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Wednesday, March 24, 2021 - Pike County Journal Reporter - Page 5B
Pirates face tough teams, still unbeaten in region
The Pirates baseball
team opened up the 2021
campaign with one of the
toughest schedules in
the state of Georgia. The
Pirates suffered losses
to Brunswick HS, South
Effingham #8 in 5A, Ola,
Thomas County Central,
Tift Co. and Sandy Creek,
the #7 team in 3A. The
Pirates have wins against
5A Ware Co., 7A Norcross
and Region 2-AAA foe
Peach Co.
The Pirates opened
region play March 9 at
Peach County and came
out victorious with an 11-0
shutout in five innings.
The Pirates beat
Peach County a second
time March 12 by a score
of 12-2. The team lost a
close 7-6 game to non
conference team Cook
County on March 13. The
Pirates fell to Glenwood
Academy 16-5 in the
second non-conference
game of the March 13
double header.
The Pirates picked
up their third region win
against Upson-Lee on the
road March 16. The Pi
rates put one run on the
board in the first and fifth
innings and the Knights
scored four runs in the
fifth. But the Pirates
came back to earn three
runs in the sixth inning
for the win.
The Knights came to
Pike on Friday, March 19
and the Pirates allowed
them one run in the first,
and the game was tied
2-2 going into the seventh
inning and the Pirates
won when the Knights
committed an error, al
lowing a run to score.
Pitcher Mason Trucks
struck out eight batters
in the win. Braden Osbolt
went two-for-four to lead
the offense.
SPECIAL PHOTOS
The Pirates varsity baseball team includes Jaden Bone #6, Garrison Pierce #27, Christian Perkins #4, Tyler James #16, Braden Osbolt #9, Caden Swift #21, Ridge
Smith #14, Josh Buffington #7, Zane Axelburg #6, Ryan Melton #19, Austin Conine #2, Jesse Hammond #20, Landon Clark #3, Mason Trucks #18, Cyle Wells #23,
Kole Hammond #12, Jacob Hammond #29 and Tanner Yates #24.
The Pirates have a
6-8 overall record and a
4-0 region record. They
played region opponent
Americas-Sumter on
Tuesday, March 23 after
press time and will host
Starr’s Mill on Wednes
day, March 24 at 5:55 p.m.
They will travel to
Americas-Sumter on Fri
day for a 5:55 p.m. region
competition.
Tickets are no longer
sold at the gate, but fans
can go to https://gofan.
co/app/school/GA5238 to
buy tickets.
PHOTOS BY
J. BRINKLEY
At left, Jaden
Bone heads
home to
score for the
Pirates.
At right,
Trevor Bag-
well delivers
a pitch.
Far right,
Zane Axel-
berg makes
a play for the
Pirates.
Pirates soccer second in state AAA, Lady
Pirates seventh; Senior Night is this Friday
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Pirates defenders (l-r) Eli Hubbard, Stephen Walter and Daniel Cuviello await a Central Macon
Goal kick during a recent game. The PCHS Pirates soccer team is ranked second in the state
in AAA and has an overall record of 10-1 -1.
BY JOE WALTER
On March 2, the Pike
County Pirates var
sity soccer teams tested
themselves against a
bigger school in prepa
ration for the playoffs,
taking on 7A East Coweta
Indians on a 38 degree,
rain soaked evening in
Sharpsburg. The Lady
Pirates squad gave their
best effort against a very
physical Lady Indians
squad. Despite their best
efforts, the Lady Pirates
fell to the Lady Indians
3-0, including receiving
some flying fists late in
the game. Many of the
Lady Pirates sat through
the rain to watch the
Pirates face the same
uphill climb against the
East Coweta boys. The
Pirates were able to keep
it close through most of
the game, enduring the
elements and a skilled
opponent. A foul in the
penalty box late in the
first half drew a penalty
kick, which the Indians
converted making the
score 1-0 in favor of the
home team. The Pirates
continued to do their
best in the second half
to equalize, but could
not get a shot past the
keeper. East Coweta
managed a garbage goal
with a minute left in the
second half to win 2-0.
The Pirates headed back
to Pike County to warm
up and dry off.
The Pirates traveled
to Fort Valley on Friday,
March 5 to take on their
region rivals, the Peach
County Trojans, on a
night that, for once, was
not bitterly cold and/
or raining. The Lady
Pirates easily handled
their opponent, mercy
ruling the Lady Trojans
10-0 with 20 minutes left
in the contest, which al
lowed some time for rest.
Multiple players scored
and no players seemed
to get injured, which is
always a good thing. The
boys match was certainly
full of all the excitement,
bravado and chippy play
that you would expect
of a rivalry match. The
Trojans had many skilled
players and also had
a very partisan home
crowd, which made the
sidelines very interesting
for the traveling fans and
players. Both teams came
out playing fast soccer,
but the Pirates were able
to score first, with Chris
tian Fowler pouncing on
a deflection in the goal
box at 24 minutes. Allen
Davis followed up a few
minutes later with a close
in goal off a set piece to
increase the lead to 2-0
and Jake Richardson
converted a Matt Webb
cross before half time
to make the count 3-0 in
favor of the visitors. The
Trojans pulled on back at
62 minutes with a close
range shot. However, on
the ensuing kickoff, the
Pirates pulled out their
bag of tricks and scored
a goal from the half line,
with Brance Mann dis
tracting the Trojans and
Matt Webb then taking
the shot which sailed
over the Trojans keeper’s
head into the goal, in
creasing the lead to 4-1.
