John Milledge Academy (JMA) baseball went 1-1 last week in its regular season series vs First Presbyterian Day (FPD), then got shut out 5-0 at home by Mount de Sales on Tuesday.
The Trojans hosted the Vikings in Milledgeville last Tuesday and traveled to Macon on Thursday. JMA was bested in game one mostly due to a six-run first inning for the visitors, with the Vikings going on to win 7-2.
JMA then traveled to Macon on Thursday looking to even up the series with a road win. Starting pitcher Remington Weaver got the Trojans started by forcing a fly ball to right field to record the first out.
Weaver walked the next batter but recovered with a strikeout and a line out to right field to end the bottom of the first inning. JMA looked to take control in the top of the second inning with a pair of lead-off base hits by David Todd and Cooper-Young.
Grayson Paradise then bunted into a fielder’s choice, forcing runner David Todd out at third. Bradyn Harrison singled to left field to load the bases.
With two outs, Blake Bellflower pounded a grand slam home run over the right field fence to put the Trojans up 4-0 in the second inning.
FPD responded with five runs of its own in the second inning to take a 5-4 lead that lasted until the top of the fifth.
That’s when Bellflower reached base on a Vikings error and went on to score when Will Adams hit a hard ground ball to third base and forced an error by the shortstop. With the bases loaded again, disaster struck for the Vikings pitcher as a trio of batters walked to score three runs and put the Trojans up 8-5.
Still, in the fifth inning, Bradyn Harrison and Bud Veal earned their second hits of the game and scored a pair of runs. Bellflower eventually hit a double to center field to give JMA a 13-5 lead before a pair of strikeouts and a flyout finally ended the inning.
First Presbyterian added two runs in the sixth inning, but JMA responded with a pair of their own in the seventh and final inning to finish with 15 runs scored and 7 runs allowed in its first region win of the season.
Weaver was credited with the win on the mound after going five innings, striking out one, and giving up five hits and five runs.
Bellflower, Wilburn, Veal, and Harrison would all earn two hits. Bellflower led the team in RBIs with five, runs scored with three, and one home run.
JMA returned home this past Tuesday and was shut out 5-0 by region opponent Mount de Sales (11-2-1). Veal and Young combined for all three of the Trojans hits, with Veal going 2-4 at the plate and Young going 1-3.
JMA will take on Mount de Sales in Macon this Thursday (after press time) and then visit Mary Persons (6-7) in Forsyth on Friday.