SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — A strong start from senior Cooper Duncan paved the way for Social Circle on Wednesday as it completed the season sweep over Alcovy with a 10-0 win at home.
The win moved the Redskins to 11-0 on the season with region play on the horizon.
Duncan took the mound on Wednesday as he was tasked with the start against the Tigers, and the senior seemed to have it all against his former team.
It was a one-two-three frame for the Tigers in the first as Duncan struck out Evan Kenley and Justin Gamble in the opening inning.
The quick start from Duncan seemed to spark momentum for Social Circle, as its bats got the scoring started almost immediately in the ensuing inning against Alcovy’s Landon Payne.
Brayden Allen led off with a triple to the left field wall that allowed Garrett Brooks to score the game’s first run on an RBI single into center field.
Duncan drew a walk after a long at-bat, which set up a pair of Social Circle runs to score on an error from Tigers’ third baseman Raleigh Bolt and a sacrifice fly from the Redskins’ Lucas Langley.
At the end of the frame, Jake Blankenship made it a 4-0 lead on an RBI single into right field that scored Tyler Dalton.
The Tigers began to threaten in the top of the second inning following a walk from Jacob Kitchens and a single from Branson Moore, but Duncan managed to escape the jam with his fourth strikeout of the game to end the frame.
After a scoreless bottom of the second from the Social Circle bats, the team managed to score in each inning until the game was called in the fifth.
With a run on base in the third inning, Ian Miller smoked a ball over the center fileder’s head for an RBI triple.
An RBI groundout from Blankenship in the next-bat made it a 6-0 lead for the Redskins, but they were not done.
Jake Frachiseur’s RBI single gave Social Circle a 7-0 advantage heading into the fourth inning.
Another scoreless frame from Duncan set up Social Circle for two more runs in the bottom half.
After yet another walk from Duncan at the plate, a costly error from the infield allowed the run to score. Later in the frame, an RBI infield single from Dalton made it a 9-0 lead.
In what proved to be his final inning on the mound for the day, Duncan struck out the side in order on just eight pitches to end his strong outing.
After a quick frame from Duncan, the Redskins’ went to bat for the final time.
Following back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the fifth for Social Circle, a Cooper Davis single to score Zach Smallwood ended the game at 10-0 via run rule for the Redskins’ win.
Key Stats
Duncan pitched the entire five innings and earned the win. Through five, the senior only allowed two hits and one walk while he struck out nine Alcovy batters.
At the plate, Duncan went one-for-one with three walks.
Miller led the team in hits with two as he also accounted for one run scored and one RBI.
Davis, Richardson, Blankenship, Dalton, Barrett Bramlett and Jayden Smith also grabbed hits in the win.
It has been a particularly strong stretch at the plate for Blankenship, who moved to a nine-game hit streak on Wednesday. Bramlett currently holds a seven-game hit streak.
For the Tigers, Moore and Kitchens tallied hits in the loss.
What’s Next
The Redskins moved to 11-0 on the year and have now had back-to-back games with over 10 runs scored and zero runs allowed.
Next up for Social Circle is a matchup with the Monroe Area Hurricanes on the road on Thursday, March 6 at 5:30 p.m.
The Tigers fell to 0-11 on the season ahead of the team’s first region series. The Tigers will open region play at home against Apalachee on Friday, March 7 at 5:55 p.m.
