BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Pitchers Bo Wilson and Brezdyn Browning combined to allow five hits as the Union County High School baseball team went up 1-0 in its best-of-three Region 3-Rural semifinal series with a 9-1 win over third seed Branford on April 28 in Lake Butler.
The second seed Tigers (13-14) will host the second game of the series on Tuesday, April 29, at 7 p.m.
Wilson started on the mound and earned the win, giving up three hits and a run in 4.1 innings.
Browning finished it off, allowing two hits in the final 2.2 innings.
With the pitchers’ efforts, the Tigers scored all the runs they’d need in the first inning. Jeffrey Brugh hit a leadoff single, stole second and advanced to third on a fly out by Jake Walker. Trenton Klein and Kendall Carter both walked to load the bases for Devin Diggs, who drove in two runs on a single.
Union went up 3-0 in the second. Browning singled, advanced to second on a Brugh ground out and scored on an Erick Lasseter single.
Branford (21-8) put two runners on in the top of the fourth when Troy Roberts singled and Jackson Skinner walked. Enalee Perry hit a ball into right field to score the Buccaneers’ lone run.
Browning got out of the inning on two straight ground outs.
The Tigers answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to go up 5-1. With two outs and no one on, Browning, Brugh and Lasseter all walked to load the bases. Browning scored on a wild pitch before Walker hit an RBI single.
Diggs, who batted 2 for 3 with three RBI, hit a double in the fifth, followed by Kacen Thomassen getting hit by a pitch. The runners advanced on a wild pitch before Diggs scored on a passed ball with two outs. Browning walked, while Brugh was hit by a pitch to load the bases. An error on a ground ball hit by Lasseter allowed a run to score.
A two-run sixth featured singles by Klein and Carter. Klein scored on a sacrifice fly by Diggs, while an error on the play allowed Carter to score.
