The Coffee Trojans had a tough weekend, falling 3-2 to Toombs County in Lyons on Friday then dropping the first game they’ve played this year at Charles Wilson Field to Ware County 7-3.
On Friday, Toombs County had a no-hitter against Coffee until the top of the seventh when Jimmy Timothy singled on a 2-2 pitch to right field. Michael Strickland followed with a bunt and reached on an error. A single by Connor Stewart scored Timothy and moved Strickland to third. The run tied the score at one apiece. Eli Wood hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored Strickland to give Coffee a 2-1 lead. Stewart advanced to second on the play. The Trojans loaded the bases after Gavin McElroy singled and Will Walker was hit by a pitch. However, they couldn’t get anyone else across the plate and the inning ended with Coffee holding on to a one-run lead.
Toombs, however, wasn’t done and walked it off in the bottom of the seventh on a bases loaded wild pitch. They led off with two singles then had a batter reach on a bunt. A hit by pitch scored a run to tie the game at two and left the bases loaded with nobody out. A wild pitch scored the winning run.
The Trojans managed just three hits on the night – one each by Timothy, Stewart, and McElroy. Coffee used three pitchers – Evan Lingenfelter (five innings, five hits, one earned run, one walk, six strikeouts), Brody Hare (one inning, no hits, no runs), and Ben Fussell (two hits, two earned runs). Fussell took the loss for the Trojans.
Saturday, the Trojans faced off against the Ware County Gators in a heated non-region contest at home that went 10 innings and saw Ware head coach Jamie Ammons get ejected in the third. Coffee collected eight hits and played well – until the wheels came off in the top of the tenth.
The Gators scored a run in the top of the first. The Trojans answered with two in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. Ware added two more in the top of the second to go up 3-2. Coffee tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on a double by Fussell to center. Ware mishandled the throw and Fussell scored. The Trojans were unable to score again and the game went into extra innings.
Neither team scored in the eighth or ninth. That changed in the top of the tenth. With one out and one on, what should have been an inning-ending double play wound up with runners on first and third due to an error. A single loaded the bases with one out. Then Bryce Dixon, who has committed to South Georgia State College as a pitcher, showed he’s also a pretty good hitter. Dixon connected on an 0-1 pitch for a grand slam to put Ware comfortably ahead 7-3.
In the bottom of the tenth, the Trojans made a little noise but it wasn’t enough. McElroy managed to reach on a single with one out but that’s all the offense Coffee could muster. Ware handed Coffee a 7-3 defeat, the Trojans’ third loss in a row.
Fussell had three hits while Stewart and McElroy had two each. Strickland and Eli Wood also had a hit. Fussell also scored twice.
Strickland started for Coffee and threw seven strong innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits while striking out 12 and walking just one. Brody Hare (one inning) and Weston Brown (two innings) finished things off on the mound. Brown took the loss for the Trojans.
Coffee drops to 2-5 on the season. The Trojans take the field Wednesday on the road against the Bryan County Redskins. They return home on March 4 for the region opener against Lee County. Game time is 6 p.m.