenty then took second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Spencer Wilson (McComb). Dunn was then hit-by-pitch to put runners on the corners with one out for the Wolves. Later in the inning, the Wolves pulled off a double steal as Dunn swiped second while McClenty stole home to tie the game at 3-3.

The Wolves once again held the Bears scoreless in the bottom of the sixth to keep the game tied, but then scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead. Jon David Weed (Terry) got the offense going with a one-out double and then took second on a groundout. McClenty then stepped and crushed a 0-1 pitch over the fence in left field for a two-run home run to give the Wolves a 5-3 lead.

The Wolves then added to the lead with three runs in the top of the eighth as Dunn hit a leadoff triple while Bankston drew a walk to put two runners on with no outs. After Bankston stole second, Berry hit an RBI groundout scoring Dunn and advancing Bankston to third. Bankston then scored on an RBI double by Jones to increase the Wolves lead to 7-3. Jones later scored in the inning on a two-out RBI single by Weed giving the Wolves an 8-3 lead.

The Wolves then had their second-straight three-run inning as they increased their lead in the ninth with McClenty getting the offense going with a leadoff double. After back-to-back strikeouts, McClenty scored on an RBI single by Bankston. Bankston then scored from first on an RBI double by Berry who then scored on an RBI single by Jones increasing the Wolves lead to 11-3.

The Bears then hit a leadoff single followed by a two-run home run to start the bottom of the ninth to cut the lead down to 11-5. The Bears then got a double and a walk to put two runners on with one out and looked to put more pressure on the Wolves, but a pop out followed by a game-ending strikeout secured the 11-5 game one victory for the Wolves.

The Wolves totaled 15 hits as a team as Tucker Jones led the way with three hits while Hagan Coumbe, JD Weed, Isaac McClenty, Sawyer Dunn, and Brayden Bankston had two hits apiece with Brentley Berry and Christian Cameron adding one hit each. Berry, Jones, McClenty, and Bankston had two RBIs each while Weed had one RBI.

Lucas Harrington (Youngsville, LA) got the start for the Wolves and picked up a no-decision while pitching four innings and allowing three runs, one earned, on two hits with six walks and three strikeouts. Judson Griffin (Brookhaven) picked up his first collegiate win while pitching four innings of one-hit scoreless relief with one walk and one strikeout. Jayden Duncan (Foxworth) pitched one inning of relief allowing two runs, both earned, on three hits with one walk and one strikeout.

GAME TWO

The second game of the doubleheader once again saw the Wolves jump out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the top of the first as Brentley Berry once again drew a leadoff walk to start the game. Tucker Jones then followed with a single to put two runners on with no outs. Both runners then advanced on a groundout by Hagan Coumbe.  Berry then scored on an RBI single by JD Weed while Jones scored on a sacrifice fly by Jordan McKenzie (Franklinton, LA) giving the Wolves a 2-0 lead.

The Wolves lead was short-lived though as the Bears matched the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 2-2. However, the Wolves regained the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third as Berry hit a leadoff single to get the offense going. Jones then followed with a bunt single while an error on the play allowed Berry to score and Jones advanced to third on the same play. After Coumbe drew a walk to put two runners on, Jones scored on an RBI double by Weed increasing the Wolves lead to 4-2.

The Wolves added a single run in the top of the fourth as Brayden Bankston hit a leadoff single to get the offense started. Bankston then took second on an error and advanced to third on a groundout by Braydon Evans (Florence). An RBI single by Sawyer Dunn then scored Bankston and gave the Wolves a 5-2 lead.

The Bears then took advantage of an error by the Wolves in the bottom of the fourth scoring two runs and cutting the Wolves lead down to 5-4. The Bears then got the tying run on second base with two outs, but a flyout left the runner stranded as the Wolves maintained their one-run lead.

Neither team scored in the fifth or sixth innings, but the Wolves looked to increase their lead in the top of the seventh as they loaded the bases with two outs. However, the Bears got an inning-ending strikeout to keep the Wolves from scoring. The Wolves then responded by retiring the Bears in order in the bottom of the seventh to secure the 5-4 game two win and sweep along with ownership of the bat trophy for winning the Coca-Cola Challenge.

The Wolves totaled six hits as Tucker Jones had the only multi-hit game with two hits while Brentley Berry, JD Weed, Brayden Bankston, and Sawyer Dunn had one hit each. Jones, Weed, Dunn, and Jordan McKenzie had one RBI each for the Wolves.

Coby Gollot (Ocean Springs) pitched a complete game and improved to 5-4 with the win. Gollot allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Co-Lin is now 24-22 overall, 12-10 in conference play, and will hit the road for the final time in the regular season on Saturday, April 20 as they face off against East Mississippi. First pitch between the Wolves and the Lions is set for 2 p.m., at Gerald Poole Field in Scooba.