The Braves have been known for their offense all season. It has been their bread and butter, and they look like a juggernaut to start the season.
No team has been able to hold the Black and Gold to less than seven runs and they have scored in double digits in six of their nine games. The script didn’t change against Lander.
Not only were the Braves in double digits for all three games, but they cranked out their biggest offensive output of the season by dropping 18 runs on the Bearcats in the first game of the series.
They scored a whopping 45 total runs in the series to secure the sweep and improve to an 11-1 record and 5-1 in Peach Belt Conference play. The first game featured the best offense the Braves have displayed all season.
With star center fielder Roberto Rivera out with a sprained ankle, they needed other players to step up and that’s exactly what they did. Normal two hitter Trevor Clemens was hitting leadoff, with Ethan Baucom sliding up to the three spot, and Trey Jacobs coming into the cleanup spot.
Clemens would be the only Brave to not record a hit in the game, but he still managed to do his job and get on base multiple times after drawing three walks. Out of all of the outstanding performances in this game, none stood out more than outfielder Luke Jackson.
Jackson went 3-6 on the day with every one of his hits producing runs. He had an RBI double in the sixth, a two run homer in the seventh, and a two RBI single in the eighth. Even when Jackson didn’t record a hit, he still managed to knock a run in with an RBI groundout in the first inning.
Freshman Bobby Dixon got the start at DH and got his first hit, RBI, and stolen base in his college career.
“Bobby is the first one here for early work every single day…and I was like hey this kid deserves a chance to go out there and get in the lineup. I couldn’t have been happier to see him have some success,” Head Coach Paul O’ Neil said.
The second game of the series was a lot like the first. The Braves laid down 14 more runs against the Bearcats and were lead by first baseman Ethan Baucom.
Baucom has been a machine at the plate this season and one of the more reliable bats in the lineup for Paul O’Neil. He hit yet another home run in this one and stacked up four RBIs. Baucom leads the team in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, and runs scored.
He has even flashed some ability on the base paths, stealing four bases so far this season. Baucom wasn’t the only one to shoulder the load offensively in this one though. Second baseman Seth Hartings chipped in with three RBIs and a homer of his own.
Starter Landen Smith got the win for Pembroke on the mound, it was his first of the season. He tallied nine strikeouts through five innings of four run ball. In the final game of the series nothing changed offensively for the Braves, but this game was closer than the other two.
Lander put up a fight in the later innings, scoring three runs in the eighth and one in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to top the offense of the Black and Gold as they fell short for Pembroke to win 13-11. The Braves was lead once again by Ethan Baucom with his 3-4 performance at the dish.
His average is up to .432 on the season and he looks absolutely unstoppable at the plate. Third baseman Trey Jacobs also contributed with three RBIs of his own and the Braves now have an 11-1 record going into their next three game series against the Young Harris Mountain Lions.
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