Tiger Sharks enter districts as top seed

After a strong performance last week against Franklin County, the Tiger Sharks varsity baseball team won three of their last four outings, ending the regular season at 13-10 as they open this week as top seed in the district baseball tournament.

Port St. Joe was set to play the winner of the Altha-Liberty County game on Tuesday, April 15, the same night as the second seeded Seahawks and the third seeded Blountstown Tigers were set to play in the other second round game.

The Tiger Sharks, under the direction of Coach Ashley Summerlin, closed out their season beginning with a dramatic extra-inning walk-off win at home March 31 against Brookstone from Columbus, Georgia.

After jumping to a three-run lead in the bottom of the first, the Tiger Sharks let the Cougars put together a pair of two-run innings to trail 4-3 going into the bottom of the seventh.

But Port St. Joe managed to knot the contest and force an extra inning, in which the Tiger Sharks scored in the bottom half for the walk-off 5-4 win.

Juniors Baylor Partie and Eli Harris split pitching duties, giving up two earned runs on six hits and striking out five and walking six between them.

Both players contributed at the plate, each with two hits and one run batted in, with senior Peyton Knox also banging out two hits. Junior Corban Butts smacked a two-run double, with junior Jacob Hensley and sophomore Jayden Reese also getting hits.

On April 4, also at home, the Tiger Sharks bested Tift County (Tifton, Georgia), 7-5 in seven innings, as Hensley, Harris and junior Tucker Ashcraft combined to limit the Blue Devils to three earned runs on seven hits.

The Tiger Sharks managed only four hits, singles by senior Cole Williams, junior Eli Godwin, Reese and Harris.

But despite enduring 13 strikeouts, the team made the most of the offensive production, as they stole seven bases and drew seven walks.

On April 8 at home, the Tiger Sharks fell 9-7 in seven innings to Seminole County out of Donalsonville, Georgia.

Freshman Gavin Gress joined Partie, Reese and Harris in handling the pitching assignment, as the quartet gave up seven earned runs on 11 hits, while together striking out six and walking five.

Butts hit a two-run double, while Gress and Partie also doubled. Harris, Reese and Williams also singled.

The Tiger Sharks closed out the regular season at home Friday night as they mercy ruled Franklin County 13-3 in six innings.

After Franklin County put a run across the plate in the top of the first to draw first blood, the Tiger Sharks put a pair across in the second, four more in the third, five in the fifth, and two in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

Partie and Hensley combined to limit the Seahawks to three earned runs on three hits, striking out seven and walking five between them.

Hensley and Godwin each had two hits, including a triple, while Ashcraft and Reese each doubled. Partie and Knox each had one hit and two RBIs, while Williams and Butts each had a hit.

Reese and Butts each stole two bases and the team committed no errors.