BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Tucker Hardee hit two of his team’s four home runs, while starting pitcher Tre’Von Lee gave up two hits in the Union County High School baseball team’s 12-0, five-inning win over visiting Keystone Heights on April 3.
Hardee finished with five RBI for the Tigers, who improved to 10-4 and were ranked sixth in Class 1A in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s first power poll this season.
It was the second loss in a row for the Indians (9-4) following a five-game win streak. Keystone was ranked 11th in Class 3A in the FHSAA power poll.
Keystone had two runners on with two outs in the top of the first, with Connor Guy hitting a single into right field and Noah Branch reaching on an error. Lee recorded a strikeout to get out of the inning.
Lee finished with four strikeouts in all and gave up no walks through four innings.
With one out in the bottom of the first, Ayden Elixson reached on a single. Hardee then stepped to the plate and fell behind 0-2 in the count before launching a pitch over the fence in center field for a 2-0 Union lead. Blake Agner followed with a single. Bryson Huggins entered to run for Agner, stealing second and then scoring on a Preston Bonsall single.
The Tigers weren’t done. After Lee drew a walk, Erick Lasseter sent the first pitch he saw over the fence in right field for a three-run homer and a 6-0 lead.
Keystone’s Austin Musgrove reached on a double with one out in the top of the second, but a pop-up to second baseman Jake Walker and a strikeout ended the inning.
The bottom of the second began with consecutive singles from Jeremy Miller and Elixson. It was then Hardee’s turn at bat. He didn’t fall behind in the count this time, but the result was the same as he hit the first pitch he saw for another homer to center field, putting Union ahead 9-0.
Union’s Devin Diggs drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the third, followed by Miller getting hit by a pitch. Elixson then hit a 1-0 pitch over the fence in right field for a three-run homer, making the score 12-0.
Baler Waters pitched the final inning for the Tigers, giving up one hit and striking out one.
Union will travel to play Dunnellon on Friday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m. The Tigers host Suwannee on Monday, April 10, at 7 p.m. before traveling to play University Christian on Tuesday, April 11, at 7 p.m.
Keystone hosts Bradford on Tuesday, April 4, at 7 p.m. and will travel to play Baker County on Thursday, April 6, at 7 p.m. The Indians play at Palatka on Tuesday, April 11, at 7 p.m.
The Tigers went 1-1 in their previous two games, including a 5-2 loss to sixth-ranked, Class 6A Oakleaf on March 29 in Lake Butler.
Union fell behind 4-0 before Diggs and Miller each drove in a run in the second.
The Tigers had two runners in scoring position with one out in the fifth, but failed to score.
Union finished with just three hits, one of which was a double by Jake Walker.
Starting pitcher Ethan Moody gave up the five runs (three earned) on eight hits and no walks through five innings. He had four strikeouts.
Carson Rogers and Clayton Poppell combined to give up no hits in the final two innings.
On March 30, Huggins scored on an error in the top of the seventh, which proved to be the difference in the Tigers’ 6-5 win over 13th-ranked, Class 3A Trinity Catholic in Ocala.
Walker, who went 2 for 2 with two RBI, hit a two-run single as part of a three-run second that put Union ahead 4-0. An RBI double by Miller, who went 2 for 3, put the Tigers up 5-0 in the fourth.
It was a 5-3 game in favor of Union entering the seventh. Agner drew a leadoff walk. Bonsall bunted and reached on an error, which allowed courtesy runner Huggins to score.
A leadoff double and a home run allowed the Celtics to pull to within 6-5 in the bottom of the inning. They then loaded the bases with one out, but a bunt to Hardee at third kept the runners in place and resulted in the second out. A fly out to Elixson in right ended the game.
Hardee had an RBI, while Lasseter went 2 for 4.
Starting pitcher Diggs gave up no runs through four innings, allowing one hit and striking out six.
Like Union, Keystone also went 1-1 in its previous two games, including a 5-0 win at Orange Park on March 29 that saw Musgrove pitch a complete game, giving up five hits and one walk, while striking out three.
The Indians scored all the runs they’d need in a three-run third, which included an RBI single by Branch, a sacrifice-fly RBI by Ryan Jones and a run scored on an error.
Branch, Jones and Musgrove each finished with one RBI, as did Andru Siemer, who went 2 for 4 with an RBI single in the seventh.
On March 31, visiting Newberry scored three runs on back-to-back homers in the sixth inning in handing the Indians a 7-6 loss.
Keystone took a 4-3 lead with a two-run third. Andrew Wilson hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to score one run, while Siemer drew a bases-loaded walk to score another.
The Indians scored another two runs in the fourth to go up 6-3. Guy hit a triple, with an error on the play allowing him to score. Jones, Branch and Wilson then drew three straight walks, with Jones scoring on a Gage Smith single.
Branch, Siemer, Smith, Wilson and Chase Packham each had one RBI, with Branch going 2 for 3 and Packham going 2 for 4.