Pirates’ fans will remem
ber a similar trick from
a few years ago against
Peach where Matt Webb’s
brother Blake and Davis
York combined to break
the Trojans’ hearts with
a game ending half field
shot from kickoff. The
game seemed to grow
even more intense after
this goal and Peach lost a
player to a red card and
finished the game with 10
players. Christian Fowler
increased the lead to 5-1
for the Pirates at 65 min
utes with a tap of a de
flected shot. The Pirates
were able to play some of
their bench and rest start
ers. Peach was able to
score a second goal at 77
minutes off a breakaway,
but the Pirates were able
to snuff out any further
challenges and cruised
out of Fort Valley with a
5-2 region victory.
The Pirates hosted Mt.
De Sales Academy of Ma
con on Tuesday, March 9
for what turned into an
other memorable set of
games, for very different
reasons. The girl’s game
was a tough watch for
the home fans for most
of the match, with the
Lady Cavaliers holding a
1-0 lead for most of the
game. The Lady Pirates
never gave up and the
experience of the seniors
on the team helped keep
things from getting worse
for the home side. In a
last ditch attack with un
der a minute left, senior
Anna Chasteen took a
long shot which dropped
in the top right corner
of the goal to even the
score at 1-1 with 11 sec
onds left. The Lady Cava
liers were too stunned to
do anything else and the
Lady Pirates were happy
to have grabbed a point
at the end.
The boys’ game
quickly turned into an
alley fight, which, at the
end, left both teams with
10 players on the field
due to red cards (you
start out with 11 play
ers a side at this level),
multiple yellow cards
for both teams and two
parents escorted from
the stadium for their be
havior. Matt Webb scored
the first of his four goals
at 5 minutes off an Ozzie
O’Steen throw in. Pirates
1-0. Matt followed up
with his second goal off a
free kick at 13 minutes to
increase the lead to 2-0,
then added a third goal
at 27 minutes from the
left side and scored his
fourth goal off a corner
kick at 33 minutes. The
Pirates went into half
time with a 4-0 lead;
however play on the field
continued to get more
physical as the game
went on and you felt
things were going to get
uglier in the second half.
As it so happened,
things did get uglier in
the second half. The
fouls continued and
tension increased. Mt.
De Sales scored off a
free kick at 51 minutes
and seemed to gain the
momentum. Shortly after,
Pike lost a player to a
straight red card and the
Cavaliers scored a sec
ond goal at 55 minutes to
make the score 4-2. Allen
Davis redirected a corner
kick in the net with his
head at 67 minutes,
which increased the lead
to 5-2 and Pike regained
the momentum. The Cav-
ilers started to crumble
at this point and lost a
player to a red card for
denying a goal scoring
chance. Jake Richardson
scored off a Matt Webb
corner at 72 minutes to
increase the lead to 6-2
for Pike and then Matt
Smith scored a tap in at
77 minutes to close out
the Cavaliers 7-2.
Friday, March 12 saw
the Pirates host the
Americus-Sumter Pan
thers in a region contest.
The Lady Pirates had
the night off because the
Panthers do not have a
girls’ soccer program.
The crowd was subdued
after the fracas with
Mt. De Sales Academy
earlier in the week. The
Panthers only brought
one substitute and it was
quickly apparent that
they would be no match
for the Pirates. Matt
Webb scored at 3 min
utes off a deflected ball
to give the Pirates the
lead 1-0. Christian Fowler
added a goal at 7 minutes
off of a Matt Webb assist
to increase the lead to
2-0. Matt Webb scored
his second goal at 15
minutes from the left side
and the Pirates started
subbing in players to
keep their legs fresh for
the play off push. The
first half ended with the
Pirates leading 3-0. The
Panthers had skill in cer
tain areas, but could not
hold onto the ball long
enough to pose a serious
threat. Only one min
ute had elapsed in the
second half when Allen
Davis scored a banger of
a goal from outside the
box to increase the lead
to 4-0 and Jake Richard
son added a goal at 50
minutes off a Matt Webb
corner to cap the scor
ing at 5-0 for the Pirates.
The final 30 minutes saw
more Pirates get playing
time and several more
scoring chances were
created. Pike Soccer’s
Fury teams provided ball
handling for the match
and that brought out
lots of family to enjoy an
entertaining game.
The Pirates traveled to
Ed Defore Sports Com
plex on Monday, March
15 to face the Central Ma
con Chargers on a small
turf field. The turf posed
more of a problem than
the Chargers. The Lady
Pirates easily defeated
the Lady Chargers and
the game ended after one
half 10-0.
The boys’ game fol
lowed a similar pattern.
The Chargers had some
fast players and played
as best as they could,
but only a few had any
soccer experience and
the game ended 11-0
after only one half. The
Pirates were able to ro
tate in players again and
multiple Pirates scored.
Matt Webb continued his
goal scoring tear with
four more goals, Jake
Richardson added two
goals, Victor Avila, Allen
Davis, Lautic Fordham,
Christian Fowler and
Brance Mann also scored
goals for the Pirates.
Senior keeper Ryan
Brooks did not dress out
for the game, but had
to pull emergency duty
after keeper Luke Mann
collided with a Central
player in the only seri
ous scoring threat of
the night from Central
Macon. The ball squirted
out of Luke’s hands but
senior defender Stephen
Walter cleared the ball
off the goal line to save
the clean sheet for the
Pirates. The Pirates
were able to stave off
any more Central Macon
threats and left Macon
with only a few bruises
and one nasty turf burn.
The Pirates are now
10-1-1 and ranked second
in the state in AAA and
the Lady Pirates are 7-2-2
and ranked seventh in
the state in AAA. The
Pirates will face region
opponents Upson-Lee on
Friday, March 26 which is
also Senior Night.