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After a sweep over Westover to begin Region play at the beginning of the month, the Bainbridge High School baseball team is dominating their region as they most recently swept Hardaway, as they began Region play at 6-0, moving their win streak to six games. In their win streak, the Bearcats have not only lit up the scoreboard with runs, but have seen their defense shutdown opposing teams thanks in part to a dominant pitching staff.

To start their series against Hardaway, Chris Cooper took the mound for the Bearcats and turned in another strong performance. In six innings of work, Cooper struck out nine batters, allowing just three hits and three runs on the day and picked up his second win of the season. Cooper is off to a stellar start on the mound in 2023 as he currently sits with a 2-1 record with a 2.78 ERA with 30 strikeouts in seven appearances this season. 

On the offensive side of the ball, the Bearcats bats were hot once again as they put up 14 runs against the Hawks. Center Fielder Bo Smith went two for five on the day, hitting a homerun, driving in four RBI’s and scoring twice. Owen Richard and Drew Clayton also had successful days at the plate as they both drove in two RBIs each as Richard recorded three hits and Clayton stole two bases and scored twice. The Bearcats took game one of the three game series against the Hawks 14-4 as they pushed their Region record to 4-0. 

In the second game of the series against the Hawks, the Bearcats once again were led by a dominant performance from their pitching staff as freshman Brooks Hines took the mound for the Bearcats. Hines pitched five innings, striking out nine batters and allowing just two runs on four hits. 

Offensively, Bo Smith led the team as he has all season, driving in three RBIs and scoring two runs in four plate appearances. Whether it’s driving in runs with his bat or scoring runs on the basepath with his legs, the Bearcats offense is led by Smith. In the 2023 season, Smith is currently batting .400 with two home runs, 14 hits, 17 RBI’s, and an .828 slugging percentage to lead the team. 

Parker Landrum, Chris Cooper, Koby Wynn, Drew Clayton, Logan Rich and Bolton Yarbrough all combined for eight RBIs in game two against the Hawks as the Bearcats saw their fifth win in a row and fourth straight win by 10 or more runs as they defeated Hardaway 12-2. 

In the final game of the series against Hardaway, Kagan Castro picked up his second win of the 2023 season as he took the mound for the Bearcats pitching a near flawless game. In five innings of work, Castro allowed just one hit, striking out eight batters and giving up zero runs on the day. 

On the offensive side, Koby Wynn, Bolton Yarbrough, Nate Cannon and Drew Clayton all drove in runs as the Bearcats scored over 10 runs for the sixth time this season. The Bearcats once again shut down the Hawks as they completed their second straight series sweep as they finished off Hardaway 10-0 on Thursday night. 

During their six game winning streak and undefeated Region play, the Bearcats have not only done what it takes to win, but have dominated their opponents in every facet of the game. Over the past six games, the Bearcats have outscored their opponents 69-9 and average 11.2 runs per game. Defensively, the Bearcats collectively have a 1.28 ERA and 40 strikeouts in their wins. 

The Bearcats season continues this week as they take on Thomasville High School at home on Tuesday night and Port St. Joe on Friday night at home before their next three game series against Shaw next week.